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Well, there he goes again.  Love him or hate him, JP Ricciardi was always a good quote.  Wednesdays with JP on the Fan 590 were interesting because JP would speak his mind.  Sometimes that was good and sometimes it got him into trouble.  On Friday last JP spoke with WEEI in Boston and he had some things to say about three of the Jays top relievers.   He had praise for one and he slammed another.  And he also had a couple of teasers of trades not made.  Can you figure out who he is talking about?

Lets start with the relievers.  There are differing opinions of the trade market for relievers.  Buster Olney thinks the market is terrible.  But Ed Price reports that both the Yankees and Red Sox are interested in Scott Downs.  JP Ricciardi was asked which Blue Jay reliever the Sox should target.

Well if you are asking me to put Theo’s hat on for a minute — and not speaking for him, but just evaluating — I would think [Scott] Downs would be at the top of the list to me, personally. He gets right-handers out. He gets left-handers out. He can give you an inning and two-thirds, even two innings at a time. [Jason] Frasor to me, he would be the least of the guys. The tighter the situation, the worse he pitches. I would be a little worried about that. And as far as [Kevin] Gregg goes, I don’t know if he’s a guy who could pitch outside of that closer role. They obviously have a closer, and they all come with a price tag.

That's quite the slam on Jason Frasor.  And a little shot at Gregg, but Downs appears to be target number one and the player who could bring back the most in value.

There was a report I saw earlier, forget the source now, that said Colorado could be interested in Gregg.

So if we were to estimate the chances of an trade it looks like Downs - 75%; Gregg - 50%; Frasor - 20%.

 

Here is a cryptic JP comment, can you figure out who he is talking about?  Was this Carlos Delgado?

We’ve also had players, this is another big-name player that I can’t mention right now, but that had a chance to go to the Red Sox the year they won the World Series in ’04 and he exercised his no-trade clause. He had a chance to play on a World Series team, but he didn’t want to opt out of his no trade, so that’s the other thing that happened at the trade deadline. A lot of guys have no-trades and you go to them and say, “Hey, we have an opportunity to move you, would you be interested.” “Let me know what team it is.” And you come back with a team and then they sit their for 24 hours and say, “No, I am not interested.”'

 

And another one about a trade not made.

I can’t say monumental, there has been enough stories of really come close and not pull things off on just different types of players. But I had a trade done a couple of years ago where the trade was finalized, I won’t mention the players, but a pretty prominent player. Had him traded, everything was all set, told the president this is what we are trying to do, kept him in the loop. I went back, already signed off with the team, I said, I’ll just get right back to finalize, let me run it by my president.

I went and told the president and the president told me, You know what, I’m a really big fan of that guy, and I think the fans are, too. I think if we trade him, we’re really going to catch it. And I said, OK, it’s your call. I said I recommend we do this, but he said no, and we didn’t trade him and the guy we could have traded him for is absolutely tearing it up right now. So, that’s why you can’t be a fan when you make those choices.

The full transcript is here.

JP Speaks, again | 29 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
whiterasta80 - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 04:11 PM EDT (#218716) #

Hint #1 I gotta think its Carlos Delgado.  I don't think anyone else had 10 and 5 or a no trade on that team

Hint #2 The player could only be Vernon Wells, or Roy Halladay.  No one else makes sense.  Not sure who we could have gotten for him, Adrian Gonzalez maybe?

Flex - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 04:16 PM EDT (#218717) #
No chance Hint #2 refers to the Rios-Lincecum deal? I know that was widely believed to be a back-out by the Giants, but Ricciardi did make a statement at the time suggesting it was the Jays who reconsidered. I thought at the time that was just to save face.

It's too bad for Ricciardi that he was saddled with such a bunch of idiots as he attempted to bring glory to hims— er, Toronto.
Alex Obal - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 04:25 PM EDT (#218718) #
I almost completely agree with JP's take on the Escobar trade. I might add that the Jays are more qualified than most teams to repair the hole in Escobar's bat.

What does it mean that Gregg couldn't 'pitch outside the closer's role'? I'm puzzled by that one.
Alex Obal - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 04:27 PM EDT (#218719) #
Oh, and the guy we could've got for Prominent Player is 'absolutely tearing it up right now.' Matt Cain?
PeteMoss - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 05:15 PM EDT (#218721) #
Both the prospects are JP guys... so I'd guess he places a higher value on them than most. 
Dave Rutt - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 05:39 PM EDT (#218722) #
What does it mean that Gregg couldn't 'pitch outside the closer's role'? I'm puzzled by that one.

I assume he's referring more to Gregg's unwillingness to pitch out of the closer's role, especially in light of getting pulled in a save situation the other night and being a bit of a baby about it.

Of course, if Gregg was traded to a team with an established closer, he'd probably pitch exactly the same, but it's just Baseball Men being Baseball Men, or whatever.
stevieboy22 - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 05:50 PM EDT (#218723) #
Not sure who we could have gotten for him, Adrian Gonzalez maybe?

I remember there was once a rumour going into the 06 season that Adrian Gonzalez was offered for Brandon League..

I also remember strong rumors of Vernon Wells being packaged to the Angels for players like Santana/Aybar/Kiendrick...
Ducey - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 05:56 PM EDT (#218724) #

I guess there is some merit to being honest, but I don't see that JP needed to throw Fraser and the team President under the bus. 

In all his answers he manages to be critical of someone (Fraser, Escobar, Delgado, Gonzales, even his poor defence guy, Scutaro).  You can't his analysis for the most part but the real good GM's and managers seem to be able to get the point across in a more positive way.

Another reason to like AA - he seems to fly under the radar.

jmoney - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 06:16 PM EDT (#218725) #
If you walk the bases loaded and get yanked you can suck it. Gregg walks guys all the time. I'm not sure he can pitch in the closers role either.
Magpie - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 07:08 PM EDT (#218728) #
I'm never reall been one of Ricciardi's defenders, but I have no rpoblem with anything here. He's a just a commentator now. Kind of like me, only much better paid. I don't see why he can't say anything he likes says about Gregg or Escobar. Neither of those guys actually worked for him.

As for the players who did work for him, as I recall he named three of them (and Scott Rolen) and I thought he had high praise for two of them (Downs and Scutaro). Everybody knows Gonzalez is a better defender than Scutaro, but Ricciardi thinks Scutaro is a better player anyway.

As for Frasor.... welcome to the club, J.P. - I've been saying the exact same thing about the guy for years...

Needless to say, Carlos Delgado was the only member of the 2004 Blue Jays with a no-trade clause in his contract. (The team had no 10 and 5 guys.)

One wonders what the Red Sox were offering. They were playing Kevin Millar at 1b in 2004, and the big move they made at the deadline was to trade Garciaparra for Cabrera and Mientkiewicz.


Magpie - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 07:53 PM EDT (#218733) #
I recommend some sympathy for Ricciardi. After all, fairly or unfairly, his Blue Jays legacy is going to be that he had the greatest hitter and the greatest pitcher in franchise history, each at the peak of their powers - and he couldn't put enough team around those two players to get them into the post-season.
greenfrog - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 08:56 PM EDT (#218743) #
"But I had a trade done a couple of years ago where the trade was finalized, I won’t mention the players, but a pretty prominent player. Had him traded, everything was all set"

This might have been a Vernon trade prior to the big contract, maybe to Texas or Anaheim (I seem to remember that the Angels were interested in him before they signed Torii Hunter).

As for JP's comments about the Jays bullpen, I'm not crazy about him criticizing Frasor in mid-season (or any time, really). There's a difference between someone like Richard Griffin ripping into a player and JP doing it - Ricciardi is the former Jays GM and Frasor is still a player on the club (and one who is apparently the subject of trade discussions). There's no need to gratuitously embarrass a player or throw a wrench into any potential deals.

That said, who knows? Maybe his comments will light a fire under Frasor's rear. Adam Dunn hasn't exactly wilted in the aftermath of the "Do you know this guy doesn't even like baseball?" fiasco.
TamRa - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 09:33 PM EDT (#218745) #
trade #2 might be the Rios deal, but I like to think it might have been Wells given what was reported about godfrey being the driving force of that contract.

but "a couple of years ago" taken literally would be Rios.



Mike Green - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 10:11 PM EDT (#218750) #
Jason Frasor's career statistics by leverage:

high- .256/.326/.360
medium- .249/.349/.388
low- .216/.309/.341

Scott Downs' career statistics by leverage:
high- .267/.365/.393
medium- .249/.316/.398
low- .269/.323/.418

Kevin Gregg's career statistics by leverage:
high- .225/.335/.377
medium- .241/.313/.345
low- .245/.314/.384

As far as I am concerned, these numbers are essentially interchangeable. 

greenfrog - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 10:39 PM EDT (#218753) #
I'm a bit surprised that no one is talking about Shawn Camp as a potential trade target. If I'm looking for a reliable 7th/8th inning right-handed reliever, I might actually prefer Camp (who is having a very good year) to either Frasor or Gregg.
jmoney - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 11:05 PM EDT (#218754) #
I think Camp is still cheap so I'd like to see them hold on to him.

Gregg had another masterpiece tonight. Hope somebody takes him off our hands.

Magpie - Monday, July 19 2010 @ 11:18 PM EDT (#218755) #
Hope somebody takes [Gregg] off our hands.

That sound you hear? 29 GMs laughing....
Forkball - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 08:51 AM EDT (#218761) #
As for JP's comments about the Jays bullpen, I'm not crazy about him criticizing Frasor in mid-season (or any time, really). There's a difference between someone like Richard Griffin ripping into a player and JP doing it - Ricciardi is the former Jays GM and Frasor is still a player on the club.

JP is currently a baseball analyst and Frasor is a baseball player.  I don't get what the big deal is unless he's making something up (which I don't believe is the case).  If he said Aaron Hill doesn't hit well with RISP (hypotethically) is that a big deal?

And if JP has a problem with a player exercising a no-trade clause maybe he shouldn't have been so free to hand them out like Halloween candy.  Does he think no-trade clauses only apply to getting sent to non-playoff contenders?
85bluejay - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 10:04 AM EDT (#218770) #

It's funny how JP can regale us with all the great deals he nearly made, but not all the crappy deals he actually

made - the telltale sign of a failed GM. To hear JP Tell it, it's always someone else's fault - poor boss,Selfish player,

etc, - if it weren't for these incompetence's, Jp would have turned the Jays into the 1927 Yankees.

Of course, I'm not surprised that JP believed that Atlanta won the trade - it's his successor he's talking about.

If AA traded Overbay & Brisker for Albert Pujos, JP would say the Cardinals won the deal.

 

I can't wait for AA to turn the Jays into a playoff team (Will happen sooner than we expect) - JP will be on

Boston radio saying it is really all his doing.   

 

Ryan Day - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 10:22 AM EDT (#218772) #
I don't know who'll be the better GM when all is said and done, but JP was definitely a more interesting GM. The guy had the guts to go on the radio and talk to random yahoos every week, during losing streaks and after miserable losses, and he was usually pretty honest & candid. Of course, people got annoyed when he spoke his mind and when he resorted to cliches & generalities, so Anthopoulos probably has the right idea.

katman - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 10:51 AM EDT (#218775) #
Read J.P's comments. Can't find anything to disagree with, either, and i thought the comments were really interesting. JP may have found his niche as a TV/radio analyst.
jerjapan - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 12:41 PM EDT (#218794) #
I don't know who'll be the better GM when all is said and done, but JP was definitely a more interesting GM.

Interesting in a Warren Beatty in Bullworth kind of way perhaps (which I mean as a compliment - and I can personally empathize with JP's foot-in-mouth disease) - but I find AA a MUCH more interesting GM, with his inventive trading, value-seeking free agent signings, minor-league wheelings and dealings and aggressive scouting and drafting.  JP wasn't nearly as active, and AA is definitely improving his team with his activity.   
Matthew E - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 12:46 PM EDT (#218795) #
JP wasn't nearly as active

You don't think? I don't have numbers in front of me, and I'm not sure how you'd measure it, but I found Ricciardi (especially in his first few years) to be an extremely active and aggressive GM.

I suppose it could be that any GM, when he or she first takes over a team, sees a lot of things that need changing... but that, as time goes by, the organization begins to more and more closely resemble the GM's subjective vision of what it should be, and the frequency of transactions dies down. Let's see if it happens with Anthopoulos too.
John Northey - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 12:53 PM EDT (#218797) #
Ash said all the good stuff in the early days of JP's reign was his doing so if JP does it to AA it will just be standard practice.

As to trade levels - those of us around in the 80's remember 'stand Pat' Gillick who went a very long time between trades. Then, once he got the urge again (starting with Barfield for Leiter) things started moving until he did the big one (McGriff/Fernandez for Carter/Alomar). I suspect most GM's have a picture of what they want, work towards it, let the kids feed in and once it starts to break down go whole hog again (if given the chance).
uglyone - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 12:59 PM EDT (#218798) #

As far as I am concerned, these numbers are essentially interchangeable

Absolutely.

While I do think Downs is a better pitcher than Gregg or Frasor, I think all three of them have serious issues as the pressure ramps up. I have too many nightmares of Downs blowing it specifically against our division rivals the Rays and Red Sox, specifically in games where we are actually close to them in the standings, to have any faith in him or desire to see him stick around as a key part in a potential jays contender. I like Downs quite a bit, but I have to say I won't be sad to see him go.

Personally, I'm quite fine with replacing our late innings relievers with Purcey/Janssen/Roenicke/Lewis, and I'm not too scared that we'd take a big hit there with the change.

Flex - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 01:11 PM EDT (#218800) #
Uglyone, shhhhh. You know and I know it about Downs, but the scouts are hovering, so let's keep it on the downlow.
Kasi - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 01:12 PM EDT (#218801) #
I think our late inning guys should be Camp, Carlson and one of Purcey/Roenicke/Magnusson. Not a big fan of Lewis or Janssen in late game situations.
Magpie - Tuesday, July 20 2010 @ 10:59 PM EDT (#218861) #
if JP has a problem with a player exercising a no-trade clause maybe he shouldn't have been so free to hand them out like Halloween candy.

Did Ricciardi actually give anyone a no-trade clause (the one in question, Delgado's, was during the Gord Ash years.) Wells? Ryan? Burnett?
TamRa - Wednesday, July 21 2010 @ 12:30 AM EDT (#218869) #
Off the top of my head, Wells has one and Doc had one.

I wouldn't call that "like candy" and the Wells one might have b een something his hands were tied on.

It's funny how JP can...

Have you considered therapy for the JPOCS?

JP Speaks, again | 29 comments | Create New Account
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