Blue Jays Discussion: 2024-25 Off-season: The free agent watch begins (and sometimes old baseball radio broadcasts)

[Stephen]

Not to mention that he's probably not fond of the Jays front office the way they literally traded him for a bag of baseballs (Swanson), and the Jays inability to have signed Vladdy & Bo, I'm sure he doesnt want to be on a losing team and the Dodgers are anything but. They may not win every WS, but they'll be contending every year and every year in the playoffs.

Jays are a lost franchise now having wasted so much young talent that may very well walk for nothing.

That Ohtani pursuit was so destructive in that it made the Toronto Blue Jays front office, franchise and city look desperate. No, it isn't good to come in "second place" because you look like Steve Urkell. It'll take a decade and a full rebuild to restore the dignity lost there.

 

[cyris]

Nah i saw rumors of that when free agency started. Most people dismissed it because it creates a bit of a logistical issue with both him and Vlad being pure 1B and signing him means they can't do the rotating DH thing anymore.

Most projections have him ending up back with the Mets anyway so it's probably a moot point.

I love Big Meat Pete but not even i can really justify what he's asking for given he has as much depth to his game as a piece of paper.

I think you could justify the positional component by commenting to playing Vladdy at 3rd 40-50 times a year.
Between that and off days for Vlad and Pete would really give them a chance to rotate other guy through the DH position.

But yeah I think he is going to cost way too much and as I have said I dont think the contract will age well at all.

 

[Kurtz]

I don't know why, but Alonso has never felt like a remote possibility. To be honest, Bregman doesn't either. I think Santander and Profar are really the only position players left that they have a legitimate shot at.

Sportac projected him to get $240m a few months ago, which...no. More recently, rumour was that he maybe would get upwards of $200m, so no again.

But there's a recent rumour from a NJ writer that the talk is back to the Mets for 5/135. If that's the neighbrohood, I hope that we're a player (assuming that he's cool moving to DH, which is not a given).

Nah i saw rumors of that when free agency started. Most people dismissed it because it creates a bit of a logistical issue with both him and Vlad being pure 1B and signing him means they can't do the rotating DH thing anymore.

Unfortunately we just don't have anyone worthwhile to rotate through the DH spot anymore, especially with Spencer gone. I can live without Springer DHing.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Sportac projected him to get $240m a few months ago, which...no. More recently, rumour was that he maybe would get upwards of $200m, so no again.

But there's a recent rumour from a NJ writer that the talk is back to the Mets for 5/135. If that's the neighbrohood, I hope that we're a player (assuming that he's cool moving to DH, which is not a given).



Unfortunately we just don't have anyone worthwhile to rotate through the DH spot anymore, especially with Spencer gone. I can live without Springer DHing.

You're right on that, but i have a sneaking suspicion Jays management thinks differently...much to our detriment.

 

[mikeyz]

"Look at this roster projection with 7 league average or better bats who are mostly good defenders that is missing another league average bat that's the best defensive outfielder in baseball, obviously we have to upgrade on 4 of those spots"

Like I understand when your 3rd best bat is Kirk you're seriously missing on the high offensive side of the spectrum. But there's nothing wrong with having league average bats who are elite defensively at the bottom end of the roster. The roster has lots off issues, people should just complain about those, they don't need to be out here making up ones that don't exist.



Giving Springer 2 outfield spots to cover at this point in his career seems aggressive. I'm down for it if it means we get to give Vladdy 2 lineup spots to cover though

“Making up ones that don’t exist”?



My entire point of that post was the lineup offensively f***ing sucks. Are you implying that the lineup is good and we shouldn’t be complaining about it? LMFAO.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Surprised at the optimism here still, outlook is pretty bleak and could get bleaker rather quick.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Surprised at the optimism here still, outlook is pretty bleak and could get bleaker rather quick.

I am sorry....you read this thread and came away thinking it is optimistic?

 

[VanillaCoke]

I am sorry....you read this thread and came away thinking it is optimistic?

Yes relative to expectation.
Many ppl still into Santander or whatever FA for the past few weeks, when the reality is none of them were coming here without Vladimir signed.

Shatkins has really made a mess with seemingly low odds of a good outcome, even if you sign both vlad and Bo it's still not really close to a contender..

 

[Discoverer]

Yes relative to expectation.
Many ppl still into Santander or whatever FA for the past few weeks, when the reality is none of them were coming here without Vladimir signed.

Shatkins has really made a mess with seemingly low odds of a good outcome, even if you sign both vlad and Bo it's still not really close to a contender..

That's not optimism, that's people discussing possibilities.

 

[shaner8989]

Please get nobody.
Please fire everybody
Please trade VLAD and Bo
Please start over and rebuild

 

[Nineteen67]

Please get nobody.
Please fire everybody
Please trade VLAD and Bo
Please start over and rebuild

Rebuilds are great if you’re planning to attend a few games

 

[BehindTheTimes]

That Ohtani pursuit was so destructive in that it made the Toronto Blue Jays front office, franchise and city look desperate. No, it isn't good to come in "second place" because you look like Steve Urkell. It'll take a decade and a full rebuild to restore the dignity lost there.

I disagree with this. The problem is back to back pursuits for the big fish while not having our own big fish locked up. Sends a terrible message to Vlad.

 

[Dough72]

29 other teams also didn't sign whatever random free agent. It is not a sign of the apocalypse.

 

[Stephen]

I disagree with this. The problem is back to back pursuits for the big fish while not having our own big fish locked up. Sends a terrible message to Vlad.

Soto was just a riff on the Ohtani fiasco. Team lost all dignity on the first pursuit and the second one was just a meme.

 

[Dough72]

Shatkins has really made a mess with seemingly low odds of a good outcome, even if you sign both vlad and Bo it's still not really close to a contender..

this has nothing to do with anything but Bo would be een riskier than 15 years to Guerrero. He throws off his right calf, and hits off his right calf, and takes all his batting/infield practice off his right calf. That thing isn't getting better anytime soon. Wonder if there are stats showing left-handed hitting infielders are less prone to leg injury. Since they split the difference with wear-and-tear hitting off their left leg instead.

 

[GoonieFace]

That Ohtani pursuit was so destructive in that it made the Toronto Blue Jays front office, franchise and city look desperate. No, it isn't good to come in "second place" because you look like Steve Urkell. It'll take a decade and a full rebuild to restore the dignity lost there.

It’s destructive to pursue the best player in baseball? How does that make the front office and franchise look desperate? This is an odd take

 

[trellaine201]

Move Vlady to 3B

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Shatkins has really made a mess with seemingly low odds of a good outcome, even if you sign both vlad and Bo it's still not really close to a contender..

Jays are real close to going back to bring completely irrelevant. If Shatkins refuses to sign Vladdy and let’s Bo walk or get poor value for him in a trade this team is dead. We’d have no stars, a shit farm, and incompetent management. The promise of 2020/2021 is long gone.

It’ll take shrewd management to salvage this mess, and unfortunately for us Atkins and Shapiro have proven to be incapable of that. The worst case of “smartest guys in the room” this city has seen in sports.

If this franchise lets Vlad walk I’m not spending a dime on them until Shatkins is gone. Insane that these two are still allowed to steer this wreckage.

 

[Stephen]

It’s destructive to pursue the best player in baseball? How does that make the front office and franchise look desperate? This is an odd take

It's destructive to look like a doormat where no controversy existed before. It didn't earn any respect form the MLB world and now it looks like the Jays are set up for perpetual bridesmaid duties in free agency. It's not good for reputation to look like you've been used to drive up negotiating value.

 

[The Iceman]

My hot take.

Atkins always wants to promote that they have been in on all the top FA out there.
Pro tip.
You have been declined so many times it is maybe time to have a tighter focus, and if needed severely overpay for your top targets to get them.

Atkins acting like the bachelor that can have his pick of the bunch.
News flash.
You don’t.

Work smarter not harder.

 

[GoonieFace]

It's destructive to look like a doormat where no controversy existed before. It didn't earn any respect form the MLB world and now it looks like the Jays are set up for perpetual bridesmaid duties in free agency. It's not good for reputation to look like you've been used to drive up negotiating value.

Every team is used to drive up value, this isn’t exclusive to Toronto.

 

[Dr.Funk]

 

[kb]

This is now a meme

 

[Blitzkrug]

Every team is used to drive up value, this isn’t exclusive to Toronto.

Yeah that line of thinking is ridiculous. Some people seriously just want to seem like they're mad.

Don't pursue big ticket FAs = "Why aren't they doing anything?"

Do pursue big ticket FAs, but lose out to bigger ticket team = "wow this is so destructive wtf is Shatkins thinking??"

f*** that noise. They made a legitimate play for Ohtani and came up short. He was deadset on LA (which multiple people reported around deadline time) but they still made him think twice on it. They made a play for Soto but came up short because Uncle Steve isn't taking no for an answer. They apparently offered Burnes the most money, but as a newly minted father he wanted to stay in Arizona close to his family. Not a lot more Toronto can realistically do.

Now if you want to have a convo spitroasting Shatkins on whiffing on these guys and then essentially being caught with their dicks in hand with nothing remotely close to a backup plan to upgrade/improve to roster, i'm all ears.

 

[Woodman19]

Yeah that line of thinking is ridiculous. Some people seriously just want to seem like they're mad.

Don't pursue big ticket FAs = "Why aren't they doing anything?"

Do pursue big ticket FAs, but lose out to bigger ticket team = "wow this is so destructive wtf is Shatkins thinking??"

f*** that noise. They made a legitimate play for Ohtani and came up short. He was deadset on LA (which multiple people reported around deadline time) but they still made him think twice on it. They made a play for Soto but came up short because Uncle Steve isn't taking no for an answer. They apparently offered Burnes the most money, but as a newly minted father he wanted to stay in Arizona close to his family. Not a lot more Toronto can realistically do.

Now if you want to have a convo spitroasting Shatkins on whiffing on these guys and then essentially being caught with their dicks in hand with nothing remotely close to a backup plan to upgrade/improve to roster, i'm all ears.

Some other teams will refute rumours which we wont do. It is a reciprocal scummy relationship where we get used as leverage for agents while we get linked to everything and make it seem like we are working hard to do something. In the end it doesnt actually do anything for either party because if teams dont buy it and sit on "rumours" like the Barnes was offered more from Toronto crap it just looks silly on their part when they sign elsewhere for "Less" while we end up with nothing yet again and dont improve.

You would think that the media has shown over the last 10 years or so they are absolutely full of shit and its all about pushing an agenda.