Blue Jays Discussion: And the off-season begins (list of FA's in Post #1)

[Cor]

Jays are reportedly interested in Morales as well

 

[hockeywiz542]

scottdale, ariz. – as a hedge in case they are able to trade brian mccann, the yankees have inquired about kendrys morales, the post has learned.

The blue jays and red sox also have reached out on morales, who led the royals with 30 homers in 2016. Boston designated hitter david ortiz retired after last season. Toronto might lose free agents edwin encarancaion, jose bautista and michael saunders, who combined for 88 homers this past season. The blue jays would like to add a lefty hitter with power. Morales is a switch-hitter.

The royals considered placing a qualifying offer on morales, but decided against it because he might have accepted. Morales just completed a two-year, $17 million deal with kansas city, and could approach that figure annually on a new contract.

 

[TF97]

I'd be all for signing Morales, he has put up some solid numbers in some fairly large ballparks. Should be much more reasonable than Edwin when it comes to dollars and term.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I'd be all for signing Morales, he has put up some solid numbers in some fairly large ballparks. Should be much more reasonable than Edwin when it comes to dollars and term.

You could still sign EE to platoon with Smoak at 1B as well. If it is reasonable.

 

[AllDay28]

Especially once you get into the later stages of September. He hasn't swung a bat in a game situation in over half a month when he's used to playing everyday. You don't want to go to a player in that situation then.

They decided he was only gonna be a pinch runner and that's fine, but come next year I really hope they give him a legit shot to make the team

whats this stuff about "not swinging"? theyre pros. Schwarber was fine. Now im not comparing Schwarber to Pompey but theyre both professionals (or are aspiring to be).

 

[Canada4Gold]

You could still sign EE to platoon with Smoak at 1B as well. If it is reasonable.

please don't tell me you just suggested platooning EE with Smoak, please, I'm begging you

whats this stuff about "not swinging"? theyre pros. Schwarber was fine. Now im not comparing Schwarber to Pompey but theyre both professionals (or are aspiring to be).

Obviously a player can still swing a bat and probably be fine not playing for a little while, but players get into grooves, and are likely to be at their best when they're into regular game action. A manager isn't going to trust what is pretty much an unproven rookie(not by definition) after he's been sitting for 20 days with only sporatic pinch running duties when he's got 2 or 3 other outfielders who have been in the majors all year on his roster in Upton, Saunders, and Carrera.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Any interest in Beltran?

 

[ShaneFalco]

What and disappoint Big Papi?

 

[Canada4Gold]

please don't tell me you just suggested platooning EE with Smoak, please, I'm begging you

Ok I just realized you probably meant playing EE at 1st sometimes and then Smoak at 1st and EE at DH other times, and not the typical pitcher based LH/RH platoon, in which EE is far better against both than Smoak.

That would be more of a Smoak/other player platoon with EE swapping inbetween DH/1B positions depending on who is playing.

That being said I'd rather not have Smoak starting that big of a chunk of games. He was a replacement level player last year. I'd prefer to just dump him somehow in a trade and use his salary more wisely, but if we keep him I'd prefer he's mostly a full time bench player. Only starting when we want to give our 1st baseman an offday.

Need to bring in 2 additional 1B/DH types, the DH can easily be an outfielder or whatever as you'd have Smoak on the bench to rest whoever the 1B is.

 

[AllDay28]

please don't tell me you just suggested platooning EE with Smoak, please, I'm begging you



Obviously a player can still swing a bat and probably be fine not playing for a little while, but players get into grooves, and are likely to be at their best when they're into regular game action. A manager isn't going to trust what is pretty much an unproven rookie(not by definition) after he's been sitting for 20 days with only sporatic pinch running duties when he's got 2 or 3 other outfielders who have been in the majors all year on his roster in Upton, Saunders, and Carrera.

i dont understand this groove. Batters bat 3-5 times in 4 hrs every night. It's not like theyre constantly at the batters box batting. Pompey just might not be a talented enough MLBer and was brought up for his speed alone because we could expand to 40 man.

 

[Eyedea]

i dont understand this groove. Batters bat 3-5 times in 4 hrs every night. It's not like theyre constantly at the batters box batting. Pompey just might not be a talented enough MLBer and was brought up for his speed alone because we could expand to 40 man.

That's exactly why those plate appearances are so crucial. You're not just going to throw a player in a game situation that hasn't faced live pitching in a month. At least in Schwarber's case he was at instructs rehabbing and then the Arizona Fall League for a couple of games.

 

[hockeywiz542]

scottsdale, ariz. – edwin encarnacion began talking to other teams tuesday as a late push by the toronto blue jays apparently wasn’t enough to keep the all-star slugger from testing free agency.

The door to more talks between the sides isn’t believed to be closed, according to industry sources, but what happens next is unclear. The blue jays also started engaging with external players once free agency opened at 12:01 a.m. Et, so both ends of the long-time couple are seeing other people right now.

Speaking with reporters during a break in the general managers meeting at the omni scottsdale resort and spa, gm ross atkins described encarnacion as “a remarkable player, a remarkable human being,†and added that “we hope that we can make him a blue jay for an extended period.â€

but when asked if the blue jays needed a quick resolution to where things were headed with encarnacion to properly pursue other options, atkins replied: “any team would prefer that. In any negotiation, in any deal, the quicker you have clarity, the sooner you consider your alternatives one way or the other. We need to build the best team with edwin, around him, if we have him here; with jose [bautista] if we have him here, around him; with brett cecil around him. But the challenge becomes knowing whether those pieces are going to be here or not. Offers often times come on and off tables.â€

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Ok I just realized you probably meant playing EE at 1st sometimes and then Smoak at 1st and EE at DH other times, and not the typical pitcher based LH/RH platoon, in which EE is far better against both than Smoak.

That would be more of a Smoak/other player platoon with EE swapping inbetween DH/1B positions depending on who is playing.

That being said I'd rather not have Smoak starting that big of a chunk of games. He was a replacement level player last year. I'd prefer to just dump him somehow in a trade and use his salary more wisely, but if we keep him I'd prefer he's mostly a full time bench player. Only starting when we want to give our 1st baseman an offday.

Need to bring in 2 additional 1B/DH types, the DH can easily be an outfielder or whatever as you'd have Smoak on the bench to rest whoever the 1B is.

I'm thinking someone like Napoli for 1B, Encarnacion hopefully back at DH (otherwise, Morales works well), someone in the outfield with a LH bat to rotate around with Upton Jr. and Pompey and then just fill up the bullpen.

C Russell Martin
1B Mike Napoli
2B Devon Travis
SS Troy Tulowitzki
3B Josh Donaldson
LF Melvin Upton Jr.
CF Kevin Pillar
RF FREE AGENT (i.e. Reddick, Joyce, Pearce, etc.)
DH Edwin Encarnacion
BENCH: Darwin Barney, Justin Smoak, Dalton Pompey, A.J. Jimenez

1) Aaron Sanchez
2) Marcus Stroman
3) J.A. Happ
4) Marco Estrada
5) Francisco Liriano

LR: Joe Biagini
MR: Danny Barnes
MR: TRADE
MR: FREE AGENT
SU: FREE AGENT
SU: Jason Grilli
CL: Roberto Osuna
AAA: Schultz, Tepera, Dermody

Trade Goins, Loup and Carrera for a bullpen guy and any sort prospects/cash (possibly multiple deals).

 

[Eyedea]

 

[Suntouchable13]

Kevin Kiermaier still wins? My God, I think it kinda shows what a joke the Gold Glove is.

 

[oilers89]

I'm thinking someone like Napoli for 1B, Encarnacion hopefully back at DH (otherwise, Morales works well), someone in the outfield with a LH bat to rotate around with Upton Jr. and Pompey and then just fill up the bullpen.

C Russell Martin
1B Mike Napoli
2B Devon Travis
SS Troy Tulowitzki
3B Josh Donaldson
LF Melvin Upton Jr.
CF Kevin Pillar
RF FREE AGENT (i.e. Reddick, Joyce, Pearce, etc.)
DH Edwin Encarnacion
BENCH: Darwin Barney, Justin Smoak, Dalton Pompey, A.J. Jimenez

1) Aaron Sanchez
2) Marcus Stroman
3) J.A. Happ
4) Marco Estrada
5) Francisco Liriano

LR: Joe Biagini
MR: Danny Barnes
MR: TRADE
MR: FREE AGENT
SU: FREE AGENT
SU: Jason Grilli
CL: Roberto Osuna
AAA: Schultz, Tepera, Dermody

Trade Goins, Loup and Carrera for a bullpen guy and any sort prospects/cash (possibly multiple deals).

So, one left handed bat? And that depends on which FA of your list they sign.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

So, one left handed bat? And that depends on which FA of your list they sign.

Smoak and Pompey are switch hitters on the bench. Put them in if you want more LH hitting.

Or you could sign someone like Moreland instead of Napoli, but Napoli is a better hitter.

 

[AllDay28]

with Trump winning, we might be able to snag some players lol

 

[hockeywiz542]

paradise valley, ariz. — while the jays are said to have made a “big push†to try to sign star free-agent slugger edwin encarnacion, sources say there is no expectation of a quick deal here and the jays understand encarnacion will shop around over the next couple weeks.

the jays are said to be willing to certainly do a three-year deal, and perhaps even the right four-year deal, but team officials have blanched at word going around that encarnacion seeks a $125 million, five-year deal. (for the record, encarnacion agent paul kinzer told today’s knuckleball that he only answered a question about his value by saying that number seems fair, but that they will “see where the market takes us.â€)

there’s been some word going around here about possible interest from the red sox, rangers and astros, but it hasn’t been confirmed how serious that interest is, if indeed it does exist.

big free agents don’t often sign this early in the free-agent period, but complicating matters this time is that executives and agents are looking for the cba to be completed.

jays people acknowledge that they are doing what they can to keep encarnacion, and it’s clear the price has gone up after his big year. The jays offered two guaranteed years and two team option years in spring training, though some jays people suggest they might have been willing to go to three years even then.

rivals say they believe encarnacion should get his four-year deal, and see hanley ramirez’s $88 million, four-year deal as a comp, or possibly even a baseline following encarnacion’s excellent season in which he led the al in rbi. encarnacion will obviously decline the qualifying offer that was extended by the team.

 

[Giuseppe Sallo]

with Trump winning, we might be able to snag some players lol

#MakeBlueJaysGreatAgain.

I hope we go younger and more athletic, but I fear shapkins will sign vets to bolster the lineup for one last push before the rebuild.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

So much free agent goodness out there to be had to optimize the lineup.

C) Martin
1B) Edwin
2B) Travis
3B) Donaldson
SS) Tulo
LF) Jay / Upton platoon
CF) Pillar
RF) Pagan
DH) Beltran

 

[oilers89]

Smoak and Pompey are switch hitters on the bench. Put them in if you want more LH hitting.

Or you could sign someone like Moreland instead of Napoli, but Napoli is a better hitter.

We need our everday lineup to be more balanced not just have bench guys to plug in because they are lefties, when it makes our lineup significantly worse

 

[TF97]

I made the argument a while back that Kiermaier still should have won the Gold Glove over Pillar despite his injury. He deserved it. Good to see that the voters got it right.

 

[Walshy7]

I made the argument a while back that Kiermaier still should have won the Gold Glove over Pillar despite his injury. He deserved it. Good to see that the voters got it right.

What goes into a gold glove? it seems like it should be best fielding % but there is more to it?

 

[Maplebeasts]

Kevin Kiermaier still wins? My God, I think it kinda shows what a joke the Gold Glove is.

Didn't you know? Sports awards lately have been all about name, not actual play (though admittedly Kiermaier was great before his injury). Altuve as a finalist for MVP was also dumb.