Blue Jays Discussion: No More AA, Everyone is very Sad (and by Sad, I mean Mad)

[AustonMcDavid]

Good ole Bob

 

[metafour]

They look like moves a GM makes to contend for a World Series.

Then why didn't he make them last season when we were 10 games over .500 at the deadline and did nothing? Seems odd that a year later and a .500 record led him to all of a sudden decide to "contend for the World Series".

 

[Muston Atthews]

It sounds very very odd the way AA is talking about leaving. "They tried absolutely everything to get me to say". It really seems like him and Shapiro just didnt like each other.

 

[deletethis]

Then why didn't he make them last season when we were 10 games over .500 at the deadline and did nothing? Seems odd that a year later and a .500 record led him to all of a sudden decide to "contend for the World Series".

Exactly.

 

[trellaine201]

Ironic the Marlins fired there GM not long ago.

They need someone welcome to Florida Alex.

 

[New Liskeard]

Alex A.'s deadline deals in hindsight look like the deals an outgoing GM makes because he doesn't give a hoot about the future.

Yup. He seen an opportunity to be a contender and took it. That is unless the job of a GM is to hold on to prospects and not try to win it all. Your agenda again is crystal clear. The objective of every team is to win the world series. Clearly keeping prospects is more important that winning.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

what are the chances of gibby getting fired?

 

[King Mapes]

Then why didn't he make them last season when we were 10 games over .500 at the deadline and did nothing? Seems odd that a year later and a .500 record led him to all of a sudden decide to "contend for the World Series".

Because many of those guys either couldn't be traded or didn't have as much value..

 

[Raging Bull]

Could somebody please get a hold of Ja Rule so I can make some sense of this? Somebody get Ja on the phone!

I want some answers that maybe Ja Rule might not have!

 

[Brown Dog]

All this rebuild talk is mind-blowing and absolutely infuriating. How can people not see that this is a team in a window with an opportunity to win now!? Trade Edwin and Bautista now? Ridiculous!

We've become so damned accustomed to losing in this city that we've grown obsessed with the idea of the "rebuild" and soothing ourselves with the promises of that brighter future that is always a day away.

We've gone so long without watching meaningful games that we'very learned to instead make a spectator sport of drafts and prospect-counting and armchair-GMing.

I've been as guilty of this as the next guy--but this postseason run by the Jays snapped me out of it. I was reminded what it feels like to anticipate and experience meaningful games. And this is what it is about!

That's why this is such a depressing day for Jays fans. Because it's so hard to imagine a new-look front office building on this year's success. And because this is most certainly not the time to rebuild!

 

[deletethis]

yeah we're in such a horrible position right now with the best offense in baseball, one of the best defenses in baseball, an average pen, and 50 million freed up to spend on the pitching.

Shapiro might decide to go a different route, but it's not like AA's July handcuffed us moving forward.

We'll see about that. And even then that seldom works out well.

 

[Gabriel426]

I too sincerely hope they sign at least one of Price or Estrada. Estrada is more likely because here is where his career turned around.

The Jays had a great offense in the first half of the 2015 season but languished at just below .500 until they got reliable starting pitching.

Reyes was at SS, while Colabello and Valencia were the OF instead of Revere. Having Tulo and Revere in the field makes a huge differences. And having those two in the field and their bats makes the Jays better than .500 team.

 

[Del Preston]

Because many of those guys either couldn't be traded or didn't have as much value..

Don't use logic.

 

[King Mapes]

Don't use logic.

It's like people forget we emptied our cupboard in the Miami and Mets deals. Norris really took a massive step and was the biggest reason we got Price. Biggest reason we got Tulo was Hoffman who couldn't be traded last year. Plus Rogers might have given more leeway financially. GMs future is at stake so he won't intentionally mess up.

 

[Mach85]

I want some answers that maybe Ja Rule might not have!

Your jib, I like the cut of it.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Then why didn't he make them last season when we were 10 games over .500 at the deadline and did nothing? Seems odd that a year later and a .500 record led him to all of a sudden decide to "contend for the World Series".

our run differential and baseruns record suggested we were a much better team this year than our record, lets not act like this was a .500 talent team that AA decided to gamble on.

Hoffman wasn't tradeable last year, and maybe the Rockies didn't want to trade Tulo. Price was on the market and I have wondered why we didn't go after him last year, would have had him for a full year longer then and get a comp pick.

You can say all the what if's you want, maybe AA was going after similar deals but he couldn't get anything done. We're not pertinent to conversations AA had with other GM's

Maybe AA did make up his mind he was leaving at that time and decided to take that shot then because of that, we don't know, and I doubt we'll ever know, but I still think they were viable trades to make for the situation we were in. If(when) Price leaves we'll be without Norris and Boyd, but Tulo is still under control and what we paid for Lowe was not much at all, and he could still come back. I don't think we threw away the future or anything.

 

[Brown Dog]

I'm expecting an underwhelming offseason, a step back (and no playoffs) in 2016, and sweeping roster changes in 2017.

 

[Gabriel426]

Then why didn't he make them last season when we were 10 games over .500 at the deadline and did nothing? Seems odd that a year later and a .500 record led him to all of a sudden decide to "contend for the World Series".

Beside Price, the other guys might not be available. Also, the pieces that went out were not attractive enough as bargain chips.

Also, how do you know AA didn't go after Price last year? Maybe he did, but TB didn't want to trade him to a division rival.

 

[hockeywiz542]

the toronto blue jays offered general manager alex anthopoulos a four-year contract extension with a mutual option for a fifth year at a total of $8 million within the past week, according to a team source.

the contract would have significantly increased anthopoulos’s salary, the source said.

Anthopoulos informed rogers executives in a meeting wednesday afternoon that he would not return to the team for the 2016 season.

The team source, who was directly involved with anthopoulos’s contract negotiations, said the blue jays first offered him a one-year contract extension this summer.

A second offer was made for two years, plus a mutual option to extend for two additional years.

T’s unclear whether incoming blue jays president mark shapiro wanted anthopoulos to remain with the team. during his only meeting with anthopoulos and other team executives, shapiro said he was concerned that the jays had given away so many blue-chip prospects this season.

That conversation has been confirmed by two sources.

“mark is a pretty direct guy and he was basically questioning giving up so many great prospects,” the team source said. “he basically was trying to point out alex really was going for broke.”

 

[The Nemesis]

yeah we're in such a horrible position right now with the best offense in baseball, one of the best defenses in baseball, an average pen, and 50 million freed up to spend on the pitching.

Shapiro might decide to go a different route, but it's not like AA's July handcuffed us moving forward.

But the farm is so bare! There's nothing left! Just Alford, Harris, Pentecost, Tellez, Reid-Foley, Guerrero Jr, Urena, Nay, Greene, Hollon, Smith Jr, and a wealth of intriguing low-farm guys who could break out. What can you possibly do with pieces like that!?!?!

 

[The Nemesis]

Your jib, I like the cut of it.

What's a jib?

 

[deletethis]

I'm expecting an underwhelming offseason, a step back (and no playoffs) in 2016, and sweeping roster changes in 2017.

They have to add at least 2 name starting pitchers of some sort otherwise they'll waste this team's last season with Bautista and Encarnacion.

 

[The Nemesis]

Anyone just see Simmons on sportscentre? What a clown.

Apparently the reaction AA garnered from the fans at the end of the year shows he's a superstar GM. Without that kind of reaction, he doesn't make the kinds of trades he did.

It's almost like Simmons doesn't consider making sense!

 

[SDig14]

I understand why AA is being politically correct when answering these questions simply from the standpoint he still needs to find a new job.

If Shapiro basically wanted to be the puppet master GM then I hope AA comes out and tells us all the truth once he is employed by another team.

His kids are in school here, they live her year round and he seemed very content on staying long term. Add on top of that every single source saying the deal was a good one from a financial perspective.

There are not very many plausible reasons for leaving left.

 

[Canada4Gold]

1 thing I do agree with metafour on is that Tulo could possibly be a Reyes bad contract in a couple years.

Reyes' value was in his speed which declines faster with age that Tulo's power and defense so I doubt Tulo will decline as fast, but when we traded for Tulo I said I could imagine us in 3 years being in the same situation with Tulo as we were with Reyes this year.

I don't think that means we should go out and trade Tulo now, but we have to be aware moving forward that a decline will likely happen and I think it's important to get ahead of it and flip Tulo for some value before that decline happens. Finding that perfect time is the tough part. If I had to guess right now I would say it'll be after 2016 or after 2017. But it's a situation I think you have to monitor.