The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Thread
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GhostofPotvin29
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Frank E said:
Playing the equivalent of 2 games then flying across the continent and facing Felix Hernandez will do that! Great crowd though.
bustaheims
Active member
Make or break stretch for the Jays. The division title is essentially out of reach, and their chances at a wildcard sport are fading. If they don't make up ground over their next 8 games, they should really be looking to trade a number of their pending free agents - and, possibly consider a whole sale rebuild this winter. Bautista and Encarnacion (among others) are only signed through next season, and, if they can't make progress on extensions, this offseason is when they'll likely be able to get the best value in trades.
bustaheims
Active member
Deebo said:
Do they? I must have missed that. Either way, I stand by my statement. It may be time to move on from the current core group.
hockeyfan1
New member
The Jays are currently 7.5 GBL in their division, but just 3.5 GBL out of the wildcard spot.
A wildcard spot would be the most attainable possibitty for them right now. Catching up to the Orioles is doable but a huge question mark lingers on that one.
I haven't given up hope just yet. There's still a little more than an entire month to go, plenty of time to put together a winning streak or two.
A wildcard spot would be the most attainable possibitty for them right now. Catching up to the Orioles is doable but a huge question mark lingers on that one.
I haven't given up hope just yet. There's still a little more than an entire month to go, plenty of time to put together a winning streak or two.
bustaheims
Active member
hockeyfan1 said:
All the teams ahead of them have games in hand and the Jays have the 2nd toughest schedule in the AL the rest of the way. They'll need more than just a winning streak or two - especially with the way they've played in between those streaks this season.
Champ Kind
New member
Deebo said:
Great information. I thought Double E's contract went past 2015, but I was sure Bats' deal was done after next year. Certainly changes the 'win at all costs in 2014' mindset I was working with.
Chev-boyar-sky
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Thought I read on Sportsnet that the Jays (according to Anthopoulous) will be spenders this off-season, but I could be wrong about that.
bustaheims
Active member
Chev-boyar-sky said:
They say that about every off-season. Doesn't mean they will be, and it definitely doesn't mean it's the right direction for the team.
bustaheims
Active member
Another Jays starter getting beaten up in the 1st inning.
bustaheims
Active member
L K said:
Coming off TJ surgery, fatigue is a very probable cause.
L K
Active member
Another loss...7.5 GB of the division and 4.0 GB of the wildcard (2 teams ahead of them in that race too). The Jays have been living off an exceptional May all year and now the lack of success/consistency is coming back to bite them.
Some of their struggles can be hung on the injuries, but they haven't really helped themselves in other ways. Kevin Pillar is still being punished for an immature play two months ago.
In June (after his demotion) he hit .364 with a .417 OBP
In July (more than a month after demotion) he hit .313 with a .352 OBP
In August (now two months since demotion) he's hitting .369 with a .388 OBP
The Jays have struggled to hit and get on base. I'm all for sending a message to young players that you need to be responsible for your actions but maybe it's time to stop handing Anthony Gose call-ups for him to hit .200.
Maybe it's time to recognize that Juan Francisco has been hitting <.200 for three months now and is completely incapable of hitting anything other than the fastball.
I don't know if that decision rests with Gibbons' preference on the lineup, or whether it is AA making that decision but the roster has too many flaws to be running with less than ideal lineups.
Hell I'm pretty sure the Jays are better off with Kawasaki at 3B, Reyes at SS and Goins at 2B to actually have some decent defense. Alternate Kawasaki in with Valbuena at times for offense.
Given that there is pretty much a 0% chance that Colby Rasmus comes back next year, maybe they should be giving some auditions for who replaces him next year unless management has a plan to get a new outfielder in free agency. Melky's going to be a lot more expensive this year if they bring him back (and they probably should) so I'm not sure if they will even have any money for roster additions.
Some of their struggles can be hung on the injuries, but they haven't really helped themselves in other ways. Kevin Pillar is still being punished for an immature play two months ago.
In June (after his demotion) he hit .364 with a .417 OBP
In July (more than a month after demotion) he hit .313 with a .352 OBP
In August (now two months since demotion) he's hitting .369 with a .388 OBP
The Jays have struggled to hit and get on base. I'm all for sending a message to young players that you need to be responsible for your actions but maybe it's time to stop handing Anthony Gose call-ups for him to hit .200.
Maybe it's time to recognize that Juan Francisco has been hitting <.200 for three months now and is completely incapable of hitting anything other than the fastball.
I don't know if that decision rests with Gibbons' preference on the lineup, or whether it is AA making that decision but the roster has too many flaws to be running with less than ideal lineups.
Hell I'm pretty sure the Jays are better off with Kawasaki at 3B, Reyes at SS and Goins at 2B to actually have some decent defense. Alternate Kawasaki in with Valbuena at times for offense.
Given that there is pretty much a 0% chance that Colby Rasmus comes back next year, maybe they should be giving some auditions for who replaces him next year unless management has a plan to get a new outfielder in free agency. Melky's going to be a lot more expensive this year if they bring him back (and they probably should) so I'm not sure if they will even have any money for roster additions.
bustaheims
Active member
By Valbuena, I assume you mean Valencia - who's fine against lefties, but awful against righties.
I agree with most of what you said. I'm hesitant about re-signing Cabrera. Not because he's not good - obviously, he is - but, more because, at this point, I'm pretty convinced the team needs to go in a completely different direction from how it's built right now. I'd consider trading him in the next couple weeks if a really solid offer came their way, otherwise, I think I'd give him a qualifying offer and take the draft pick. Same with Janssen - he's a good closer, but, closers are pretty replaceable and over-rated. I really feel like this winter is time to seriously look at trading Bautista. He'll be 35, so, he doesn't have a ton of years ahead of him, and, with his contract situation, he'd be very valuable on the trade market. The team just has too many holes to be able to fill them in time to have a good run while relying on him to be a key piece of the offence. It also wouldn't shock me if he asked to be moved - he was clearly not pleased with how the team approached the deadline, and I think he's really frustrated with the direction of the team (or, lack there of).
I agree with most of what you said. I'm hesitant about re-signing Cabrera. Not because he's not good - obviously, he is - but, more because, at this point, I'm pretty convinced the team needs to go in a completely different direction from how it's built right now. I'd consider trading him in the next couple weeks if a really solid offer came their way, otherwise, I think I'd give him a qualifying offer and take the draft pick. Same with Janssen - he's a good closer, but, closers are pretty replaceable and over-rated. I really feel like this winter is time to seriously look at trading Bautista. He'll be 35, so, he doesn't have a ton of years ahead of him, and, with his contract situation, he'd be very valuable on the trade market. The team just has too many holes to be able to fill them in time to have a good run while relying on him to be a key piece of the offence. It also wouldn't shock me if he asked to be moved - he was clearly not pleased with how the team approached the deadline, and I think he's really frustrated with the direction of the team (or, lack there of).
I was just reading an article by Bob Elliot in the Sun today and came across the following:
"Management says it was not moving Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez or Daniel Norris. Other teams say the San Diego Padres asked for Sean Nolin and Francisco for Chase Headley while the Jays asked the Padres to pick up $4 million. Other teams say the Arizona Diamondbacks didn?t ask for Stroman or Sanchez in exchange for Martin Prado. Say the Tampa Bay Rays wanted Stroman and prospects for David Price. Would you make that deal?"
Makes me wonder how reliable these "other teams" are. To be able to dump Francisco and a prospect for Headley seems like a decent deal for the Jays (granted, I don't know how much potential Nolin has).
"Management says it was not moving Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez or Daniel Norris. Other teams say the San Diego Padres asked for Sean Nolin and Francisco for Chase Headley while the Jays asked the Padres to pick up $4 million. Other teams say the Arizona Diamondbacks didn?t ask for Stroman or Sanchez in exchange for Martin Prado. Say the Tampa Bay Rays wanted Stroman and prospects for David Price. Would you make that deal?"
Makes me wonder how reliable these "other teams" are. To be able to dump Francisco and a prospect for Headley seems like a decent deal for the Jays (granted, I don't know how much potential Nolin has).