I, Vernon Wells, resolve to stay healthy, in the lineup and productive. I may not win them, but will receive some down-ballot MVP votes and be in the discussion for a Gold Glove in 2011.

For the front office, it's easy: sign Albert Pujols in the offseason.

Personally, it's simply to get away from the TV and watch more amateur baseball. 

For Brett Cecil: be careful about what you put onto Twitter - it can come back and haunt you, check with Romero for tips.

For the Jays: give as many kids a full shot in 2011 as possible and figure out who is/isn't able to handle the majors

For bandwagon fans/media: be patient - unless you want the Jays to be like the Leafs for the next 40+ years

For myself: find a way to get the family down there for a game or two, and pony up for the good seats rather than the 5th deck so the kids can have more fun.

JP Arencibia to be the real deal... Having a big hitting catcher is one of the hardest things to find in baseball... I know there are a lot of doubters, but I am excited to see what he can do!

Jon Heyman as Bert Blyleven :

"I will consider myself fortunate when I am voted into the Hall of Fame, and understand that while I had a great career, I am not Tom Seaver or Steve Carlton but rather Don Sutton and Phil Niekro, near-great pitchers who were borderline candidates that gained enshrinement, and I will thank the small coterie of Internet zealots who kept calling attention to the value of strikeouts, shutouts, complete games, longevity and durability and helped me rise from 14 percent of the votes in my second year of eligibility to more than 75 percent and act gracefully upon hearing the expected good news."

He just wants your attention. The name calling there is so petty and over-the-top that it's hard to picture it changing anybody's mind. If nobody pays attention to the clown, the clown loses.

(It's obvious that the irony there is intentional, right? Good.)

Aaron Hill should resolve to lead the league in singles.

I resolve to play more.

Travis Snider should resolve to improve his diet.  Actually, that goes for the whole offence in a different kind of way.   A little bit of pesky patience to go along with the steady diet of home runs and strikeouts might be healthier for the runs scored column. 

The Box resolves to fix the banner. [ducks for cover] I just can't stand seeing someone who plays for another team still up there.

The Jays should resolve to sign Chad Cordero.

Yes they should.

 

Oh, they just did.

But Cordero underwent right shoulder surgery in 2008 and has only appeared in nine big league games since.  Cordero posted a 3.03 ERA in 35 2/3 innings for the Mets' and Mariners' Triple-A affiliates last year. His strikeout (9.1 K/9) and walk (2.3 BB/9) numbers were strong in the minor leagues, but they didn't translate in his brief return to the majors.

 

So Anthopoulos is reaching back to his Montreal Expos past again. It's a no-risk move with plenty of potential upside.

I like the Cordero signing. If he can rebound to anywhere near his previous self it will be more than a good deal.

If it were any other player, I'd agree with you, but I've got nothing but good feelings seeing Doc up there...

...Aaron Hill on the other hand brings back all that was difficult to watch in the Jays 2010 offense.

Dustin McGowan resolves to pitch in 2011. (Here's hoping he does...)

New Year's resolutions:

I, Alex A, resolve to improve the team using whatever major league regulation acceptable means. I may not push the Jays over the top into a world series but the team will be a competitive one whichever american or national MLB division it is in.

Personal new year and future wishes for the Jays organization:

1) Those lose risk, high reward and draft pick grabbing transactions and strategies have been comprehended by numerous ML teams: The Angels signed Scott Downs but not losing the relevant pick to the Jays, the lack of rumors from other teams on trading for Jose Bautista. The Jays needs to keep adjusting to the landscape for own improvement: the Rajai Davis trade seems to be a proof in which Davis`arrival addresses the team`s need for base-stealing and outfield defense while depriving the league pool`s of efficient base stealers.

2) Keep building the Jays and more importantly baseball influence in minor league and baseball in Canada. Taking Vancouver Canadians as a Jays affiliate is a step but I wish Vancouver and either Montreal or one other Canadian major city (Winnipeg etc.) to be the AAA and/or AA affiliate. Or the Jays AAA shall be going back to the International league. IMO, if baseball as a sport is a valuable one to be kept as an aspect of Canadian culture, why not let the Canadian kids be the part of it. For the 2011 season, letting the kids (JPA etc.) show themselves to the toughness while support them in their weakness (Molina and Wakamatsu).

3) Letting more local Canadians ballplayers reaching MLB, minor league baseball or international baseball as long as they are capable for the level they are at. A successful Jays franchise with Canadian players would be an obvious showcase.

4) Better retention and evaluations on prospects and minor league players. I discussed with a poster here in March 2009 that David Smith could have been a Las Vegas 51s from Syracuse.

Personal stuff:

1) Although Doc is one brilliant Jays pitcher, I wish the Jays will come up with another icon so BBox can change the top banner soon enough. In the end, he is currently a Phillies.
2) Learn more about baseball as a sport while keep myself being a Jays fan and staying away from a bandwagon one.

Yeah, we keep discussing changing the banner. I think the obvious choice to put there is Jose Bautista, but I guaran-dam-tee you that the day we posted that, he'd be traded.

If Doc is going to be removed then he shouldn't be replaced by any other single player.  Two or three Jays need to be up there at least.  Maybe a Morrow/Cecil/Romero trifecta?

 

Dirk Hayhurst has penned his official goodbye to Toronto.

The Jays gave me a chance after I effectively shot myself in the foot with the Padres in my big league debut. They brought me to my first big league camp. They told me I had potential in one of the toughest leagues in the game after coming from one of the (supposed) weakest. In short, they believed in me and it showed even when I was injured. Since I got hurt in the off-season, the Jays could have dumped my contract and saddled me with the medical bills and no big league pay check for a year of rehab, but they didn’t. That shows class, and in a game where human beings are turned into commodities, they treated me like a person and I’ll never forget it.

 

Dunno where to put this, but I found it interesting.
poster (of unknown pedigree) from Sickels' minorleagueball.com posted his minor league rankings... guess which team's minors came in 2nd over all?

SHS’ Accumulative minor league ranking 2010-11 (12-06-10)

 

   1. Kansas City Royals
   2. Toronto Blue Jays (b.lawrie coup)
   3. Tampa Bay Rays
   4. Atlanta Braves
   5. Minnesota Twins
   6. San Diego Padres (A-Gone deal)
   7. New York Yankees
   8. Cincinatti Reds
   9. Texas Rangers
  10. Anahiem Angels
  11. Philedelphia Phillies
  12. Los Angelos Dodgers
  13. Chicago Cubs (good depth tho)
  14. Seattle Mariners (undervalued?)
  15. Cleveland Indians (great depth)
  16. Pittsburgh Pirates
  17. Colorado Rockies
  18. Oakland Athletics
  19. Washington Nationals
  20. New York Mets
  21. Arizona Diamondbacks (hmmm)
  22. San Francisco Giants
  23. Boston Red Sox (A-Gone trade)
  24. St. Louis Cardinals
  25. Houston Astros
  26. Detroit Tigers
  27. Baltimore Orioles
  28. Chicage White Sox
  29. Milwaukee Brewers (NO lawrie)
  30. Florida Marlins

For lack of a better place to post, I'll put this here.

Dirk Hayhurst bids a fond farewell: http://bit.ly/fPMav6

Sorry, Gerry. I missed your post.

Chad Cordero signing - not bad, I see the hand of Dana Brown in this and it's a decent low risk flyer - of course,

shoulder injuries recovery are a crapshoot.

I was hoping the Jays would be able to snag Taylor Buckholz, but the Mets apparently offered him a big league

contract - I think a very smart signing.

Better source for the Chad Cordero signing: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110103&content_id=16384906&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb.   Not a bad signing, Labrum Surgery was on 08 July 2008.   It can take 24 - 36 months to recover fully, if you ever can.   As best as I can tell, he has an option left (a value in itself), prior to this signing, and he's young enough to still have potential.

So Anthopoulos is reaching back to his Montreal Expos past again. It's a no-risk move with plenty of potential upside.

If Canadian free agent players is discussed, I think Jeff Francis could be signed, a better upgrade than Shawn Hill of 2010. He was 17-9 in 2007, whereas Hill have nevered won more than 10 games at ML.

BTW, how can I incorporate an http in my test ? I have no luck of using that insert/edit link option: able to copy and paste the link into the option box, but the blue link in text doesn't show the website or http link I wanted.

And I never meant having an "ed" after never. Just an editing error. The tech stuff had never worked on me, I think.

Cybercavalier - To bypass the issue that Firefox (and only Firefox AFAIK) has in posting links:

AFTER attempting to "put" the link into the post (using the link button) you have to select "edit Source" and find where it says something like: "javascript:void(0);/*1294168660448*/" and replace that with the web address.

For example here is before and after links to battersbox.ca:

www.battersbox.ca

www.battersbox.ca

Hope that helps you (and others struggling with this)!

Happy New Year!

For the sake of debate, if I'm AA ,my resolution for January 2011 would be to phone Angels GM Tony Reagins and ask whether a certain Jose out in RF might be enough to get a Mike Trout (or would it be the other way around re value?) . If the Jays are still seeking to build a young, controllable core, then Baustista is unlikely to fit given a FA market that rewards Beltre with 6/96.

I'd assume Mike Trout is significantly more valuable than Jose Bautista considering his label as the best position prospect in the game.

Trout's 2010 spring training stats are kinda fun too.  He's definitely got a chance to be the best player with a fish name, unless Dickie Thon Jr. surpasses him.  :)

He's got a pretty large hill to climb even to be the best Trout... Dizzy was a very good pitcher for the Tigers in the 40s. 170 career wins in 2700 innings with a 124 ERA+.

Tim Salmon was no slouch either. Strange that he never made an AllStar game.

In July of 2007, our Hall of Names examined a whole school of fish with a roster built in  a thread entittled Gone Fishin'.

How about Catfish Hunter (224-166, 3.26 ERA, Cy Young award, HOF member, perfect game in 1968, 9-6 career postseason record, 8x All-Star selection, 5x World Series champion)?

Nah, nicknames are too easy. Gotta go with the given first or family last name(s)!

For Bob McCowan... I think you are developing a good rapport with AA, keep it up.

For myself, to keep trying to separate the baseball wheat from the chaff. Too many paid media personnel IMO are being sensational rather than factual. That guy who suggested J Bautista could be using steroids was irresponsible & unprofessional IMO. IMO Bautista felt it best to respond and to me he showed maturity & class in his response.

I just heard AA speaking to McCowan & Brunt. It was friendly but serious in nature and quite informative.
To me AA answers a question by presenting his view on the subject. IMO depending on the question he will give a strong opinion that is almost a fact ( sorry to be so unclear).

McCowan asked some good questions and this is how I interpreted the interview.
McCowan says/asks that 2011 is not a year that we are going for it. AA basically agrees but suggests that anything can happen.
McCowan says NYY & TB could slip a bit and then says that its unlikely but if AA knew that 88 wins would get the wild card would he do things differently this off season. AA said YES he would.
AA pointed out that in 2010 it took 96&95 wins to get into the playoffs. AA said the 2010 team had some good... J Bautista & good health & some bad Hill/Lind, this uncertainty seems to happen.
I thought McCowan did a great job on the subject of "How & When AA would go all out with the big player moves".
After the Jays get into the WS or in the playoffs AA would make the Cliff Lee deal that the Phils made.
AA also said that he would not deplete the farm system unless the team was already winning, not for a 1or2 year chance.

The interview happened fast and above is what I think I heard. I do think I understood the Q & A reasonably well.

I feel AA will make big moves to improve the ML team only after it has won 95 games or it makes the playoffs because it is good not because the competition was bad. I don't know how much he will give up to improve if the team is equal or ahead of the competition at the July 31st mark. But I do think that he will do something.

"Nah, nicknames are too easy. Gotta go with the given first or family last name(s)!"

I'm open to persuasion: how many HOF-calibre (or even All-Star-calibre) players were named after a fish (albeit by their team owner)?

I find it kind of fun to put a name to the "upside" of a prospect.  When Frank Thomas came up, the names were Gehrig and Foxx.  What would be the name attached to the upside of Mike Trout?  Let's see.  CF who plays excellent defence, runs exceptionally well, controls the strike zone well and has medium range pop or better.  Maybe Cobb or DiMaggio? Cobb is a stretch offensively all-around and DiMaggio might be pushing it on the power side. Whatever it is, hitting .330 with 25 homers and 70 walks with great speed is a helluva combination.  There aren't too many players who hit .360 in the Midwest League at age 18.

Fred Lynn?

For Bob McCowan... I think you are developing a good rapport with AA, keep it up.

To listen: http://www.fan590.com/media.jsp?content=20110105_000359_5472

I agree that McCown seems to be enjoying a rapport with Anthopoulos. McCown's a baseball guy and as much as he likes to present a gruff demeanor, I don't think he particularly relished being on such lousy terms with Ricciardi. It just sounds like he's happy to be able to talk shop with a baseball executive he respects and who, not insignificantly, treats him with the deference he feels he deserves.

If McCown's considered a baseball guy, I'm scared to hear how little he knows about the other sports.

Fred Lynn is interesting, Mick, but I really think Trout's upside is quite a bit higher than that.  Lynn did not have Trout's speed, and would not have hit for the average that he did, had he not been in Boston.  At age 21, Lynn hit .259 with medium range pop in the Eastern League.

I guess you'd have to go with someone like Vada Pinson or Cesar Cedeno for a more realistic comp, and both had careers that kind of fizzled in their late 20s.

What's wrong with Carlos Beltran?

Beltran had less strike zone control and less speed.  At 19, Beltran went .270/.359/.429 in the Northwest League with a 31/65 walk/strikeout rate.  He has a career .359 OBP, and I think that Trout's upside is quite a bit better than that.  Trout does look more like a leadoff hitter than a 3 hitter at this point. 

If you're telling me Mike Trout has a higher ceiling than Carlos Beltran, I'd trade Jose Bautista, Jake Marisnick, and 2 non-Drabek prospect arms (Stewart, Alvarez?) to get him without hesitation. Trout's stats as an 18 year old across A/A+ are rather impressive when you hold them up to what Gose did, and most around here consider Gose to be a solid prospect. None of this matters though because one assumes he's as untouchable as prospects come.

Ken Griffey Jr. with more speed and less power?

Given that he is an Angels prospect I am in agreement that Trout is about as untouchable as there is. Who is the last legitimate prospect the Angels have dealt?

None of this matters though because one assumes he's as untouchable as prospects come.

Yeap, I agree.

FYI, the Mariners has signed Josh Bard; so on paper, there is no more free agent catcher to be penciled in as a ML starting catcher.

Referring to catchers, if a defensive minded catcher like Ryan Budde is signed to a minor league contract; how about Guillermo Quiroz who is younger, better offense at ML level and similar defensive rating in the minors.

Thanks Timbuck2 for helping.

So just read that the Rangers are signing Beltre and considering moving Young to DH. Would he not represent a great fit for the Jays as a 2 year stop gap at 3rd base? Keeps JB in RF and solidifies the infield nicely. He should not cost a lot in terms of talent, just need to absorb the 2 year and $24M left on his current deal. If Lawrie is ready next year, then Young can move to DH.

You do not want Michael Young at this stage in his career, unless he is a third baseman.  He's got a career OPS+ of 105, and he is 33 years old.  He's the classic overvalued 1960s player- durable and hits .300 but without enough patience, pop or defensive ability to make him worth the many millions that he will earn. 

At 2/24 you might consider it but unfortunately his contract is 3/48 through 2013. At that price the Rangers should be giving you talent to take on the contract. Vernon would probably enjoy playing with him though.

The Jays don't really have a hole at 3B: EE and Bautista can play the position. And Young is not an OF or RF, which creates even a more crowded hot corner, notwithstanding the moving of Hill or Escobar to 3B if Hechavarria coming up. Financially, it is not economical to get Young, which Mike G. and 92-93 have explained and I agreed with.

Agreed, 92-93, Bob McCown is not a baseball guy.  He’s hardly even a sports guy.  He’s a *business* guy, who uses sports for his material.  There’s a great deal about baseball (and all the other sports) that he simply doesn’t know.  Never did know.  He’s a fair actor, and plays his iconoclast role relentlessly.  And, yes,  he always plays the prima donna, demanding ‘respect’.   For what exactly, isn’t clear.  (So give AA credit for playing him well.)  He’s not unlike poor old Don Cherry these days, trapped by his on-air persona.  I stopped listening to both of them long ago.   Don’t take either of these performers at face value, whatever you do. 

Brunt, however, I think is the real thing.  And he can write well.

Who is the last legitimate prospect the Angels have dealt?

Oooh, I know this one! Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin, as part of the Dan Haren deal last July.

But it's true that the Angels generally do a commendable job of producing their own talent.

If the Rangers picked up over 1/2 his contract I'd say to go ahead and take Young off their hands. Or if they'd toss in a hot prospect. Young should hit for around a 100 OPS+ in 2011/2012 I'd guess (105 lifetime, turns 34 next year). It would be funny to get Young back to the Toronto system for the tail of his career after the Jays dumped him in 2000 for he who shall not be named.

So send them, say, EE and they give us Young + hot prospect or Young + tons of cash.

For the record, I didn't intend to suggest that McCown is a baseball expert, just that baseball is his preferred sport. He did, after all, perform as stadium announcer for the Jays in their early days.

Since many of you know by now I have no problem spending Rogers' money, I'm with John - if Texas needs to dump that contract and would pay a top prospect to do it (without knowing Texas' system deeply I'd say Profar or Perez off the top of my head), Toronto should be willing to absorb Young's contract.

The Arbitration process starts today. G Chisholm has an article about it.

Marcum now a Brewer & Morrow are eligible. Marcum $850,000, Morrow $409,000 in 2010. Romero is $30mil for 5 years.
I don't know what Romero will get paid in 2011. But should not Marcum get the paid about the same as Romero in 2011 as their 2010 seasons were very similar. Unsure if Romero would have been Arb eligible in 2011. Would Morrow at 75% of Marcum be a good guess. The amounts will become fact before long.

Chisholm says R Davis & J Bautista are "expected" to play OF & 3rd in 2011. I did not hear this so I believe this to be his opinion, not fact, but he probably has inside information.

I'd say Profar or Perez off the top of my head

Causing much laughter and jocularity in Jon Daniels' office, I can assure you.

Chisholm says R Davis & J Bautista are "expected" to play OF & 3rd in 2011. I did not hear this so I believe this to be his opinion, not fact, but he probably has inside information.


Assuming no additions, that seems to be the most likely scenario.

Who's a better defensive CF? Davis or Wells?

Sorry, I haven't the wherewithal to effectively locate and interpret defensive statistics.

This:

Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "conceded that it's looking more likely that" Jose Bautista will be Toronto's Opening Day third baseman rather than its right fielder, reports Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press.  Anthopoulos noted that the club is still looking at other third base/right field options and also may still be in the market for another reliever.  The Blue Jays have added Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero and Wil Ledezma to their bullpen mix over the past two days.

came from:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/01/odds-ends-vladdy-blue-jays-cargo-.html

...is still looking at other third base/right field options and also may still be in the market for another reliever. ...  means we have a lot more to look for as Spring Training approaches.

 

Thanks Richard SS for the links, they were very helpful.

Recently I have had a big problem trying to KNOW what AA actually said and what some newspaper writer thinks he said.

Simply put, in the fairly distant past, if it was written in a book or newspaper then I believed it was the truth or fact. But recently I developed doubts about this so then I started to look for "quotation marks". So if the "s are there then only will I believe the writer.

Careful bpoz. That's a good starting point, but it's lnot like a writer ever gets a quote, you know wrong or decontextualizes it somehow! Give a  quote or three, and I can write two completely different, sometimes diametrically opposed, stories!

Surely see that here where all kinds of people will quote previous posts only to be "corrected" by the original author for a misuse (if out for a flamewar) or misinterpretation (if being nice).