Here's the original image on Instagram.
That's a 1993 Back To Back AL East Champions mug. The subsequent 19 years worth of washes has faded it slightly. Here's hoping that next Christmas I'll have a new one.
Rogers is broadcast the 1992 World Series, in it's entirety, starting Christmas Day. I'd like to see the complete 1992 World Series and the complete 1993 World Series made available on DVD by Rogers.
If at all possible I'd like a 1992 package to include six Regular 1992 Season games, including the 1992 A.L.East clincher, the complete A.L.C.S verses Oakland, and the complete 1992 World Series. In addition, I'd like a 1993 package to include six Regular 1993 Season games, including the 1993 A.L.East clincher, the complete 1993 A.L.C.S verses Chicago, and the complete 1993 World Series. That could earn them some serious money.
(For the record, the final game of each is available for two bucks.)
The MLB Draft has some compensating factors. Toronto has Pick #10, the last protected 1st Round Pick, while in each consecutive round they will have the ninth pick of that round. If signing a Free Agent with a Qualifying Offer (Q.O.), you will lose your 1st Round pick (or 2nd, if 1st is protected). No one else gets your pick, it's just gone. There will be a compensation pick available, between round 1 and 2 for the Q.O. picks, if you lose a Qualified F.A. Those picks come after the 6 "equalization" picks MLB gives up between rounds 1 & 2 and 2 & 3. Toronto will have the 46th pick (2nd round) which has value, it formerly came between 1st and 2nd rounds. Toronto wil, have the 72nd pick (3rd round) which has value, as it formly occurred late in Supplemental Round or early in the 2nd Round. The last pick of inherent value is Toronto's 102nd (4th round) formerly late 2nd or early 3rd Rounds.
Now that being said, we are to give up the 46th pick, for someone with no power. Giving up a top pick for an outfielder who might not be better defensively than Rasmus. Giving up a pick for someone who should hit better and run better than Rasmus. That money I'd use to sign J.P.Howell and Mike Gonzales (LHR) for the pen, or find a bat to hit LHP that Lind can't hit.
After Farrell trade, A.A. grabs a Power-Arm reliever for basically spare parts. He signs the best available Middle Infielder to a good contract.
He now plans to go hard after two free agents (his words), but calls on the availability of Josh Johnson - and the rest is history. Of course he's blown the budget, by a huge amount. Signing Melky Cabrera - two years, $16.0 MM - covered by the $8.5 MM received in The Trade. And he didn't increase salary to do it. (Small gain of $0.5 MM.)
The R.A. Dickey acqusition moved out $6.0 MM (John Buck) but took in $5.75 (Dickey; $5.25; Thole: $0.5). He didn't increase salary to do it. (Small Gain of $0.25 MM.)
Now chances are good Darren Oliver isn't coming back. That feels up $3.0 MM for use, $3.75 MM total, and not increasing salary.
If anyone has a better idea on how much A.A. has left, tell me. But it's no way enough for Bourn.
"I suspect Boras though will demand $15 million and $6.25 mil is getting a bit towards the point Rogers would be going 'uh no' to at this point."
I think you're right in that any one-year deal for Bourn would be about $15 million. However, just looking it at from a financial standpoint, that $6.25 million would go a long way if it gave the Jays approximately two additional wins on the season (ballparking Bourn as a 4.5 WAR player this year and Rasmus as a 2.5 WAR player, which may be generous as he hasn't reached that total combined in the last two yers). Admittedly, you can probably do this ad nauseum and wind up justifying a $180 million payroll and that this one-year deal proposal is entirely speculative, but I think there's a strong case to made that those additional wins may be financially rewarding for Rogers if it meant the difference between winning a Division and being a wildcard or gaining an additional round of home field advantage. AA may be right in that Rogers has invested as much as it is willing to, but there is a very reasonble argument that trading Rasmus for some (albeit probably small) return, going with Bourn for a year and bridging the gap to Gose makes sense, even if you're selling low on Colby.
Recommended, although the discussion of Bayesian probability was much too generous for my liking.
I'm about 3/4 through the book and enjoying it greatly. What issues do you have with the discussion on Bayesian proability?
Grjas - has just introduced us to the 800 pound gorillia in the room. Mr Jose Bautista's wrist.
I for one would be shocked, shocked I tell you - if Jose's wrist allows him to be the power hitter we know/want/need in 2013. Remember Overbay after his wrist injury? Have you ever seen anyone have such an obviously painful wrist injury as Jose suffered?
I've already been thinking about Plan B - Cabrera in LF, Gose in CF and Rasmus in RF - or Plan C Cabrera in LF, Rasmus in CF and Sierra in RF. Neither Plan seems to have the "it" we need to come anywhere near what a healthy Bautista could give us.
Should AA be shopping for a RH power bat? Is any such beastie available - even with a trade? Should AA be looking now - before the league knows we "need" a bat? Could all the wondrous work of the winter come to naught if the "Slugger who used to called Bautista" is no more?
It is for times like these that Scotch comes into it's own. Single malt of course.
Options for Jose Bautista are:
1) Doesn't play in WBC: i) doesn't get hurt: a) returns to 100% form - chances are slim.
b) return to pre-2010 form - chances are lim, but a better likelyhood.
c) somewhere in between - best chance this year.
ii) does get hurt. Worst Case Scenario
2) Does play in WBC: i) doesn't get hurt: a) returns to 100% form - chances are slim.
b) return to pre-2010 form - chances are lim, but a better likelyhood.
c) somewhere in between - best chance this year.
ii) does get hurt. Worst case scenario.
3) Worst Case Scenario.
Bautista is out for too much of the year. It could even be a Career-Ender. We could fill this position in Spring Training as Players are released by Teams that have no room, but they still have value. Or trading for a decent Player with a bad contract. We can fill the spot with what we currently have on the Team, but it makes the Team weaker. I just don't think A.A. is concentrating on it now, but it must have been considered. A.A.'s having a budget crunch, as he exceeded even his projections by a huge margin. Adding Melky Cabrera and R.A. Dickey and Josh Thole did not increase payroll one bit as the monies changing hands created a wash. A.A. might even be $.75 MM ahead to add to Oliver monies ($3.0 MM).
Number of times pitching the first game of a 3- or 4-game series: #1 5 #2 8 #3 5 #4 5 #5 5 Number of times pitching the last game of a series: #1 9 #2 5 #3 6 #4 6 #5 4So by this logic Dickey should be the #2 starter.
The Jays don't have the players to get Stanton in the minors.
I agree with this. Stanton just turned 23 and already has 1500 MLB ABs with an OPS+ of 140. He appears poised to become one of the top handful of players in the game.
Stanton just turned 23 and already has 1500 MLB ABs with an OPS+ of 140. He appears poised to become one of the top handful of players in the game.
Stanton despite having already turned 23, in 1500 ABs with only an OPS+ of 140, still hasn't become one of the top players in the game. That works.
OPS+ PA
1 Miguel Cabrera 174 2033
2 Joey Votto 166 1842
3 Jose Bautista 165 1737
4 Albert Pujols 154 2021
5 Ryan Braun 152 1991
6 David Ortiz 151 1594
7 Prince Fielder 150 2096
8 Buster Posey 149 1238
9 Josh Hamilton 146 1745
10 Matt Holliday 146 1879
11 Paul Konerko 143 1868
12 Evan Longoria 143 1547
13 Robinson Cano 141 2074
14 Adrian Gonzalez 141 2092
15 Matt Kemp 141 1806
16 Giancarlo Stanton 140 1498
Granted, Stanton ain't no J.P. Arencibia, but he's still a pretty darn good player.
Stanton will be expensive, in acquiring and in keeping. Much too rich, right now, for Blue Jay tastes. A.A. needs to conserve his assets for mid-season acquisitions.
This season will show A.A. what he'll need to do. Is this a 1990-type Team, a 1991-type Team, or, a 1992-type Team?
A.A. keeps, (7) from 2012, Bautista, Rasmus in OF; Encarnacion, Lawrie, Arencibia, Lind in IF; Rajai Davis as Bench. He brings in, (5-6) for 2013, Cabrera in OF; Izturis, Reyes in IF; Thole, Bonifacio as Bench with one more spot to fill. A.A. keeps, (2) from 2012, Morrow, Romero for Rotation; but brings in, (3) for 2013, Dickey, Johnson, Beuhrle for Rotation. A.A. keeps, (7-8) from 2012, Santos, Janssen, Delabar (mid-2012), Happ (mid-2012), Brad Lincoln (mid-2012), Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup in the Bullpen. He brings in, (2-3) for 2013, Esmil Rogers, Jeremy Jeffress for the Bullpen with possibly another one coming in/returning. Is this the best Team ever? Let's see.