Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - Romero Optioned to Dunedin

Via Rotoworld it appears Romero has been sent down. Not yet showing up on the Jays site, but big news if true.

Note: Confirmed via Sportsnet, which is owned by the same people who own the Jays thus I'd put this in 100% official status.

In many ways not a major shock to box members as Romero struggled last year and has been struggling all spring. After he was pounded by Pirates minor leaguers and today went 4 1/3 IP allowing 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts and it was viewed as 'solid' by the headline writers at MLB.com (geez have their standards dropped) it appears the limit has been reached and he will stay in Dunedin for awhile to get his pitching back to solid ground.

JA Happ has been declared the 5th starter until Romero can find the strike zone on a regular basis.

Posted by John Northey on Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 06:42 PM EDT.

Romero Optioned to Dunedin | 65 comments | Create New Account

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China fan - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 06:59 PM EDT (#269464) #

Kudos to the Jays for making the tough decisions, and making them the right way. Although, in truth, there was very little else they could have done. Romero has imploded and needs to be rebuilt. Dunedin makes more sense than Buffalo or New Hampshire.

To get a sense of how bad Romero's situation had become, here's the perspective of an outsider, who points out all the reasons why it would have been much too risky to go north with Romero on the team:

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-knobler/21953250/blue-jays-still-trying-to-solve-the-ricky-romero-puzzle

Gerry - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 07:32 PM EDT (#269469) #

Romero faced the Pirates "B", or road lineup today. If he was "right" he should have handled them easily.

Romero does need a low pressure situation to fix himself. AA said today that Romero's issues are mechanical, not mental.

John Northey - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 07:36 PM EDT (#269470) #

From the article China Fan listed it appears mental too. For Romero to go field grounders so he could 'feel like an athlete again' ... ugh. That screams he feels lost out there. I think doing the Halladay treatment makes a lot of sense - down to A ball to get started then work his way up the ladder over a couple of months with a personal pitching coach. If it could work out 1/2 as well as with Halladay then it is well worth the effort.

John Northey - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 07:46 PM EDT (#269471) #

In other news...

Lyle Overbay is now the starting first baseman for the New York Yankees, while Vernon Wells is their everyday left fielder
Brewers sign Yuniesky Betancourt to play first base (what an insult to every first baseman in that organization)
Indianapolis adaptive reuse project converts a ballpark into residences. (very cool)
Kyle Lohse, the last of the compensation free agents, signs in Milwaukee for 3 years/$33 million
Shaun Marcum likely to be on the DL to start 2013
Scott Kazmir is Cleveland's #5 starter while Daisuke Matsuzaka is in AAA

katman - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 08:12 PM EDT (#269472) #

Romero's outing today looked more successful, and Wilner was calling it an OK (not great, but OK) start by 5th starter standards.

Frankly, it's stupid statements like this that have cost Wilner much of his credibility. If you parse Romero's numbers, it's yet another start with a WHIP over 2.00. It seems utterly impossible for him to see a problem with any player in a Jays uniform.

Contending teams can afford to have one weak starter - Wilner is right about that - but not a starter whose WHIP is consistently over 2.

This is absolutely the right call. What's more, the Jays were right to continue supporting Romero and running him out there, until they had no choice. It's just that they have no choice now.

It's possible that Romero will adjust his pitching delivery to deal with his knee problems, and regain command. If and when that happens, I'll be glad to have him in the rotation again. Indeed, we may need him to do that - my faith in Buerhle's ability to handle the AL East is limited, and he could be our de facto 5th starter as early as this year.

If so, our margin for error is already smaller than we think. Which makes the current decision that much smarter.

Come back soon, Ricky.

Mylegacy - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 08:54 PM EDT (#269474) #

Said it before - I'll say it again: I love the guy.

Can't wait until he returns in triumph!

Mike Green - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 09:14 PM EDT (#269476) #

Good. I am pretty sure Ricky will be back before very long, but this was absolutely the right thing to do.

rtcaino - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 09:18 PM EDT (#269477) #

my faith in Buerhle's ability to handle the AL East is limited, and he could be our de facto 5th starter as early as this year.

Agreed. I am really hoping for him to have a big year so AA can work some ninja magic and unload his contract.

Thomas - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 09:27 PM EDT (#269478) #

Frankly, it's stupid statements like this that have cost Wilner much of his credibility.

Wilner's been saying Ricky's job is in no danger and pumping him up all spring. Of course, Dirk Hayhurst has been saying for weeks that he's quite worried about Romero. I know whose opinion I'm more interested in hearing.

Wilner will likely fall back on claims that he was only reporting what he was told by AA and Gibbons, which may be true to some extent, but he shouldn't present himself as anything other than a beat reporter if that's the case. His Twitter feed is usually him refuting rather simplistic attacks against his opinions. I've hardly ever seen him engage with those who have considered opinions to the contrary. It's easy to say spring training stats are a small sample size and generally don't matter and that brining Romero north may not impact the team's chance to contend this year as much as some may think, given how the Giants carried Linceum last year, etc...etc... However, there was plenty of reason to believe that Romero is one player where spring training results do matter, particularly when he has continued to have a real control problem, and that Romero himself may be better served by a demotion to the minors.

greenfrog - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 10:05 PM EDT (#269480) #

I'm relieved that the Jays made this move. Wishing Ricky the best for a speedy return in fine form. I also hope that Happ takes the 5th starter job and runs with it.

Richard S.S. - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 10:32 PM EDT (#269482) #

Wilner is almost always more right about a player than most people will accept. When that happen, he is disregarded as having little or no value. That's disappointing because it speaks to a lessening of tolerance prevalent in today's society. A less tolerant person is not a good thing. I may disagree with Wilner from time to time, but he's less harsh in his evaluations than is acceptable to some.

Romero's 4 1/3 I.P. were about evaluations of delivery and pitch limit more than results. It must have been an OK start for Romero because he doesn't get that far otherwise. All it has shown is Romero's not ready to start the Season. Consensus is Ricky's problem is more mechanical than anything else, including mental. How far they have to go to correct a year's abuse is yet to be determined. It should be considered very good news if he's back without 30 days, a big problem if it's longer.

Happ, as 5th Starter, may not be a win for this team. He may just be fine, but this Team didn't get better, it just filled a hole. If Romero can't return soon, who's the next Emergency Starter? I just shudder to think of normal accidents that can happen to Pitchers, let alone the numerous maladies Pitchers normally succumb to. This Team is one "oops" away from a unhappy year.

Eephus - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 11:02 PM EDT (#269484) #

Hey all, I'm writing a sorta kinda season preview of the Blue Jays and so I thought I'd chime in with what I wrote on Ricky. (note: I wrote much of this before I heard of the demotion)

It seems to me though, and it hurts me to say this because I've always been a fan of his (one of the best games I've seen live was his ML debut against Porcello in 2009), that having Romero start the season in the rotation is likely to be a disaster. Confidence is so important as a pitcher, as you are throwing an object towards people who are trained and capable at hitting said object hundreds of feet away over your head. You need to be focused and certain of your abilities, and yet understand that even at your best sometimes these sluggers will still get the best of you. Ricky seems to have forgotten that now. Every time he pitches, a slightest sign of imperfection, whether it be a leadoff walk or a home run or a wild pitch, he seems to completely lose himself both physically and mentally. He tries to overcompensate, get five outs with one pitch: he has to be perfect after all. No pitcher is perfect, not even a healthy Roy Halladay, and flawlessness is an impossible standard to live up to. I believe Ricky Romero will rise again, I really do, but it will take a while and there must be signs of improvement along the way. Until then, a major league starting rotation is the worst place for him to rediscover his confidence.

hypobole - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 11:29 PM EDT (#269486) #

In an odd twist, between his guaranteed salary and no state income taxes in Florida, Romero might make more money pitching in A ball than the majors.

I'm neither a scout nor a pitching coach , but I found this interesting (though I'm not sure how accurate) comment on MLBTR:

"He most certainly needs a complete re-tooling of his mechanics.

Even in 2011, his balance was way off, and his release point was inconsistent as a result. Since then, it has only gotten worse.

Now he has an exaggerated lean back when he loads, almost undercuts the ball on release, and he finishes with his pitching arm at his opposite side just above the hip (as opposed to the knee, which would indicate more extension).

His mechanics are some of the worst in the bigs, if not THE worst.

I expect we see an entirely different looking Romero if and when he comes back."

John Northey - Tuesday, March 26 2013 @ 11:51 PM EDT (#269487) #

I'm betting AA is hunting high and low for a guy who can be a #2/3 type pitcher to fill that 5 hole, but one whose team might have soured on him for some reason other than contract (as the payroll is near its limit). Given how AA works I actually wouldn't be shocked if he found a way to trade Buehrle to a team that 'needs' a left hander and gets 2 RHP in return. Or maybe a team that had a solid 5 man plus a kid who impressed so they want to clear out a couple of those starters to make room for the kid. Although, again, I'd expect AA to wait until the offseason to trade Buehrle ala Wells - once the contract gets crazy then you dump him (Buehrle goes up to $17/18 mil the next two years but is just $11 mil this year).

Still, the most realistic thing is AA grabbing a few guys who are released by someone else, sending them to AAA and seeing who does well in case of emergency. Some of the guys there now might be able to give 85 ERA+ quality for a few starts, but I'd rather see a guy who can give 100+ ERA+ starts.

Thomas - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 12:29 AM EDT (#269488) #

AA gave an extended interview about the Romero situation which is transcribed on Gregor Chisholm's blog. He speaks about Romero's need for mechanical adjustments and that they'll have both Dane Johnson and Rick Langford working with him at times. AA says that the results weren't the precipitating reason for the decision, but rather the lack of mechanical improvement to where the staff wanted him to be. I accept that this is true, but what my comment was meant to capture, in part, was that there was a strong indication that Romero's spring results were indicative of a mechanical issue. If he was just being hit around, that wouldn't have been as worrying as a pitcher who was walking his way through the lineup in minor league games.

katman - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 12:43 AM EDT (#269489) #

So, here's Bill James' projection from J.A. Happ in 2013, assuming he gets full playing time:

28 starts, 161 IP, 8-10, .308 BABIP, 4.30 ERA

So, basically, Bill James is saying that Happ is a modern John Cerutti. I can live with that, especially if it comes with 161 innings. Almost any team in baseball would take that as their 5th starter. Many would be happy with that from their 4th starter.

I think Happ has a bit more upside than that, which would be great if it happened. Say, 13-12, ERA around 4.00.

Our problem now is that we no longer have a 6th starter. I hope we can pick Tommy Hunter off waivers, if the Orioles put him there. Or maybe go for Chris Young, who's available as of now:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130326&content_id=43326730

Meanwhile, I'm going to hope that Ricky puts it back together by the All Star Break.

Mike Green - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 09:21 AM EDT (#269491) #

A starter with an ERA of 4.3 should (on average) end up with a W/L record above .500 on this club, and you would definitely take that from your #5 starter. An ERA of 4.3 would be consistent with Happ's career ERA, career FIP and recent performance. ZiPS does not care for Happ, projecting him to give up many more home runs than previously. That I do not quite get.

John Northey - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 09:54 AM EDT (#269492) #

I think Happ will be very interesting to watch in April. He seems to have seen it as a personal insult to be nearly demoted and is determined to make sure it doesn't happen again. If he can go out and perform at his peak level (which I'd put as a 120 ERA+, not the 140 he hit once before as that had 'fluke' written all over it) then we might just have an interesting (good interesting) situation whenever Ricky is back to 100%.

jjdynomite - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:06 AM EDT (#269493) #

Hate to be I told you so, but to those who thought Dickey was an unnecessary splurge that cost far too much in prospects considering the Jays' "Ode To The Dominicans Playoffs Or Bust" 2013 season, well, this Romero downgrade is for you.

By the way, you can also replace "Romero" above with "Marcum".

In less snarky news, Drew Hutchison started throwing off the mound on Monday in his next step of rehabbing his Tommy John surgery and according to Rotoworld is aiming to be "game-ready" for the second half. So one could imagine (rationalize?) that Hutchison make some July/August/September starts if Happ (or Buehrle) falter and Ricky's not ready yet.

Mike Green - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:16 AM EDT (#269494) #

Rushing Hutchison is not a good idea, either in terms of short-term effectiveness or in terms of long-term development. The club has Romero, Cecil and Nolin as starter options. They're not bad for #6, #7 and #8.

Richard S.S. - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:30 AM EDT (#269495) #

When using "park effect" to determine some of the newer stats being used, what is Toronto's "adjustment" for? Toronto is seen as a hitter's park, a homer-haven? Or is Zips more harsh on some Teams?

John Northey - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:33 AM EDT (#269496) #

I'd be very surprised if Cecil is used as a starting pitcher this year outside of an emergency one game situation (probably max of 3 IP).

At the moment the #6 is probably Dave Bush as I doubt the Jays call Romero back up anytime soon. Basically whoever is doing best in Buffalo will be #6 until Romero is back to his pre-2012 form. Any starting pitcher from A+ to AAA could get that slot by mid-season including Hutchison given how fast he seems to be recovering. I say from A+ as some starters have jumped from A+ to the majors in under a season. A while ago I checked and came up with a long list of guys in Jays uniforms who had been in A+ one year and the majors the next. I'm sure it happens in the same season fairly often too.

Mike Green - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:49 AM EDT (#269497) #

Dave Bush? Maybe, but I think he'll have to first have to establish that he can be effective in any role. He hasn't been since 2008 and he wasn't very good in the spring.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Romero is ready by mid-May. Until then, it might be a matter of a fill-in start or two for someone like Cecil. It's not a bad position to be in.

Richard S.S. - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:51 AM EDT (#269499) #

For a Pitcher, the Tommy John Surgery recovery time is 12 - 18 months. Very rarely are pitchers very good (or better) after just 12 months, yet so very many Teams try for "lightning in a bottle" and call them up anyway. The results are not normally that good, so this is usually seen as a big disappointment and occassionally sets a Pitcher back more than another 6 months. At 18 months, the Pitchers is at the best he can be and ready to go. Sometimes he's better than before, sometimes he's worse and sometimes he's the same. Why risk a possible injury by recalling a Pitcher too soon? It's always been thought Drabek and Hutchison should be out until 2014, what's the rush!

Lylemcr - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 11:04 AM EDT (#269500) #

The Jays have Romero, Happ, Bush and other scrubs.

Coming soon is Hutchinson, Drabek, McGowan, plus some young guys that would love a chance. (I would love to see McGowan end up there. It would be a great story.)

I think the Jays give Happ a chance(and he deserves the chance after this spring training). If he faulters, the Jays have many options. Not the end of the world. By summer, if the options are not there, then make a trade.

What scares me about Romero stinking is that Happ was our #6. In case someone gets hurt. If someone goes down, the staff is looking a lot more mediocre again.

Another question that is burning in my brain is how does a person go from being so good to so bad? Is this a Rick Ankiel case? I just don't understand.

92-93 - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 11:10 AM EDT (#269501) #

The Dodgers have some decent depth arms (Capuano, Harang, and Lilly) but it's unlikely AA has the $ at this stage of spring to add them.

John Northey - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 11:33 AM EDT (#269502) #

For $ AA could exchange extra prospects instead. Not ideal, but when in a budget crunch creativity is key.

greenfrog - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 12:32 PM EDT (#269506) #

A Gibby-Lilly reunion would be interesting. I suppose Pete Walker could come out to make the pitching changes.

Richard S.S. - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 01:10 PM EDT (#269507) #

Most people spend a large portion of time in pain and still keep working. This usually occurs when a person cannot afford the time to "get fixed up" or has to wait (on list) to get "fixed". The body/the person automatically compensate to lessen the discomfort being felt. Once they're all better again, it can be very difficult to correct the compenstaion back to normal modes. These bad habits can last a long time.

Romero's problems, delivery-wise, seem to have started in 2011, which is a surprise to me! Knee problems don't go away permanently ever, the problem will reoccur. Romero needs to learn how to pitch in pain or spend a lot of time on the D.L. Reworking his mechanics should restore him to pre-2012 eminence, but just how good I don't know. How he got so 'wonky' is easy, just avoiding pain.

Gerry - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 01:19 PM EDT (#269508) #

Mow that he has made the team I expect Happ to get lit up today. It's the baseball circle of life.

greenfrog - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 01:43 PM EDT (#269509) #

May as well cough up all those karmic earned runs in spring training. Then Happ can resume his effective pitching during the regular season.

greenfrog - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 01:53 PM EDT (#269510) #

More interesting reading from fangraphs, wrapping up the positional power rankings:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/2013-positional-power-rankings-wrap-up/

mike in boston - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 02:31 PM EDT (#269513) #

Time to update the banner? I don't think we'll see JB's ugly uniform or RR any time soon.

Romero is very talented and it is more likely than not that he will fix his command issues to a degree sufficient to warrant being brought back up to the majors in 2013.

The real question will be whether those adjustments hold up under the pressure of a big league game. I have no idea about that, and I doubt any one else -- Ricky included -- does either. At this point we just have to hope he can regain whatever mental component is needed to throw strikes to guys who can hit home runs.

Dave Rutt - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 02:55 PM EDT (#269516) #

Shameless plug - on behalf of a friend, anyway. Former (and hopefully future) Boxcast contributor Ben Nicholson-Smith has moved on from MLBTR to become the new baseball editor at Sportsnet.ca. He'll be writing and doing video segments like this one, among other things.

China fan - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 03:32 PM EDT (#269520) #

Lylemcr - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 03:40 PM EDT (#269521) #

Happ had too many walks today, IMO.... but he did well. He deserves a chance to be #5. AA should keep those prospects for a trading deadline trade. It still would be nice to have a decent #6. Are there any available free-agents left we could sign?

Loup looked real sharp today. I think the bullpen this year is really understated because of the strength of the starting rotation. I really like Loup and Oliver from the left side.

China fan - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 04:57 PM EDT (#269526) #

Just thinking about Dunedin for a moment: there are going to be some awesome arms there for a while, including Romero, McGowan and Stroman. Who will they be pitching against? I know they can make progress without pitching against major-leaguers, and I know Stroman can't pitch in any formal games for another 42 games because of his suspension, but I would still tend to think that they should be pitching against relatively good players, not a bunch of nobodies. When does the Florida league season begin? Until the beginning of the Florida league, what players will Romero/McGowan/Stroman be pitching against?

Mike Green - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 05:05 PM EDT (#269527) #

The FSL starts next Thursday. I anticipate that Romero will make 3 or 4 starts in Dunedin and then move up to New Hampshire or Buffalo as the weather warms. McGowan is harder to predict, as it is primarily about health. Incidentally, I am ecstatic that the club has finally decided (5-7 years late, in my opinion) to make him into a reliever. It wouldn't shock me if he dominates for a couple of years.

John Northey - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 05:08 PM EDT (#269528) #

Odds are they'll be doing a mix of inter-squad games and playing other teams minor leaguers/rehabbers. The FSL gets a lot of ML'ers on rehab due to the weather and spring training facilities (thus better than what is available at other levels I suspect). With the issues Romero has I suspect any hitter works fine for him to face, even high schoolers might pound him right now (OK, maybe not but it sure seems that way). McGowan needs to show he is healthy and build up strength - not a case where quality of opponent is critical. Stroman will skyrocket through the system once he is allowed to I suspect - pitchers going from A+ to AA to AAA in one year is not that unusual - not common, but not rare either.

Richard S.S. - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 05:20 PM EDT (#269529) #

Anyone put on waivers that A.A. might claim with an open 40-man roster spot probably will be out of options.

Any Free Agent Starter A.A. could be found here: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/04/2013-mlb-free-agents.html or this list from there: Starting pitchers: Dallas Braden (29); Aaron Cook (34); Freddy Garcia (36); Dustin Moseley (31); Jamie Moyer (50); Roy Oswalt (35); Carl Pavano (37); Kip Wells (36); Randy Wolf (36); Chris Young (34); Carlos Zambrano (32) It's just unknown if any are willing to be/or worth being our 6th Starter.

It's possible that anyone not familiar with this Team might not rank them highly. With what this Team has, it's possible it might slip under the radar of most of the Medai pundits down South. Outside of the A.L. East, who's watching, and who would care?

grjas - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 07:11 PM EDT (#269536) #

"Another question that is burning in my brain is how does a person go from being so good to so bad? Is this a Rick Ankiel case? I just don't understand."

Farrell said the same thing the other day. Reminds me as well of Chuck Knoblauch who went from gold glove second baseman to unable to hit the first baseman's mit on a relay. He never fixed the problems which seemed to be mental rather than physical. (Thought he stole some awards from Alomar, so I cried few tears for him)

Interesting article below on the yips that talks about both chuck and ankiel. Hopefully RR's issues are mechanical and fixable...and he doesn't turn into eith ankiel or blass

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/385462-the-10-worst-yips-in-sports/page/5

grjas - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 08:44 PM EDT (#269539) #

Happ's lucky day. They also just extended him.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/jays-reward-happ-with-contract-extension-and-fifth-spot-in-rotation/article10457022/

TamRa - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 08:48 PM EDT (#269540) #

Incidentally, I am ecstatic that the club has finally decided (5-7 years late, in my opinion) to make him into a reliever.

Alex said just Sunday (or maybe since) that he didn't know for sure what McGowan would end up doing but SOME in the organization thought he might recover better in the bullpen.

My guess is he will be stretched out to at least five innings while they watch Romero. If Ricky keeps struggling McGowan is the obvious candidate for #6 given the alternatives.

John Northey - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 09:06 PM EDT (#269542) #

An interesting move, signing Happ. $8.9 million for 2 years plus an option for 2015 (AA loves his option years). He was signed for $3.7 mil for this year so the Jays are locking him in at $5.2 million for 2014. The option year is for $6.7 million. Much like the Thole contract it might be to keep a player happy who otherwise could be very unhappy given the potential for a demotion to AAA or the back of the pen. Happ was still in arbitration for 2014 no matter what, then a free agent in 2015 if he wasn't sent down for 48 days at some point.

ComebyDeanChance - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 09:19 PM EDT (#269543) #

They've tried to maintain him as a starter as it was thought that would put less stress on him physically than working more frequently and unpredictably in relief. I think his best shot now is as an infrequent reliever.

Richard S.S. - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 10:22 PM EDT (#269544) #

No one can conceive of a very good Pitcher being so bad so soon.

1) Romero's problem was that no matter how good he pitched he was never satisfied. 2) Sometime early in 2011, it's reported in various articles that his delivery changed. 3) For 2011 and 2012 he was this Team's Ace and treated as such. 4) 2012 was a pitching disaster year - 3 Starters lost in four days and replaced with the bottom of the barrel Starters. Romero was all that was left. 5) At some time, from 2011 on, his knees started to hurt, which had to effect his pitching. 6) At some time, from 2011 on, he hurt his pitching arm. 7) He had offseason surgery (not that serious a result) which ended well. That's all I've heard this offseason.

Conclusion: The body knows when it's healed and Doctors are usually wrong, so it's possible Romero's not totally healed. I don't know how well he's adjusted to his wonky knees. I don't know how long it will take to unlearn bad habits. This is different from any other pitcher and it's not mental, it's just Ricky. He'll work it out.

John Northey - Wednesday, March 27 2013 @ 11:06 PM EDT (#269545) #

What is an interesting side note is the guy the Jays lost today - Guillermo Moscoso. In 2011, after just 14 2/3 ML innings, he had a breakout year - 128 IP with a 120 ERA+. But this was with Oakland so they did the smart thing and traded him right away to Colorado with another guy who had a breakout (110 ERA+) to get Seth Smith - a LF/RF/DH who has a 110 lifetime OPS+ (109 last year with Oakland). Meanwhile Moscoso had a horrible year and was picked off waivers 3 times so far, and Outman was sent down to AAA. How fast things can fall apart indeed.

TamRa - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 02:09 AM EDT (#269548) #

The Jays have lost Guillermo Moscoso on waivers. (He didn't show much in his brief spring appearances for the Jays.) It means that one spot is available on the 40-man roster, which probably means that Anthopoulos is planning to acquire another player (likely a pitcher) from the final cuts at the end of spring training.

a day or two ago MLBTR reported that the Mets had put the word out about several players they were in danger of losing, one of whom being 2B Reese Haves (who was doing quite well in the minors before a suckish 2012) - and he speculated he was a guy the Jays might be interested in.

John Northey - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 06:07 AM EDT (#269550) #

I'm guessing you mean Reese Havens . In spring he was just 1 for 11 against 7.9 quality opponents (slightly below AAA). Entering his age 26 season, he hit just 215/340/351 in AA in 2012. The 2 years previous he split time between A+ and AA and hit for OPS of 978 and 828, while in A+ before that he hit 784 and in A- as a first year pro he hit 811 OPS. For a guy who, before last year, showed an ability to hit he has yet to play in 100 games in a season. Since he was a 1st round pick in 2008 odds are that means he has been injured a lot. Lifetime in the minors he has hit 253/350/431. Could be good for AAA as depth but wouldn't count on anything.

Maldoff - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 10:25 AM EDT (#269558) #

Does anyone know when minor league rosters come out?

Mike Green - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 10:45 AM EDT (#269560) #

The FSL, for instance, starts Thursday. Usually the rosters are available a couple of days before.

Gerry - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 11:05 AM EDT (#269561) #

Usually the players are told what team they have been assigned to on Saturday and Sunday.

The minor league rosters will be officially announced Monday or Tuesday on the respective media days.

I will try and get a copy on Sunday and post it here but it might be Monday.

hypobole - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 11:07 AM EDT (#269562) #

John, do you believe the fact Havens (or any player for that matter) was 1 for 11 in the spring is meaningful in any way, even considering his level of opposition?

You had his injury history pegged. John Sickels had him as the #8 Met prospect prior to Havens poor 2012 season, stating:

"8) Reese Havens, 2B, Grade B-: Borderline C+. I like his power/patience combination and ability to handle second base, but his health care expenses have helped bankrupt the organization. If he manages to avoid injuries he can be a .260 hitter with 15 homers and a fine OBP."

This year, between his Top 20 plus Others, Sickels listed 43 Mets prospects. No mention of Reese Havens.

Mike Green - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 11:17 AM EDT (#269564) #

What the club really needs is shortstop depth, in case Reyes goes down for an extended period. Izturis to short, Bonifacio to second is probably not ideal, at this stage of Izturis' career, for more than a few days. Goins may be a capable enough utility IF, but he doesn't really have the glove to be a shortstop on more than an occasional basis.

bpoz - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 11:46 AM EDT (#269566) #

No home grown Jays in the rotation.

John Northey - Thursday, March 28 2013 @ 12:04 PM EDT (#269567) #

Hypobole - I don't really put much weight on spring, just more of a note to show that Havens was given a small shot in spring (very small) and did nothing with it. If he hit 2 home runs and stole a few bases then he'd look like someone who might be fighting hard to stay relevant, but a 1-11 spring suggests that he might be closer to being a flop than a useful player. WIthout last years disaster though I'd write it off completely. Much like the Jays - Romero knew in his last few starts that the noose was getting tighter after his poor 2012, while Buehrle knew he was the #3 starter come the start of the season no matter what as he has been a stable starter for years.

I guess I see spring as more useful for guys who need it to go well - guys like Romero, Happ, Havens, etc. If you are a vet you are just tuning up and trying not to get hurt, if you are fighting for a job you are looking to do everything possible to make a good impression. Havens failed to do that from what I can tell, and so did Romero and Thole for that matter (Thole hit 171/237/286). While the stats aren't everything they are an indicator showing if what they are trying is working or not.

Richard S.S. - Friday, March 29 2013 @ 10:42 PM EDT (#269605) #

It was a free game on MLB At Bat App. Buehrle was magic, relievers looked good and Arencibia's solo HR was a site to see as Toronto beat Philadelphia and Cliff Lee 1-0. I think Arencibia has taken the next step. How big a one I cannot guess.

grjas - Sunday, March 31 2013 @ 09:15 AM EDT (#269623) #

John Gibbons said Saturday that left-handed hitting Adam Lind will be in a platoon situation with right-handed hitting Rajai Davis as their DH.

Well they continue to be true to their promise to field the best team. Can't wait to see the havoc on the basepaths when all their speedsters are in play.

Richard S.S. - Sunday, March 31 2013 @ 02:46 PM EDT (#269628) #

With Rogers, Bell and Virgin Mobile all having TV Apps, we should get Games easier.

ayjackson - Sunday, March 31 2013 @ 11:31 PM EDT (#269637) #

No minor league preview yet? Have rosters been announced? I notice that both Aaron Sanchez and Matt Smoral are listed on Lansing's roster at the moment. Seems like a conflicting message.

Richard S.S. - Monday, April 01 2013 @ 07:08 AM EDT (#269638) #

Houston, Surprise, Surprise destroyed Texas Sunday, Game 1 of the Season. Better luck next Game, Mick.

bpoz - Monday, April 01 2013 @ 05:59 PM EDT (#269669) #

Nyy lost to Farrel's BSox.

greenfrog - Monday, April 01 2013 @ 06:57 PM EDT (#269670) #

Clayton Kershaw's April 1 start: complete game four-hitter, zero walks, seven Ks, 94 pitches. Impressive.

greenfrog - Monday, April 01 2013 @ 06:59 PM EDT (#269671) #

He also hit a home run. Talk about hitting the ground running.

Richard S.S. - Tuesday, April 02 2013 @ 03:16 AM EDT (#269680) #

Kershaw's on my Fantasy Team.

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