The Blue Jays are casting a wide net in their search for pitching, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They have already shown interest in Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse, and Ryan Dempster, among others.
Toronto is also one of several clubs to inquire about Scott Baker, joining the Red Sox, Cubs, and Rangers. The Twins recently declined the right-hander's option but hope to sign him to a new deal. The Blue Jays have made no secret of their goal to add pitching this offseason, either through trades or free agency. Free agents can begin signing with new teams tomorrow morning.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
I think this is make or break time for the Jays. The bloom is off the rose at this point and if they don’t make a big move as a show of good faith, apathy will start to set in among the fan base again and all may be lost. This on top of the fact that the NHL is in a prolonged lockout. Something has to be done to keep it moving in the right direction.
I doubt there will be an NHL season this year.
As a Mets fan, I’ve been wondering about that with the Blue Jays. Wright and RA Dickey could both be on the trade market. Are the Jays interested in either? Johan?
nope
niese?
That’s too bad. Like the rest of the league, we’ve been drooling over D’Arnaud and I’d love to get him out of a Blue Jays uniform and into a Mets.
As for Niese, consensus is a little conflicted and there are some who would trade him for Upton, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere for anybody and it would be foolish to trade him. Young, cost controlled, effective LHP’s don’t exactly grow on trees and the Rays model has been to keep the players until they get expensive, then trade them. Niese is very affordable right now, so I would think that he stays.
If they did trade Niese though, it would severely diminish your farm system and you wouldn’t like it. They wouldn’t be trading for Sierra and Laffey. They’d be looking for a Gio Gonzalez lite deal.
It would take more then Niese to get D’Arnaud.
Niese is a more likely candidate for a trade with the Jays although I’ve never understood why the Mets would want to trade him and why he’s been involved in trade rumors. Niese has shown progression ever since he was drafted by the Mets and is still only 25 years old. Even if the Mets take some time to rebuild their team and become contenders, he will still be a strong #2 pitcher in that time and can prove to be a crucial piece as they try to make the playoffs. I would love for the Jays to take Niese off your hands if the Mets don’t want him haha but of course as long as the trade is right and the Jays don’t break the farm system they’ve worked on for the past few years and the biggest thing they pride themselves on to get him.
I don’t think AA has ever looked to please his fan base. he’ll do whatever he thinks will better the ball club, nothing more.
I think in this case he will need to balance both the needs of the team as well as the expectations of the fan. The fans want and were given every indication that the team would start to increase the payroll when “the time was right”. If the time isn’t right now, then I don’t know if it ever will be. As it stands now, the optics indicate that they/we may have been sold a bill of goods. Use the farm to trade for a big name. Use some of the cash from the increased revenue streams to put into the product on the field. I don’t believe the expectations are to spend 180 million. But at the very least, put yourself in the middle of the pack. Beeston knows very well what it like to have the highest payroll in baseball. He had it for 3 years in the early 90’s which just happened to coincide with 2 WS wins.
thats what please the fan base improving the ball club to championship category.
now how he does it differs to fans but we have prospects, we have a protected draft pick and it seems better for the blue jays to spend the money right now on top agents this 2012-2013 season.
Cliff Lee?
Sure, if the Phillies eat half his salary and don’t expect a king’s ransom in turn. I actually think Josh Johnson as well as Sanchez and even a surprise Haren move makes the most sense,
why would they have to eat lee’s salary?
Because they aren’t going to pay that much for an aging pitcher coming off a mediocre season.
a mediocre season??
lol ohh i get it,, you’re looking at his wins?
210 innings, 28 walks, 207 strike outs, the end
PS. 4 years 22 mil avg, 34 years old. Thats the end to your story.
thats the price of elite pitching.
either pay it or continue to accept mediocre pitching
You pay it for 20 somethings, not 34 year olds. And to say he isn’t declining is just putting your head in the sand.
oh so you mean pay a 29 year old for an 8 year deal. until they are 37?
Find me any elite pitcher who is going to sign a short term deal and is 20 something, please i encourage you
good plan, you should be a GM
well said
4.9 fWAR and a 3.13 FIP is mediocre?
but he was 6-9!!!!1
cliff lee is good, but he has been over hyped for years. we need proven al pitchers. there is a big difference between the al east and pitching in ”quadruple a” in the nl.
Because there is no way the Jays will take on a 20+ million salary on a declining pitcher. Did I actually have to explain that?
One season of regressing numbers, numbers that are still great, and no loss of velocity = declining?
Does not compute.
Btw, FanGraphs has his dollars value at $21.9M last season.
I want you to look at any other stat for other than his win loss record for last year. Those are not mediocre numbers the last time I checked.
Because Mororsi’s track record when it comes to predicting Blue Jays free agent interest is so great…
Because free agents’ track record of wanting to come to Toronto is so great.
you can’t show your work.
players don’t want to come here because other teams pay them more, has nothing to do with the city. Toronto’s first class
And the Rogers center is as nice an establishment in the game. Being a turf field, it’s beautiful.
that i can’t agree with, can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic.
but i doubt players say oh PNC park is beautiful i want to sign there!
Just saying its a nice ball park in a great city. That’s all.
but its not a nice ball park. great city though for sure.
Have you ever been?
I have and think its very nice.
It sucks when its empty. When it’s full on the other hand, its a great place to be. I never understood all the hatred of the Dome. Especially when it’s full and the roof is open.
I have been to: Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York (Shea, Old Yankees, Citi), Philly, Cleveland, Seattle, Detroit (playoff against Oakland!!!! best game ever live!) Houston, Texas, Washington (old and New) Baltimore, Chicago (wrigley), St. Louis, KC and Pittsburgh. As a Jays Fan, I feel terrible to say Rogers is my least favorite of them all (ok.. Big O and Old Wash. sucked but there are no longer there!) and PNC and Camden being the niciest.
go to Oakland, it won’t be your least favorite for long.
I’ve been to: Montreal, Boston, New York (Shea, Old Yankee), Pittsburgh, Philly (Vet, Citizens Bank), Washington, Baltimore, Wrigley, & Dodger Stadium, favorite has to be Boston & least favorite is probably Shea
yes I have season seats
rogers center just isn’t a good atmosphere kinda like playing in a factory., its actually now (surprisingly) one of the oldest ballparks in the league
The turf has little to do with pitching. Outfielders maybe.
Never said it did, but if you want to have that argument yes it does. Ground balls travel faster, etc.
Just teasing you guys haha. I think Toronto is a great place. Actually a big believer in the Raptors this year, but thats a whole different story.
when we were winning back to back World Series it was damn easy!
I’m not sure why you’re apologizing, its actually kind of true. Many American players prefer to play in the states. For now, seeing as the Jays aren’t consensus contenders many players would rather sign for an American non-contender than the Jays which is pretty sad to say. I’m not trying to generalize or call out Americans but they have shown to have a tendency of kind of being wrapped in a bubble and not too aware of the outside world and all its upsides. In a sense its a good thing as Americans are some of the most patriotic people but in other ways it doesn’t let them see what the rest of the world has to offer. Players that have come to Toronto have shown to love the city but asides from them I’m sure there must be some kind of stigma surrounding the Jays as they’ll always be singled out as “The only Canadian team” which is a label that just hangs over their heads. But in the end money is where true loyalty resides and if the Jays can come out on top of a bidding war and sell their team as contenders I’m sure big FA’s will have no problem signing here.
My favorite time of the year…the Blue Jays are interested in everyone posts!
LOL and we all know how this turns out.
Man, I sure did miss all these ‘rumors’ !
Canadian for Canadians! Ryan Dempster!
Why all the thumbs down, he’d be great for the team. Having Canadians on the only Canadian team really sells it to the fans, especially the ones that aren’t die hard. Meaning interest and revenues go up, which means even more money to spend next year! and Plus at this point he’d only really be a stop-gap option until the young trio in Lansing arrive *knocks on wood*. I’m sure he’d only be expecting around a 3 year deal with a couple team options anyways, so he’d be guaranteed to be paid til his 40’s which is what players really like.Nnot too sure for what kind of AAV but somewhere around 8 mil sounds reasonable to me. But I’m really not too familiar with the market and what the precedent for a player like him would be so I could be way off. Under or over really not sure
My big hope is that Rogers notices the bad optics from the last few months, and realizes that they’re in serious danger of ruining everything AA’s built, and losing everything if they don’t spend some money.
In spite of everything that happened last year, attendence and viewership (and they own the channels), were up dramatically. In essence, it’s time to put up or shut up- they said they’d spend when the time came- the time has come.
If they do nothing, they prove the ‘tightwad’ crowd correct, and lose credibility and (likely) interest in their team.
Just hope the bigwigs upstairs realize this. And care.
The time has only come according to fans because they are upset about the way the last three months have played out with Farrell and the collapse (which was injury-fuelled, but whatever). Why when the free agent market is so thin should the Jays blow their brains out overpaying for mediocrity? They said they would spend when they needed to sprinkle top talent in amongst their core. Who is a core player on this team? Lawrie and Morrow? Encarnacion and Wristista? Wow, world series awaits.
Media is setting the stage for a disappointing off season!
If the Blue Jays win a signing war against Boston over a pitcher, I promise you they will sign your new manager too. Fair warning.
I don’t think they well come close for Greinke but go for the Edwin jackson/ Brandon McCarthy types
sounds about right, unfortunately
wouldnt be the end of the world if they got 2 decent pitchers as opposed to one elite
strongly agree! pitchers are too mercurial to sink all your eggs in one basket. one year they look like nolan ryan and the next… well… ricky romero.
that being said grienke is a pretty sound investment. as a jays fan i really like the fact he has pitched well in hitter friendly stadiums.
No, where’s the optimism JaysFan! Oh, I see… wiped away from all the other big FA speculation that has surrounded the Jays for the past couple years *cough cough* Fielder *cough cough*. But still, call me nieve but I feel this time its different. The main difference being the large growth of interest in this team. Rogers has done a great job at selling the team and their goals, as evident with their huge boost in attendance and viewers last year. Now that they know they can count on fans to come to the games and watch them, and buy merchandise, it won’t be as big of a risk signing a big FA for a lot of money because they will continuosly grow and expand and revenues will be in the black. But if they don’t end up making any big moves fans will start to become skeptical of the projections and interest will revert to pre-2012 levels which is a huge step in the wrong direction. There is a lot of momentum with this team right now in terms of fans and the owners would be foolish to do anything to stop or slow down this rolling ball. Instead they should add to it by signing the biggest fish out there… GREINKE!!! (well Hamilton can be argued but I just don’t see him as our biggest need as that’s clearly pitching and Greinke is also much younger which adds to my reasoning for him being the top FA)
They’ll never match term with other teams so it doesn’t really matter who they target, they don’t have a chance with any free agents that could make a difference.
There has been years of this linking. I believer AA is 0 for any top FA ! Onto the waiver wire 🙂
true, but this time it’s for real!
Jays need to acquire 2 starters, a 1A and a 1B, if they hope to contend. Romero can’t be counted on, Morrow is still unproven, and the kids will remain kids until proven otherwise
1A
1B
Morrow
Romero
– other –
any other lineup that relies on morrow to be a #2 is walking into another failed season
thats completely bogus
how so? you think morrow (a 10 game win guy) can be a #2? or do you think romero will bounce back (like brett cecil, lol)
Are you seriously using wins to gauge a pitcher’s talent?
Morrow can be a #2 easy… heck if healty he’s maybe an Ace.
His numbers in general were that of a #3-4 pitcher prior to this year, and though he did well this year, he was limited in appearances. It’s too early to throw the word ace around if he’s never hit 200 innings.
In a perfect world, Morrow is a #2, assuming all the stars align.
just refer to @Indestructible:disqus ‘s answer
A pitcher’s win/loss record is the most OVERRATED stat there is. A pitcher can give up 7 ER and win a game, or give up 1 and lose
I would agree actually. I like Morrow’s upside and hope that Romero can be fixed, but if they really want to compete now rather than waiting for the Lansing three to develop, they need to spend big on pitching. Relying on a rotation that includes the likes of Happ, Jenkins, Alvarez, etc. is pretty much admitting the season is over.
Am I the only one who thinks happ has upside? I think he’s a fine 4 or 5 on the jays provided they get a Jackson or Sanchez.
I like Happ too in the #5 spot.
I’d been wondering if the Jays would be buyers if the Mets were selling Johan, Wright or RA? Thoughts?
Darvish!Fielder!
blah!
aim! aim! but don’t shoot!
the blue jays arent interested in anything. the chances of signing a FA of some salt is the same as something so improbably that i cannot even come up with an analogy for it.
but AA actually promised to the fans that he will start to get some splash in trades and free agency to improve this team.
A lot of possible fits here. Edwin Jackson, Shaun Marcum, Brandon McCarthy and others of that mold make the most sense to me. If the Blue Jays get healthy, stable pitching in 2013 they will be a force to reckon with and could surprise many.
apparently shaun marcum isn’t welcome back.
Thank you DerekJeterDan…someone who knows what they’re talking about.
i like the mccarthy/baker option. low risk, high reward! plus both have pitched well in the al! if mccarthy can stay healthy he is right up there with the best in the game. either could be a big big steal.
They’re definitely gonna spend and trade some young talent, why is everyone so cynical? This is the first off-season they’ve had a core group to build around.
I’m cynical because they’ve proven though words and actions that they only want to be good if they can do it through young, controllable players with short term contracts. That’s not how you build a consistent winner, that’s how you surprise everyone once a decade like the A’s. I’m open to being proven wrong, but I doubt I will be.
How can a player have a short term contract and be controllable at the same time?
what about the rays? and baltimore?
The Blue Jays should not be interested in Lohse, and they have no chance at Greinke, but the others would be nice additions.
I hope we sign a Sanchez or Greinke and then trade for a number one pitcher. Sadly I don’t think any of that will come to fruition but one can dream.
I wouldn’t sign Anibal Sanchez…he’s not worth the money he wants IMO.
From what am getting everybody think we need 2 starting pitchers and from what else am getting the 2 that everybody would subsitute out of the rotation is Villanueava and Alveraz I get Villanueava but Alveraz led in quality starts and ERA with qualified amount of starts all he needs is a curveball which the old coaching staff gave excuses for not teaching him and your looking at a ACE my openion So to me it I think we need a 1 Ace type starter I don’t no why were not going after Haren he more consistent and does’nt have mental issues like Greinke but we need to shift Ramus to left and and have Goose in CF and sign a left handed RBI producing bat and have Lind coming off the bench and we will be in the playoff race should of got Ortiz to bad hope we go after Hamilton
Cf Goose
Rf Batista or D’Arnarde if he’s really that good
1b EE or Batista
Dh or Lf or Cf Hamilton wish full thinking or EE or Lind
3b Lawrie
Lf or Cf Ramus
2b or Ss Escobar
2b or SS Addy or Avelis or Lind
C JP or D’Arnarde or Mathis