Mark Shapiro’s tenure as president of the Blue Jays hasn’t exactly been met with a full embrace by the team’s fans, but he tells John Lott of the National Post that he’s focused on the job at hand rather than worrying about criticism. “I think it’s just inefficient for me to spend a lot of time and energy on that,” says Shapiro. “What I think fans ultimately want is for me to work for this team and make it as good as it can possibly be. If I spend my energy worrying about how to be popular, it’ll be time away from doing the job. That’s not what I’m going to do.” The piece offers a lengthy and interesting look at the veteran executive, and is well worth a full read.
Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:
- When asked about free agent second baseman Howie Kendrick today, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said that the organization “feel[s] pretty set” at the position at this point, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The Dodgers will utilize Chase Utley and Kike Hernandez there, he said, indicating that there’s little reason for the club to pursue a reunion with Kendrick. Otherwise, per Zaidi, the team could still add another starter and is “still evaluating” its options in the bullpen (via J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group, on Twitter).
- Zaidi also addressed the Dodgers’ reported deal with the Reds for Aroldis Chapman, via another Shaikin tweet. Los Angeles wasn’t “comfortable making the move” and “moved on” after allegations of a domestic dispute involving Chapman surfaced.
- Unsurprisingly, Gerardo Parra is expected to wait to sign until the top of the outfield market sheds some names, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. He is still drawing interest from the Royals, Nationals, Giants, and Angels, per the report.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post takes a broader look at the outfield market and wonders what teams could be readying to spring. The Nats top his list, followed by four AL clubs: the White Sox, Orioles, Tigers, and Angels. I agree with Sherman’s assessment that the market will still likely pay these players, as I recently wrote. As an anonymous GM told Sherman: “You will have some owners soon say, ‘Wow, we can have this guy rather than what we have now.’ That is when the aggressiveness comes back in.”
angels should no doubt pursue Parra. they need somebody to get on base for trout and pujols more than anything. That with the addition of an Ian Desmond or Juan Uribe would no doubt address the bulk of the Angels’ to do list
Because yall need a SS
They have the best defensive shortstop in the game.
Where do you think Simmons will play?
DH.
I think it was sarcasm because cman said they should go after Desmond
I don’t get it. And putting Simmons at dh would make him go from one of the best shortstops in the league to one of the worst DHs
I can’t see them realistically considering Desmond but Parra and Uribe definitely seems very doable.
I’d like the Angels to get Jeff Francoeur he hit 258 in the NL and still has a hell of an arm in RF
He wouldn’t cost much either, But Parra would be even better and wouldn’t cost the angels a draft pick.
I know Parra would be considerably less than the top FAs if he signed now but I think the reason why he is waiting for the top FAs to sign is to get more money which could potentially knock us off the market
Desmond won’t fit with the angels unless he’s willing to play the outfield
I don’t think the Angels would ever do this but it could work. We sign Desmond and move him to first base and trade cj Cron for someone like odubel Herrera of the Phillies he’s young he can hit for contact and most importantly he is a lefty
Why would they add Desmond when then acquired Simmons and why would they add Uribe when they acquired Escobar?
I do agree that Parra would make them much better then last season in LF and won’t cost as much as the Cespedes’ and like still out there
2B Escobar SS Simmons 3B Uribe Desmond to the OF. Not that I’m advocating that for the Angels, but maybe that’s what they are thinking. Either that or Desmond to 2B, Escobar 3B, Uribe utility guy.
I get where they would play. My point is they won’t add players to double up. Uribe is too expensive of a bench piece. Simmons/Escobar/Desmond in whatever combo would be an awesome INF but the team won’t add him b/c that will throw them past their budget limit. They will stick w/Johnny G @ 2B…
I only see them breaking that budget limit for a LF and I don’t think that will happen.
Andrelton Simmons is their SS. Desmond would have to move to 2B. I wouldn’t mind that though since Desmond has good pop for a middle infielder, even in Washington. Uribe would be a utility option, but a pretty good one. They could actually go this route and stay cheap in LF since they’d be pretty much adding 15-20 HR power to the lineup with Desmond. And I think it’s realistic in theory because among the Angels’ discussions with David Freese was moving him to 2B to accommodate Escobar at 3B. Interesting.
IMO no more players will be acquired unless they move Wilson and not have to eat 75% of his salary(as reported teams were asking if them)
Heaney was Kazmir.
Haren was McCarthy/Latos.
Gordon was Kendrick/Utley/Kike.
Chapman was a move you make.
Shapiro:
I’m still wondering why they hired him. As a Cleveland exec, he was never really able to lead them out of the desert, and into financial success, probably the main job of the CEO. I realize Cleveland is a small market, but so is Tampa, Oakland, and KC, and they have been able to function in spite of small revenues. Did Rogers think that with a bit more money, that he would blossom into a miracle maker? As far as I can see, he’s just an overpriced GM.
I also don’t know why Rogers all of a sudden decided to go with a baseball guy. Up until now, the head man at The Jays has always been a business type. Bavasi, Beeston, Pollock (hockey) Godfrey, and Beeston again, have all been businessmen with no baseball background. The GM has always been the top baseball guy in the organization. In hiring Shapiro, they made it impossible for the MLB executive of the year to stay on, and essentially changed the way the entire club operates. My question is, did Rogers make a conscious decision to do this? After their bungling attempts in 2014 to find a replacement for Beeston, my question remains unanswered.
Yeah, the fact that they tried to hire Kenny Williams and Duquette last offseason and ultimately ended up with Shapiro doesn’t leave much room for debate that they made a conscious decision to go with a baseball guy as President.
I want to be open-minded about Shapiro, I really do… but usually when you raid an organization, it’s for the purpose of tapping whatever strength they had, right? Cleveland never really had any strengths as an organization, be it in development or marketing, and they never had a sustained run. Just a couple of brief post-season appearances, despite their division being substantially weaker than the AL East.
So if you look at Shapiro’s resume, you have to ask what it was that they found so attractive. Better question: what is it that makes him a commodity? Not that long ago, when Cleveland had an incredible team, he was brought in not to dismantle it, but to oversee it dismantle itself, take flak from the fans, and ultimately manage expectations going forward. That’s exactly what he did, and I suspect that’s exactly what Rogers wants him to do with the Jays.
DH5 and Bautista are both coming off the books next year. That will be the beginning. They’ll also stand pat at the deadline, ultimately blaming Anthopoulos’ hail mary moves last year as the reason they need to restock the farm. Again, why spend when you can have sustainable mediocrity? It’s going to be such a painful decline for a team that was so close to getting it done.
Common opinion is that the Shapiro hiring forced AA out and that AA worked wonders with the team. But is that really the truth? AA could have stayed simple as that, but if he had he would be held responsible for the trades he made this summer. Did they improve the Jays for half a season? Absolutely. Did they destroy the farm system? Very much so. The Jays may not see a real impact player come up through their system for another decade because of AA. By leaving when he did he gets the glory and can pass off the downfall on someone else. His media comments since his departure are very telling, as he is saying what he would have done in a perfect world, not what he likely would have been able to do, and passing it off as what the Jays should have done no questions asked. And the media is just eating it up. Leaving now was his only shot to be a hero and be able to get a job within the next 5 years
You lost me at not seeing a real impact player not coming up for another decade. You do realize that on that timeline none of the players we draft in the next several years would contribute much of anything don’t you? Just from guys already in the system I can name Pompey and Guerrero and that’s with me not keeping up with their minor league guys as much this season
I suppose I find myself in the middle. I agree that Shapiro, while seemingly well-respected in the industry, doesn’t leap off the page with any particular strength. If we want to be generous and say he does well with poor markets, that’s still not a great sign for Jays fans who shouldn’t have to see their team operate that way.
On the other hand, how the team operates, in that sense, isn’t his decision. Over and over in the interview he talked about being “within constraints” and having to decide where to allocate money. Those kinds of things are imposed on him. It may well be the reason thy brought him in in the first place, but any anger over that should be directed at Rogers and not Shapiro.
Also, the AA-as-savior argument rings kind of hollow to me. It’s worth remembering that he was believed to be on the hot seat for several years leading up to this one as many of his moves proved ineffective and he still hadn’t managed a playoff run. Even this year, I don’t think it’s wildly unfair to say that the Jays took advantage of a relatively weak AL East and they still required trading away most of their farm system to make the playoffs. Let’s not forget, through July of this year, the team was only 53-51 and had only one month above .500. Kudos to him for the courage to go make the moves, but I don’t see it as a stroke of genius to sell everything for a .500 team.
In any event, Jays fans should enjoy this next season because they may well be in for a long road back if their big-name contracts are allowed to run out.
Chances are the jays retain one of EE and Joey bats. We still have Martin, Donaldson and Tulo under contract long term. As well as Ben revere, pillar and Travis locked up for awhile as well. The jays will be fine long term and in my opinion are actually set up quite well for the future.
It’s worth remembering that he was believed to be on the hot seat for several years leading up to this one as many of his moves proved ineffective and he still hadn’t managed a playoff run., wrote jb226
AA’s hot seat:
i) what did he back in the Doc Halladay trade?
ii) He traded Naopli to the Rangers, who took them to the WS.
iii) Remember the catcher Gomes trade, for a relief pitcher who couldn’t hit a barn door ?
Then AA brought to bat the hotheads Escobar, Lawrie et al and sold them on us as much as he did esmil, francisco, drabek, et al.
And it was only last year that R romero was taken off the books…. another multi million bust. And although I like the knuckleballer and what he has done for the jays, I would love to see Thor p[itching for the Jays.
This was just a sketch of AA’s infamous moves, but none more infamous than deballing the entire upper minor league system for a WS ring.
There are five starters in 3A named Blank, said Sharpiro during one of his early public appearances.
I am for giving this guy a break and happy that there is a baseball guy in the system and hopefully a new field marshall before ST.
There is a lot of negativity in the media about the new management of the bluejays, but that negativity may not be coming just from the few extra fans who attended games in Sept.
There was a political turnover up here last year. There was a long federal election where fear mongering was the main thrust of the now defeated regime. Fear-based judgement, small mindedness, arrogance, hubris, affluencia, ignorance, prejudice, hatred of anything different by a select group of paid posters and other hooligans are still evident on our political boards up here, and such negativity is evidently and sorrowfully spilling over onto these sports boards
Gotta agree with Jaysfan. Shapiro was suppose to be a Hart protege’ but it never happened. The only think I see with Cleveland was the value he placed on sabermetrics – which is good if you use the data the right way but his record speaks differently.
With the Jays – the splurge they did in 2nd half was awesome so why not let this roster run 162 games? Realize the deal that Price got probably wasn’t reachable but there are still a few starters available that could keep this team competitive in the AL East.
They will be competitive regardless of whether they add another starter (which it seems will not happen, they have moved on to the bullpen by all accounts).
As for AA, yes, he traded away a lot of the farm in the last 3 years, but it was his savvy moves (particularly in taking advantage of the old draft pick compensation system) that helped stock that farm up so well in the first place. The farm now is no worse than what he took over, so he has to get credit for building a strong team and winning a division title; it was not gifted to him. And while people say the results weren’t necessarily great, a lot of his trades were seen as stunning coups when they were made, they just didn’t end up working out for various reasons. His only real stinkers off the top of my head were the Dickey trade and the Napoli flip for Frank Francisco.
David Price was saying that he wanted to come back to Toronto, but they didn’t even offer him a contract!!! Sure Boston got him with a massive contract but overall, I think if Toronto would have offered him a fair deal, we would still have him.
No contract offer means NO chance of signing him. 🙁
Losing AA was a mistake for TOR. It may take a couple of yrs to see…but it will happen.
I totally agree with this. I was actually hoping that he would change his mind and accept the 5 year deal that was offered to him. 🙁
As somebody who’s witnessed Shapiro here in Cleveland for almost two decades, his strengths are that he is very well liked throughout baseball. The Indians really only were able to hire Francona as their Manager because of Shapiro’s presence in CLE. He almost was named the Commissioner when Selig retired BTW.
Also, he along with Billy Beane in Oakland pioneered the use of SABERmetrics in evaluating talent. And I’d give him credit for launching an outstanding renovation of Progressive Field that required no taxpayer dollars. That’s pretty impressive.
However, he really never delivered any sustained results. Cleveland’s drafting and player development were always among the worst in baseball during his tenure. He also whiffed on basically every free agent signing ever made in Cleveland.
So Blue Jay fans will enjoy a genuinely nice guy that will be public in the community and not do anything to upset anyone. But the downside is that the Jays will likely revert to the mediocre, post-Joe Carter Jays and sit in the middle of the pack for a decade. Never count on a David Price-like acquisition again.
“So Blue Jay fans will enjoy a genuinely nice guy that will be public in the community and not do anything to upset anyone.”
That ship has already sailed. There are plenty of fans that are upset with his lack of signings thus far, me included.
Good to see an organization has class and doesn’t want a wife beater in their clubhouse.
Good to see you have ALL of the facts that rest of the public haven’t seen as of yet
You had No prob with an admitted juicer on the bench as hitting coach the last few years, right?
When did PED use = domestic violence? If it does…. I guess Chapman will fit right into his new clubhouse.
I guess you are cool with CHEATERS, rights??? I Wasn’t equating the two, but you brought up the “CLASS” of the organization.
Not that we’re jumping to rationalization or anything here, because you know, he wasn’t even charged or anything…
He admitted to police he argued with his girlfriend then went to his garage and fired his gun 8-10 times. Denied he choked her.
Does this sound normal to you? I’d kill the man who did this to my daughter.
I think we have to find out what he was actually shooting at – I mean, maybe the argument was about his wife’s car..
Sorry, girlfriend. Well, the joke sucks anyway….
Yeah that’s only part of it, Chapman is a cancer, a bad team mate. You’ll see.
How about discussing the Friedman/Farhan tenure?
A whirlwind that I started to outline but it’s too much and most of you are aware.
But the team might be worse than when they took over.
Your a puppet Shipiro. A multi billion dollar company owns our team. Seat sales went up last year ( now ticket prices are more for next year ), we have the MVP, we finally made the playoffs after 20 years. The fan base is huge right now. Your telling us that Rogers can’t open the wallet to sign one top free agent? Not one. No relievers, can’t resign Eddie and Bautista? Please ask Rogers to sell the Jays so we can have our team back.
It’s fans like you that make it impossible to field competitive teams while keeping the fanbase happy. You want Jose and Edwin signed? They are in their mid 30’s and will wannt to cash in big, which they can do on the open market. You would end up with likely 60 million or so a year committed to 3 overage declining players (Jose, Edwin, Tulo) not to mention the Martin contract. Without pitching and an aging core the Jays will be worse THIS YEAR than they were last year, and they traded their whole farm system last summer so there are no cheap replacements coming. If the Jays are serious about making a sustained winner, they should have traded Jose Edwin Tulo etc. for whatever they could this summer. At least one of Edwin or Jose have to walk at the end of the year, both are being close to limited to DH and will just get worse as a contract goes on.
Traded their whole farm system? You might want to think again. Pompey, Reid-Foley, 1st round pick Harris, Alford, Nay, 1st round pick Pentecost and then youngsters like sanchez, osuna and stroman are basically just out of prospect territory. They very much still have a decent farm system.
Kendrick is a nice piece for someone, wonder if he fits in the Pirates lineup now that Walker is gone.
Pirates won’t be signing Kendrick. Once Kang is able to play again Josh Harrison is the everyday 2b. They also have Sean Rodriguez and prospect Alan Hanson to play second on an as needed basis. Most importantly though, they’re creeping up towards their ceiling of reasonable payroll expectations and still need another starter and a lefty bullpen arm.
Thank you! I was trying to figure it out in my head why it sounded so different. Will Kang be SS/3b still?
The Dodgers gave up two excellent pieces for a single year of Kendrick. I don’t think it was the wrong move at the time, but Gordon and Heaney will be helping their clubs for a long time. In hindsight, it would’ve been best to hang on to Gordon, or at least hold on to Heaney after the trade.
Dodgers gave up one piece for Kendrick, and that was Heaney. In hindsight, we’ll see if that was good or bad, but they got a full year of a solid Kendrick plus the comp pick.
If the Dodgers are really balking at spending big this winter, they could probably use Heaney in the long run.
Dodgers gave up 3 excellent pieces to acquire Kendrick. Gordon and Haren to get Heaney then flipping him to get Kendrick. Kendrick was solid in 15 but it was a bad move. Gordon was our Mvp in 14 then he went on to win the batting title and a gold glove in 15.