FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal shares some news from around baseball in his latest notes column…
- Josh Donaldson is expected to spend 2-4 weeks on the DL recovering from a calf injury. Though the Blue Jays are in dire need of Donaldson’s bat, I would suspect the team would err on the side of caution and keep Donaldson out of action until he has completely healed, given that the third baseman has been bothered by this injury dating back to Spring Training.
- With the Blue Jays off to a 2-10 start, Rosenthal figures the team will likely be dealing veterans at the July trade deadline but “a major deconstruction would be a tough sell” to fans. A complete rebuild would erase most or all of the gains made in ticket sales and TV ratings during the last two years, when the Jays twice reached the postseason. Rosenthal believes the Jays could use “a strategic re-set” and still aim to contend in 2018. If Toronto does sell at the deadline, they could limit themselves to trading players who will be free agents after 2017 (such as Marco Estrada, Jose Bautista or Francisco Liriano). The tougher calls, of course, would be on deciding to trade Donaldson or J.A. Happ, who are under contract through the 2018 season.
- Ryan Braun will gain 10-and-5 rights on May 14, according to Rosenthal, not on May 24 as previous reports have suggested. No matter the date that the Brewers slugger can gain full no-trade control, however, Rosenthal echoes earlier reports that suggest little will change with Braun’s trade status once he becomes a 10-and-5 player.
- The Orioles’ lack of international spending is “an ownership decision,” Rosenthal hears from Baltimore executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette. Ben Badler pulled no punches in criticizing the Orioles’ meager spending on international amateur free agents in a piece for Baseball America earlier this week, and Rosenthal adds that the O’s have also spent the least of any team on amateur draft signings over the last three years. While Duquette notes that several homegrown prospects are currently on Baltimore’s MLB roster, Rosenthal points out that with so many big names (i.e. Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Zach Britton) slated for free agency after 2018, the O’s are lacking in young depth to fill what could be several significant roster holes.
- Two sources tell Rosenthal that Duquette wasn’t happy with how the Orioles’ medical staff handled Chris Tillman’s shoulder injury. Duquette didn’t specifically comment on this report to Rosenthal, only saying that “We probably could have done a better job getting him back….I’m not sure we rushed him. I’m just disappointed he didn’t start the season with us. We had plenty of time to work with him. The shoulder was bothering him at the end of last year.” Tillman and the O’s are targeting a return date of early May for the right-hander to make his season debut.
“Rosenthal figures the team will likely be dealing veterans at the July trade deadline but “a major deconstruction would be a tough sell” to fans. A complete rebuild would erase most or all of the gains made in ticket sales and TV ratings during the last two years, when the Jays twice reached the postseason. Rosenthal believes the Jays could use “a strategic re-set” and still aim to contend in 2018.” Yup, totally agree.
You quoted six full lines from the article just so you could add three words? Wow.
Yes, but added THREE words of his own!
Some people have to be right all the time, even if it’s just about one thing over and over again. After a while (like repeating it in every Jays article) it’s pointless.
The Jays will do what they will do, and someone won’t like whatever it is.
True enough, but it is not about being right or wrong, it is about the best decisions. The best decision for the jays coming into spring was to signficantly beef up pitching and they didn’t do it and now that decision failure is going to force another best decision – to retool or rebuild. They only question in the process is to what degree and how? Let’s blog about retooling and rebuilding options for the Jays.
I dont want the Jays to do a ” strategic re-set”. Thats what AA did in 2013 and its been medicore since. Cant compete with the Cubs, Indians, redox, yanks. Lets do a proper full rebuild this time like the Cubs so we can actually be “very good” instead of good.
Nothing of what you said is accurate, especially the mediocre part. A “mediocre” team doesn’t make the playoffs or the ALCS two straight years. Anthopoulis made many strategic moves over several years to make the 2015 and 2016 playoff teams. Some were great trades, like Donaldson, and some bad like Dickey. That being said, besides Syndergard, which of the other 20 prospects traded have amounted to anything? The Jays had not been to the playoffs in over 20 years and he thought the time was right starting in making trades and making a push for the playoffs and it worked out well. ALCS two years in a roll, rejuvenated fan base, solid veteran and impact youngsters who would man most positions at the ML level and allow the front office to rebuild the farm, which is happening.
It’s clear from his time with the Indians that Shapiro does know how to rebuild a club, but that would go against a re-tool. He would probably be more comfortable tearing it all down, but I do think that would cost them capital with the fans and tv executives.
I understand why the O’s haven’t been big spenders on the international front. Any time a name pops up, he is linked with the same six teams, and has an exorbitant signing bonus attached to his name. History has shown that more often than not, these players do not work out. The owner of the Orioles is an attorney by trade, and in general they rely on minimizing risks (hence the O’s habit of settling for grade B- sure things rather than taking the chance on the more expensive boom or bust player). As an O’s fan I don’t have to like it or agree with it, but my fandom is made less traumatic by understanding and accepting it.
Not all international signings require “exorbitant signing bonuses”. As long as Lerner has the MASN money, I think he won’t feel the need to build the roster and farm system. I think he loves having the stash as security. If and when the courts ever decide that issue, we might see some change.
Beyond that, it’s still puzzling why they don’t sign in the international arena. Is there a rational reason, or a disquieting one…?
Lerner owns the Nationals, not the Orioles. I’m not sure how he handles international spending, but he’s not afraid of huge major league contracts (albeit with significant deferrals).
The Orioles’ owner is Peter Angelos, and who knows what his excuse is.
You’re right. I should have typed Angelos. My error.
Doesn’t make sense. Why many decent MLB players haven’t gotten large bonuses.. Like Xander Bogaerts whose 500k, even Orioles 175k to Eduardo Rodriquez (Andrew Miller trade) that was a bargain for a good MLB bound starter.
Go all in or all out. Donaldson is worth more in prospects than he is on the field for a mediocre team.
I have a feeling Donaldson will be on a different team at this time next year, which sucks but I’d accept it so we’re not stuck in mediocrity for the next half decade and instead set up for the future.
Totally agree JD, this team needs to do a Yankees deadline thing, to trade a few great players for almost ready very good to elite prospects -then go sign some free agents to fill any holes. Cashman is a genius.
Trading Donaldson for prospects is okay, but shipping Bautista for prospects, as I suggested repeatedly prior to his obvious decline, is absurd? The Jays, like so many of their fans, lack a long term perspective.
Before bautista’s decline they were a win now team. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade from your MLB roster when you are going for it.
They made it to back to back ALCS’s and with a couple things going right very easily could’ve been World Series. When you’re that close, you don’t trade middle of the order bats. That’s how you piss off a fan base, when you’re close but are obviously not trying to win
Jays need to move JD. As hard as that might be for fans, his value is at it’s absolute highest at this point of his career
It’s hard to move anyone while he’s out with an injury until June.
Obviously the front office has to be concerned about maintaining the inroads made with the fan base but their #1 priority should be the roster. If Donaldson can get them 2-3 really good prospects who could be key pieces of the future, how can they pass on that? An injection of high end talent close to major least ready could help turn things around sooner rather than later too.
The Jays’ window of contention was always going to be relatively short given the age of their core players. If the retooling starts a year earlier than expected, then so be it.
*major league-ready. Stupid autocorrect.
Can the Jays win with the aging core that they have now? The answer to this question will likely determine the moves the Jay’s brass make moving forward. My vote is “no” the jays cannot win with the current “core”, so then which parts are traded and which parts are retained. The trade deadline marketplace will likely determine that answer. My vote: Gone are Martin, Bautista, Estarda[assuming back okay], Travis, Happ[pending health], plus fringe pieces. Keep Donaldson, Morales, Tulo, Stroman, Sanchez, Osuna.
Why keep Donaldson? He would net you the most in terms of prospects. It’s not like they are going to sign him long term anyways.
Travis is young, cheap and going nowhere. No one will take Martins salary with his poor production. Agree that Happ, Estrada along with Liriano should be traded. Bautista has a no trade and I don’t believe will agree to a trade. Donaldson would bring back the most but they really have no one else except Coghlan to replace him. I think the idea is keep this veteran core together for this year and 2018 and then recharge at that point with the new wave of Vlad Jr, Bichette, Urena, Pompey and others.
I’d keep Martin since he could teach the young pitchers a lot of stuff. Hopefully Greene and Reid foley will be up soon and having him catch them would be huge in them getting a good start in the majors. I’d much rather have that than have to package him with something else just to get rid of his contract
Couldn’t agree more here. This was the last year they could go for it anyways. If it’s going to be a bust might as well start to unload some of the vets with high value.
I don’t get it with Braun. He defiantly stood there and lied and lied. And messed up someone’s life because of it. In my opinion he owes Dino Laurenzi, Jr. the whole $137.5 he made because he was cheating.
m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v20106149/ryan-braun…
His fellow players hate him. He’s literally the worst person in sports because he is intelligent and entitled and a mad cheater. He hoisted himself on his own petard. Why is he still in the league?
Check the stats. he’s still a very, very good baseball player, and not as hated as you seem to want to believe he is, at least not in Milwaukee.
Honestly, he’s the type of guy that should retire as a Brewer, but seeing as he is still very productive, and who know how long the Brewer rebuild will take, I see him going somewhere else if the price is right, and I’m sure he’d be embraced in L.A..
It’s really time you get over it. Dino Laurenzi, Jr. is over it. Pretty much everyone else is over it. Braun apologized many times, regrets it and wishes he could do it all over again. Maybe the problem isn’t that you need to get over someone else’s mistake, its that you need you get over yourself.
Braun “wishes he could do it all over again. ”
Hmmmm…….
“His fellow players hate him.” Wrong. He is well liked by his teammates.
“He’s literally the worst person in sports” Wrong, he made a bad mistake, he didn’t kill people.
“he owes Dino Laurenzi, Jr. the whole $137.5 he made because he was cheating.”
No, he took care of Laurenzi and you haven’t heard Laurenzi complain have you?
Get over yourself.
Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer still isn’t satisfied.
“When you intentionally cheat this game by using PEDs, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime yet,” Scherzer told The Detroit News on Tuesday. “You can still benefit financially from doing it.
“Until we get rid of that incentive, it won’t be the day we get rid of PEDs.”
So what kind of punishment does Scherzer endorse?
“You gotta start cutting out contracts,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “I’m for that.”
Still think no one holds anything against him?
Seriously, please watch the spring training grandstanding press conference and tell me that isn’t at the very least a complete narcissist.
And I do look at the stats. He’s a good player and the Brewers can’t give him away although they have been trying for years. But his so soooory now.
Yes, obviously, the Laurenzi guy is just a lazy dude. But when you know you are wrong and you have like a hundred million dollars and you go hard after an actual person, you deserve to get messed up.
Also, Braun did not do his time. He appealed until he had a thumb injury and went on the DL.
So stop apologizing for that jerk.
You’re an idiot. He served a 65 game UNPAID suspension in 2013. And where do you see that he was caught twice? It was after game 1 of the 2011 NLDS that he tested positive. Interesting that’s he been clean since from all those “random” tests from MLB. Curious to see what team you support. Can probably guarantee that it has at least player that has PED ties.
Saw an interview a few years back that had what I think is the best deterrent. If a player is caught using any PED, they automatically have their current contract revoked and they lose any MLB service time.
Once they return from their suspension they will be the property of the major league team they were with when they were suspended and they will earn the major league minimum.
Yes, Braun lied, but Laurenzi ruined his own career by not doing his job correctly and bringing the sample home for the weekend when there was a Fed Ex drop off site still open. Braun is also very popular with his teammates and is still among the most productive hitters in baseball. Sorry that you can’t get over it, but Braun apologized and did his time. It’s time to move on.
Well, he didn’t do his time (he cheated again and waited until he was on the DL to serve his suspension).
Obviously everyone on this site loves the game. How can you defend someone who subverts the game?
Unless they think they can compete forever( they can’t), they are going to eventually lose fans anyway. It has been shown time and time again and recently by this very team that fans will come back if you are winning. It really doesn’t make sense to keep trying with a core that is subpar. Hope they trade their assets before they lose all value.
Jays need to rebuild from the ground up – why go half way with a “strategic reset?” The reason tickets and TV ratings were down was the 20 years of mediocrity Jays fans endured. That 20 years of mediocrity was the result of a lack of vision, an unwillingness to do a full rebuild in the first place. The Jays created their own mediocrity. Heck, even the Leafs finally sorted out the need for a full rebuild. Toronto is an oddly passive, yet expectant sports town. Do a rebuild, Jays, do it right. If Cubs fans can be patient, so too can Jays fans.
You are bang on Vin! Yes the Jays made the ALCS twice, but they were outplayed in KC and no match for Cleveland last year. Please Shapiro build this team from the ground up! 2-4yrs will be worth it.
Yeah. Totally agree. Do it now. The core is too old to sustain any pennant race past the next two years. Keep Stroman, Osuna and Sanchez. Travis maybe. Tulo to teach the core to field. The rest can go. Tough to see Josh go, but I’m with most of you – Jays have never had a more valuable player in the apex of his prime than right now. They could get something special in return for him that could undo most of AA’s misdeeds in one trade. And you know what? It’s fun to watch a completely underdog team of mediocre talent win, rather than a supposedly stacked team of veterans who can’t hit. I’ll trade a few years of that for a smoking young team a year or two from now.
The Blue Jays are in the 4th largest media market in MLB and are drawing fans to games. They can afford to spend and with one of the largest and deepest FA pools in a long time coming in 2018, there is really no reason for them to completely rebuild. They have enough players that are free agents at the end of this season and next that they can move 2-3 of them at the deadline or in the offseason and restock their farm system with MLB ready prospects and still go out and spend money in the free agent market after the 2018 season.
Personally, I would move Happ, Liriano, Donaldson and Grilli.
The Baltimore Orioles are run by a racist. I’ve worked as an employee of the Angelos run team. Let me just tell you how disgusted I am. It showed me how low the family is back in 2000 When B.J. Surhoff was traded to Atlanta. BJ had a very sick child in the hospital in Baltimore. The Orioles knew this, first thing I know Surhoff is on TV balling his eyes out. I mean how sick can this guy Angelos be? Next, Mike Flanagan. Orioles hall of famer commits suicide because he couldn’t endure how Angelos treated him. He’s not going to pay Manny. This is it. This year and next year…After 18 it’s back to the old Angelos way. 15 years of losing.
Your evidence of racism is the treatment of a white player when they dumped a ton of players at the trade deadline in 2000. Must have scarred him so bad that he signed again with the Orioles for 2003 to 2005.
And to blame the owner who fired Flanagan from a front office position is just sick. Flanagan had a history of suicidal thoughts as shown in the article linked below. He was hired right away as a broadcaster for the same team.
articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-09-23/sports/bs-sp-…
Casual reminder, Shapiro run teams have won one division title in 15 years.
Ouch.
If I can add, His teams may not win, but they probably break even or make money…..what is the real goal?