RealGM

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/11/g ... ation.html

Another top-50 draft pick, and (hopefully) no more three-walk saves.

Good news.

Thats good.

yeah, no more 3 walk saves.
...remind me who we have that will step in as closer?

Leaves a huge whole that needs to be filled. 37 saves i believe. Good luck replacing that!

Schadenfreude wrote:http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/11/gregg-drawing-interest-will-turn-down-arbitration.html

Another top-50 draft pick, and (hopefully) no more three-walk saves.

Gregg can walk and no tears from me, but don't get so hung up on to-50 picks. It's starting to sound like a be-all-end-all to some of you.

At a certain point in the (not so distant) future, we want to be a good major league team, not a talent developer for 29 other teams.

Sounds like Downs will reject arbitration........2 picks baby!!


http://mlbbuzz.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbb ... on/3703353

Edit: 1st round picks tally up to 5! Mind you, shame about the bullpen. The scouts are drooling, but will the team be winning???????

dagger wrote:Gregg can walk and no tears from me, but don't get so hung up on to-50 picks. It's starting to sound like a be-all-end-all to some of you.

At a certain point in the (not so distant) future, we want to be a good major league team, not a talent developer for 29 other teams.

Certainly, but Gregg isn't 'talent'. He's an older player that we rented for a year, and whose arbitration status will end up generating a minor windfall.

I don't want to let our young guys hit free agency and walk, but getting a return for the random stopgaps that we bring in (Gregg, Buck) or the mid-30s guys who aren't in the long-term plans (Downs, possibly Frasor) is a win; there's no such thing as too many cost-controlled 18-20 year olds at $700k a pop, whether you're a competitive team or rebuilding. Boston in particular has become savvy about replenishing their farm system by taking advantage of arbitration turnover with middling players...the two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Schadenfreude wrote:. Boston in particular has become savvy about replenishing their farm system by taking advantage of arbitration turnover with middling players...the two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Yes, but Boston has other ways to attract top talent, too. We're a long way removed from signing a top of the line FA like Roger Clemons. And if we sign a reasonable impressive FA, we don't have the financial depth to eat that contract while still signing high priced FAs. Not like our other AL East bete noirs.

All I'm saying is that some fan bases get too hung up on accumulating untested talent. Good teams make good major league signings and trades.

dagger wrote:

Schadenfreude wrote:. Boston in particular has become savvy about replenishing their farm system by taking advantage of arbitration turnover with middling players...the two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Yes, but Boston has other ways to attract top talent, too. We're a long way removed from signing a top of the line FA like Roger Clemons. And if we sign a reasonable impressive FA, we don't have the financial depth to eat that contract while still signing high priced FAs. Not like our other AL East bete noirs.

All I'm saying is that some fan bases get too hung up on accumulating untested talent. Good teams make good major league signings and trades.

Dagger, i think it's a wait and see. AA has proven to be very resourceful, and now that he knows where the team stands with these guys he can go about and fill the holes. The weakness in the bullpen is quite glaring. But i'd say, let's see what he can do now.

I'm concerned about replacing that 37 saves. Those are BIG shoes to fill. Too many guys focus on Gregg's walks and lack of a power arm etc....but he got the job done for the most part.

Fingers crossed that AA can find a replacement.

dagger wrote:Yes, but Boston has other ways to attract top talent, too. We're a long way removed from signing a top of the line FA like Roger Clemons. And if we sign a reasonable impressive FA, we don't have the financial depth to eat that contract while still signing high priced FAs. Not like our other AL East bete noirs.

All I'm saying is that some fan bases get too hung up on accumulating untested talent. Good teams make good major league signings and trades.

Of course. That's beside the point, though; signing short-term players and then allowing them to walk for compensation in no way negates our ability to make good major-league signings and trades, it enhances it; we have more trade bait, we avoid those 3 year/$15m deals for mediocre players that tend to be the bane of mid-market teams, and we have additional flexibility if and when players graduate from the minors and are ready to start. Turnover with peripheral players is a fact of life for major-league clubs; the smart ones are those who extract value from that turnover.

I think it's important not to take too far a step back next season. Yes, we overachieved with 85 wins, but I don't want to be a 75 win team. It will erode faith in AA, further hurt ticket sales and push future success into the 2014-16 timeframe. There is more to success than a successful minor league system. We have to be a place where major leaguers want to play.

So I'll be interested to see who we sign in the next month. Frankly, I haven't been impressed with the "name" free agents who have been diddling the local fan base the past few weeks, or the trade rumours surrounding players who may not even be on the market.

I think it's time to stop playing draft games and step up to the FA and trade plate.

dagger wrote:I think it's important not to take too far a step back next season. Yes, we overachieved with 85 wins, but I don't want to be a 75 win team. It will erode faith in AA, further hurt ticket sales and push future success into the 2014-16 timeframe. There is more to success than a successful minor league system. We have to be a place where major leaguers want to play.

So I'll be interested to see who we sign in the next month. Frankly, I haven't been impressed with the "name" free agents who have been diddling the local fan base the past few weeks, or the trade rumours surrounding players who may not even be on the market.

I think it's time to stop playing draft games and step up to the FA and trade plate.

To be fair the Jays did pick up Morrow and Escobar through trades this past year.