Bullpen help : Jays sign Jon Rauch

MGD24 · Post #1 » by **MGD24** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:36 pm

Jays signed right-hander Jon Rauch to a one-year contract worth $3.5 million.

@gregorMLB
Rauch signing also includes a club option for $3.75 million in 2012 #BlueJays

This should help the back end of our bullpen for sure

L3M0NAD3 · Post #2 » by **L3M0NAD3** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:08 pm

The Blue Jays announced that they signed Jon Rauch to a one-year deal worth $3.5MM that includes a club option for $3.75MM in 2012.

Rauch posted a 3.12 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 37.7% ground ball rate in 57 2/3 innings for the Twins last year. The 32-year-old has always been a fly ball pitcher and the Blue Jays play in homer-friendly Rogers Centre. The combination isn't ideal, but the Blue Jays needed dependable arms after losing Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs to free agency. Rauch has made 50 appearances or more in each of the last five seasons.

The Blue Jays have already added Carlos Villanueva and Octavio Dotel to their bullpen this offseason.

The Twins did not offer the Type B free agent arbitration after the season, so they will not receive a pick for losing the 6'11'' hurler. The Blue Jays do not forfeit a pick for signing Rauch.

mikero · Post #3 » by **mikero** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:12 pm

Nice signing by AA.

I'm surprised Rauch couldn't get a better deal.

rarefind · Post #4 » by **rarefind** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:25 pm

this is great, the option makes this deal a homerun. i rather have him be the closer than dotel, let's see what happens. considering he will make what gregg made, i feel good about this deal.

tallest pitcher ever for the jays? hendrickson was 6'9 if i remember correctly.

CapeCrusader · Post #5 » by **CapeCrusader** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:31 pm

Excited about this signing. I like Dotel, but I think Rauch is a better option as a closer for us.

Relentless88 · Post #6 » by **Relentless88** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:52 pm

I like these cheap signings for the bullpen. Rauch, Cordero, Dotel, Villuneva, Frasor, Jannsen...decent bullpen there.

rarefind · Post #7 » by **rarefind** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:56 pm

i will refer to rauch as tattoo from this point onward.

wlujaysfan55 · Post #8 » by **wlujaysfan55** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:40 pm

Relentless88 wrote:I like these cheap signings for the bullpen. Rauch, Cordero, Dotel, Villuneva, Frasor, Jannsen...decent bullpen there.

ditto. $3.75M is the most he's made in a year & an increase from $2.9M last year. Throws about 90mph. Probably be fairly consistent with ups & downs. Split closing duties with Matt Capps last year who had 16 saves. Good smart/safe pick-up by AA to add depth, veteran presence & can split/replace Dotel if necessary.

Post #9 » by **Schad** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:44 pm

Rauch has been outpitching his peripherals the last couple years, but he could look pretty good with our infield defense. Nice pickup at a reasonable price.

SharoneWright · Post #10 » by **SharoneWright** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:08 pm

Excellent value per inch.

Randle McMurphy · Post #11 » by **Randle McMurphy** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:38 pm

The bullpen was more than fine before this, but another decent reliever that will get us a draft pick certainly isn't a bad thing.

They should now use whatever money they have left to acquire the bargain that is Manny Ramirez.

LBJSeizedMyID · Post #12 » by **LBJSeizedMyID** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:40 pm

Cautiously optimistic about this signing. If any team can help improve groundball chances, its the Jays.

rarefind · Post #13 » by **rarefind** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:45 pm

Randle McMurphy wrote:The bullpen was more than fine before this, but another decent reliever that will get us a draft pick certainly isn't a bad thing.

They should now use whatever money they have left to acquire the bargain that is Manny Ramirez.

hyper316 · Post #14 » by **hyper316** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:50 pm

LBJSeizedMyID wrote:Cautiously optimistic about this signing. If any team can help improve groundball chances, its the Jays.

are you referring to Blue Jays' pitching coaches?

anyways, I dont really know who Jon Rauch is, but i just looked him up and realized he's 6'11". wow.

Michael Bradley · Post #15 » by **Michael Bradley** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:56 pm

I'm not a huge fan of Rauch as a closer (strike out rate is nothing special for a late inning reliever), but on a one year deal that will likely result in Type B status next season, it does what it is intended to do; give the Jays an experienced (and viable) late inning option plus a possible pick in 2012.

I just hope the Jays end up with Ramirez when all is said and done. If the intention is to stockpile cheap one year deals to players whose performance might exceed their 2011 salaries, then Manny is about the best bet to accomplish that.

Randle McMurphy · Post #16 » by **Randle McMurphy** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:20 am

I'll take any of the available DHs really (Manny, Vlad, Damon, even Nick Johnson), but Manny is the best bargain of all of them and he actually wants to play here. Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch shouldn't get in the way of that.

baulderdash77 · Post #17 » by **baulderdash77** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:12 am

Jon Rauch is going to be our Kenny Powers this year. La Flama Blanca

Randle McMurphy · Post #18 » by **Randle McMurphy** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:04 am

baulderdash77 wrote:

Jon Rauch is going to be our Kenny Powers this year. La Flama Blanca

I'd love for one of our closers to come out like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8zO_DV09QE

DonYon · Post #19 » by **DonYon** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:37 am

hyper316 wrote:anyways, I dont really know who Jon Rauch is, but i just looked him up and realized he's 6'11". wow.

get er done BC?

seriously, seems to me like some of his success comes from pure mound presence.

LBJSeizedMyID · Post #20 » by **LBJSeizedMyID** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:54 am

hyper316 wrote:
LBJSeizedMyID wrote:Cautiously optimistic about this signing. If any team can help improve groundball chances, its the Jays.

are you referring to Blue Jays' pitching coaches?

anyways, I dont really know who Jon Rauch is, but i just looked him up and realized he's 6'11". wow.

Yes, and the John Farrell impact. Really, for a flyball pitcher he has been able to control his homeruns even in Arizona, and I think part of the reason he's succesful is also that he's 6'11. I'm sure for batters, his 90 mph fastball really looks a couple ticks faster. I also know he's got a good repetoire of pitches, so really it's about mixing his pitches more than striking guys out that I care about.

I'm sure the EE signing was also done in part to put pressure on the remaining DH free agents. Jays can say they really have no need for a DH anymore with EE signing, but in reality, they'd much rather have Manny. There's not many teams that have room for a Vladdy or Manny except Tampa it seems.