Anyone else feel hopeless?

[Mak]

For us to make it to the playoffs EVERYTHING has to go right. Obviously now it does not look it will be this year, with so many key players out. We just can't overcome losing our set up guy and then losing our closer. Also lost our lead off guy and our big run producer. Things are adding.


I hate it because it is so early in the season and we could be out of it in a couple of months. Baseball itself is starting to just piss me off, they must put in some kind of salary cap. How can we compete with the Yankees and Boston? When they spend twice as much money.


This is going to be one of those seasons where everything will be blamed on injuries and Gibbons will be gone by the end of July. In the winter they'll sell new this new great manager that they'll sign and everybody comes back healthy. Typical storyline.

[Peteros]

Want to cut down on injuries? Reduce the number of games played every season. Just too many games being played every year.

[cb4_89]

They would never cut down on games played. It wouldn't be fair for guys wanting to hit 50 Homers a year.

[cb4_89]

Treadmill. Treadmill. Treadmill.

QFT. QFT. QFT.

[Mak]

MLB needs to:

1. Get a salary cap
2. More playoff teams
3. Cut down regular season by 2 weeks.

[evilRyu]

Exactly! MLB needs a freakin' salary cap. But why is this NEVER ever in discussion?? It's so obvious that the parity is so messed up, but a salary cap would fix all of this.....

I agree with all the 3 points Mak has pointed out.....

Especially expanding the number of playoff teams.....

Right now, people who like the current system with just 8 teams are like "well it just makes it more special then".. well that's just BS, because those people are yankees/red sox fans!

why not give more teams a chance to make playoff runs? It'll just put more people in stadiums, and have more meaningful games..

The entire system that MLB is running is soooooo messed up, and yet, i still find myself watching.. i'm one sad individual

[Holmes]

I truely believe that we all call for changes in the league only because of our own desire for the playoffs and our selfish anger that we are the ones stuck with Boston and New York.

The bottomline is that the incompetency of our organizational management should be more of a concern than anything. Taking into account year after the year the boggling team transactions, poorly targeted and money spent on free agents and our mind boggling futile farm system shows that the only people to blame here are ourselves and not the league structure.

What's the point of a salary cap if GM's can't even spend their money wisely (ie. Bill Bavasi). Salary cap sure didn't help the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Portland Trailblazers, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, etc...

[Michael Bradley]

The bottomline is that the incompetency of our organizational management should be more of a concern than anything. Taking into account year after the year the boggling team transactions, poorly targeted and money spent on free agents and our mind boggling futile farm system shows that the only people to blame here are ourselves and not the league structure.

Agreed completely.

When the Jays had a $50 million payroll, and had to cut salary for many years, it was understandable. Now I think it's evident that the man in charge is not being particularly prudent with the money he's given, and the lack of impact talent in the farm will make overspending on free agents that much more of a necessity if the team wants to field a winner every year.

The system (lack of salary cap) didn't fail the Blue Jays, Ricciardi did. For me, the turn came during the 2005 draft. Rogers announced a huge payroll increase, and the team didn't have a 2nd round pick after signing Koskie. Yet Ricciardi still cheaps out on the 6th pick and overdrafts a mid-ceiling lefty over three guys who are now on everyone's top 50 prospects list (Maybin, TT, Pelfrey). Picking Adams over someone like Kazmir made sense in 2002 when the team was losing money, but 2005 was the start of a financial upswing for Toronto. Just a blunder of epic proportions, because the Jays are likely not going to get another top 5-6 pick with Wells and Halladay on their payroll (barring injury to everyone).

I think it's too early to say that no team can overtake the Yankees and Red Sox with the current payroll configuation. Fact is all three of the bottom East teams (Jays, O's, Rays) have been run poorly over the years. Put a guy like Beane or Terry Ryan in the East, and then we'll know whether the odds are insurmountable.

[Mak]

I truely believe that we all call for changes in the league only because of our own desire for the playoffs and our selfish anger that we are the ones stuck with Boston and New York.

The bottomline is that the incompetency of our organizational management should be more of a concern than anything. Taking into account year after the year the boggling team transactions, poorly targeted and money spent on free agents and our mind boggling futile farm system shows that the only people to blame here are ourselves and not the league structure.

What's the point of a salary cap if GM's can't even spend their money wisely (ie. Bill Bavasi). Salary cap sure didn't help the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Portland Trailblazers, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, etc...

No, thats not the bottom line. The bottom line is that we have no chance without a salary cap and we have a better chance with a salary cap. Make Yankees and Boston cut their payroll in half and see how we stack up.

Now only a perfect season to even have a shot at the playoffs. This year is a waste already, we can't overcome injuries to our closer, set up guy, lead off guy and one of our best run producers. You can't overcome that, with a 90m payroll but you can with a 200m payroll.


Jays might as well trim down their payroll to 40m and have 10,000 come to games and wait until MLB wakes up. No GM is perfect but it's exactly what you need to win in this division with a 90m payroll.

[rodmankickedyou]

It's sad being a BlueJays fan... that's why I'm glad to be a Raptors fan and finally have something to cheer about!

[Kid Vicious]

This deserves to be bumped after that horrible series vs. the Indians.

They suck me in with a sweep vs. the Red Sox, then they spit me out by being swept by the Indians.

What a joke.

[NeverGoingToWin]

Salary caps are not the answer. All they do is make it harder to keep your home-grown talent. The Yankees and the Red Sox are eventually going to cut their salaries and it is not their fault we wasted our money on Frank Thomas instead of Justin Spier.

[StringerBell]

No, thats not the bottom line. The bottom line is that we have no chance without a salary cap and we have a better chance with a salary cap. Make Yankees and Boston cut their payroll in half and see how we stack up.

Now only a perfect season to even have a shot at the playoffs. This year is a waste already, we can't overcome injuries to our closer, set up guy, lead off guy and one of our best run producers. You can't overcome that, with a 90m payroll but you can with a 200m payroll.


Jays might as well trim down their payroll to 40m and have 10,000 come to games and wait until MLB wakes up. No GM is perfect but it's exactly what you need to win in this division with a 90m payroll.

Injuries present the opportunity for the organization's prospects to come in and show the team they're ready for the majors. Toronto's problem is that they don't have any. Well, besides Hill and Lind. Rios, Halladay, Wells and say League for arguments sake were drafted by the previous GM.

When Ricciardi arrived he said they'd be building the organization from the ground up through drafting university players who would only be a few years away from making the big team...Problem is, with that philosophy, now their minor league temas don't have any blue chip prospects with a very high ceiling. I don't even think the team has many prospects that would bring back anythng significant in a trade.

Where's the team's hard throwing guy they can put in the last spot of the rotation or even in the bullpen, or the big bat waitng in AAA for a call-up???..and don't even tell me Marcum, janseen or Chacin(see Dave Bush for the later two) Where is the teams Pappelbon, or Hughes, or Markakis, or Upton or Dukes, or Aybar, or Street, or Cano, or Grienke, or Haren, or Napoli, or Lariano, or Zumaya, or Bonderman, etc. I don't see one and their ain't one coming...You see a trend forming??It's back to free agency and spending another 90-100 million on mid-level free agents..

What do you think gonna happen in a couple of years when Wells is earning his 18 mill and Thomas' and Glaus' contracts are up and towards the end of thier carrers....and what about the back end of the rotation?? Do you really see Janssen or Marcum being a solid number 4 starter??How much money is J.P. gonna need to fill those spots??? $110 mill???Payroll is just gonnna keep on ballooing....

[evilRyu]

Salary caps are not the answer. All they do is make it harder to keep your home-grown talent. The Yankees and the Red Sox are eventually going to cut their salaries and it is not their fault we wasted our money on Frank Thomas instead of Justin Spier.

what makes you think they'll magically stop spending?

[StringerBell]

-= original quote snipped =-



what makes you think they'll magically stop spending?

I'm not too sure about the Red Sox, but Brian Cashman has come out and said the Yankee organization would focus more on developing homegrown talent rather than spend on high priced free agents.

[StringerBell]

A lot of Jays fans keep talking about a Salary Cap, but how is it that teams with a $150-200 million payroll has a better farm system than the blue Jay Jays??

[Guy Smiley]

Gord Ash: Fired and regarded as a horrible GM.
From 1995 to 2001
Wins: 541
Losses: 575
Winning %: .485

Noteable draft choices: Roy Halliday, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios

J.P. Ricciardi:
2001 - Present
Wins: 411
Losses: 430
Winning %: .489

[Triple M]

Wasn't the AL east weak a couple of years ago when it only took mid 80 wins to take it, the AL east hasn't been as good as some think for the last couple of years imo.

[Michael Bradley]

Wasn't the AL east weak a couple of years ago when it only took mid 80 wins to take it, the AL east hasn't been as good as some think for the last couple of years imo.

In 2000, the Yankees won the division with 87 wins (Jays won 83). That was the only time in recent memory where it took a mid-80's win total to win the AL East. I doubt we'll see that again any time soon.

[stro4swift]

I do feel hopeless now...