Off-season resources and moves discussion

[spykelee]

yea good work AA. I loved the nothing that you accomplished at the winter meetings. We didn't trade doc, the alledged front runners are denying there even involved in any sort of halladay dealings (not that that's terriably surprising), but even still, we haven't signed anyone short of John Macdonald, even when we alledgedly sign a scrub in Joey Gathright that get's shot right down. We traded nobody, we signed nobody, we accomplished nothing... can't wait for next season!!!!

Yup, AA was definitely the only GM there who didnt make a trade or major FA splash during the winter meetings

Thanks for the sarcasm ex mod, always setting the bar high... All I know, is from where I sit, I see Paul Beeston not taking the job because "I'm the best candidate" but because nobody wanted any part of a long slow re-build, coupled with a reduction in payroll in the best division in baseball. Please Mr. Beeston, won't you please stay on and help us keep some shred of credability while we hand the reigns of the franchise to some young, unproven GM, but he's canadian after all!!!... gimmie a break, after that, I see this GM bring in a bunch of front office guys from power houses like the washington nationals and the pittsburgh pirates. Then he goes to the winter meetings and there isn't hardly even a shred of news coming the blue jays way. I didn't expect a big time free agent or anything, but hearing that he's doing something (even if he may infact have been doing something, just not telling the media) would have been nice. Now where trading our best player for some (hopefully) solid prospects and really settiling in to watch some horrible baseball for the next few years, pardon me while I try and temper my enthusiasm...

Though I am optimistic that we atleast seem to have a direction now, coming off a terriable season, seeing guys stay on almost out of pity for us, and then seeing next to nothing happening at the winter meetings (though that has since changed) at the time, it was awfully tough to have any excitement towards this team and it's "direction".

[The_Hater]

yea good work AA. I loved the nothing that you accomplished at the winter meetings. We didn't trade doc, the alledged front runners are denying there even involved in any sort of halladay dealings (not that that's terriably surprising), but even still, we haven't signed anyone short of John Macdonald, even when we alledgedly sign a scrub in Joey Gathright that get's shot right down. We traded nobody, we signed nobody, we accomplished nothing... can't wait for next season!!!!

Yup, AA was definitely the only GM there who didnt make a trade or major FA splash during the winter meetings

Thanks for the sarcasm ex mod, always setting the bar high... All I know, is from where I sit, I see Paul Beeston not taking the job because "I'm the best candidate" but because nobody wanted any part of a long slow re-build, coupled with a reduction in payroll in the best division in baseball. Please Mr. Beeston, won't you please stay on and help us keep some shred of credability while we hand the reigns of the franchise to some young, unproven GM, but he's canadian after all!!!... gimmie a break, after that, I see this GM bring in a bunch of front office guys from power houses like the washington nationals and the pittsburgh pirates. Then he goes to the winter meetings and there isn't hardly even a shred of news coming the blue jays way. I didn't expect a big time free agent or anything, but hearing that he's doing something (even if he may infact have been doing something, just not telling the media) would have been nice. Now where trading our best player for some (hopefully) solid prospects and really settiling in to watch some horrible baseball for the next few years, pardon me while I try and temper my enthusiasm...

Though I am optimistic that we atleast seem to have a direction now, coming off a terriable season, seeing guys stay on almost out of pity for us, and then seeing next to nothing happening at the winter meetings (though that has since changed) at the time, it was awfully tough to have any excitement towards this team and it's "direction".

I had many of the same thoughts you did when AA was hired. Why this guy? But the early reports are definitely good in the way he's handled himself. His a younger, forward thinking GM who also appears to think outside the box. Time will tell, but I like taking a chance on a young, smart GM to build this organization properly from the ground up than bringing in a re-tread for big money.

And there's likely not a lot of news because unlike JP, AA doesn't share every single thought with the media. It's less exciting for sound bites but I actually prefer that type of GM. By the end of his reign, JP was busy slamming the Adam Dunn's of the world completely unprovoked. Classy.

As for trading Halladay? That process was started last summer and as soon as Halladay said that he wasn't going to re-sign here in 2011, it became a necessity. Actually, the only way that AA could screw this up is by not trading Roy. He needs to maximize his value now. That's the corner that he's painted into. The only hope is that he doesn't screw it up in Babcock-Vince like fashion.

[Schad]

And just as importantly, Hater, he's a young guy that seems to have the respect of his peers, and the ear of management. Getting Rogers to buy in is much of the battle, and if he has really convinced them that the best thing for this club is to rebuild aggressively and take the hit at the major league level for a couple years, he's some kind of soothsayer.

[spykelee]

U know guys, after some reflection following my post, I have come to many of the same conclusions you both have. I think the guys AA hired in the off-season, though from terriable orginizations, have spent alot of time in baseball, and should be valuable.

I liked Barajas, and I agree, buck is a younger barajas, descent stop gap signing. Joey Gathright brings something to this team that cito is allergic to use, but otherwise, a nice depth player, espeically with an outfield potentially of snider, wells and taylor, we'll need the bautista's and gathright's of the world for some depth.

And I'm glad that AA atleast traded halladay... ever since babcock I'm downright terrified of a GM that evaulates his team to no end but never pulls the trigger on anything. For whatever reason I had those impressions of AA. So I'm glad he pulled the deal off... and I would have liked Aumont also coming to the jays... But overal I think he did as well as can be expected by nabbing 2 outta philly's top 3 prospects in this deal. Overal I can't say he's done a bad job... i just still have this feeling about him, i dunno, hopefully your right about a young unproven gm being the right choice, it has happended before. Anyways off to bed for me, lookin forward to seein how this all shakes down

and I do like that AA keeps things quiet, I mean that is the best way to garner respect and do buisness in the game, i just get frustrated watchin guys sign everywhere else, especially when you don't even hear rumors of guys that may be coming to your team. Seems like your team is just missin the boat and I guess that goes back to being terrified of a gm that just sits on his hands. AA's gotta build people's trust still, he's a rookie gm, he has alot to prove still

[Schad]

Because they desperately needed some more outs, the White Sox have traded for Juan Pierre, with the Dodgers picking up half his salary:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/w ... ierre.html

[LBJSeizedMyID]

Not sure what they gave up, but on paper, it sounds like White Sox get a pretty good top of the lineup guy.

[The_Hater]

Not sure what they gave up, but on paper, it sounds like White Sox get a pretty good top of the lineup guy.

Pierre? He might be the most overrated leadoff hitter of the past decade. He's fast (always overrated) and doesn't take walks or hit for many extra bases. His career .720 OPS makes him best as either your #9 hitter or your 4th OF.

[LBJSeizedMyID]

Boo - he's the kind of guy the Jays need

[LieCheatSteal]

Juan Pierre to White Sox?

I think Ken Williams is up for the greatest Ozzie Guillen public meltdown ever.

BTW, Ken, Milton Bradley is available;)

[Avenger]

I honestly don't know what the hell the white sox are doing anymore, almost none of the moves they've made in the last 2 years have made any sense.

[OldNo7]

Agreed. Are they rebuilding? Trying to contend again? I see no clear vision there. Ozzie will be fired in May.

[LBJSeizedMyID]

We Rule V'd Zechry Zinicola from the Nationals, a kid who'll be 25 come Spring Training and has been a steaming pile of meh in his minor league career, has generally imploded whenever exposed to AAA hitters, and didn't rate so much as a mention in Sickels' roundup of their system. Still, it's hard to go wrong in the Rule V draft...worst case you're out $50,000.

Although true, remember that Mr Dana Brown, our Assistant GM was the Scouting Director while with the Nationals organization, so he's seen Mr. Zinicola's potential first hand.

[LBJSeizedMyID]

Juan Pierre to White Sox?

I think Ken Williams is up for the greatest Ozzie Guillen public meltdown ever.

BTW, Ken, Milton Bradley is available;)

You wouldn't take him if you only had to pay him $3 mil this year, $5 mil next year? A guy who can hit .300 and steal a ton of bases? Come on!

[Schad]

You wouldn't take him if you only had to pay him $3 mil this year, $5 mil next year? A guy who can hit .300 and steal a ton of bases? Come on!

In a very unusual season for him. The year prior, his slash line was .283/.327/.328, which is absolutely atrocious...John McDonald has more iso power over the course of his career than Pierre. And his career steal rate of 74.7% isn't bad, but given that the break-even mark is around 70% (some have argued higher), we're talking a difference of a couple runs created per year, which isn't close to enough to compensate for the fact that Pierre is seemingly unable to hit more than a single.

In other words, getting a single and then stealing second (with one-in-four odds of running into an out) doesn't hold a candle to having the ability to hitting a double in the first place. And Pierre is incapable of doing that.

[LBJSeizedMyID]

Why unusual? Digging a little deeper, it appears that the AL is a tad easier to steal a base than it is in the NL.

AL SB Success - 74%
NL SB Success - 72%

As well, why was last year an aberration? 2009 he knew he had 50 games to prove himself with Manny's suspension. In those 50 games he absolutely went on a tear. If anything 2008 was an aberration with the shift to LF, trip to the DL, and then being used sparingly once he came back - mostly as a pinch hitter or pinch runner.

Pierre is a high contact hitter that can also get on base via walk. Yes he's primarily a singles hitter, but his 8 triples last year can't be ignored either. All I'm saying is you know what you're getting with Pierre, and for $3 mill this year, and $5 mill next year, I think that makes him an absolute bargain.

[Schad]

Why unusual? Digging a little deeper, it appears that the AL is a tad easier to steal a base than it is in the NL.

AL SB Success - 74%
NL SB Success - 72%

If his SB% rises 2%, that's one extra base per season. Not a huge difference.

As well, why was last year an aberration? 2009 he knew he had 50 games to prove himself with Manny's suspension. In those 50 games he absolutely went on a tear. If anything 2008 was an aberration with the shift to LF, trip to the DL, and then being used sparingly once he came back - mostly as a pinch hitter or pinch runner.

These are his slash lines from the last five seasons:

2005 - .276/.326/.354, OPS+ of 84.
2006 - .292/.330/.388, OPS+ of 82.
2007 - .293/.331/.353, OPS+ of 77.
2008 - .283/.327/.328, OPS+ of 75.
2009 - .308/.365/.392, OPS+ of 105.

Four seasons well below average, one season marginally above. Last year was definitely the aberration.

Pierre is a high contact hitter that can also get on base via walk. Yes he's primarily a singles hitter, but his 8 triples last year can't be ignored either. All I'm saying is you know what you're getting with Pierre, and for $3 mill this year, and $5 mill next year, I think that makes him an absolute bargain.

Eight triples are nice, but they account for 24 total bases over the course of 425 plate appearances. So too would six home runs, a pretty low total that most full-time players achieve...but six more home runs than Pierre hit.

[kelso]

Juan Pierre is a plug. I'd take reed Johnson 10 times out of 10 instead of Pierre. If AA and team start going after guys like this, I'm buying a pinstripes hat because we're going no where.

[The_Hater]

Milton Bradley to the Mariners for Carlos Silva.

Very, very good trade for the M's considering they don't really add any salary. The contracts are similar but Silva is a #5 starter/innings eater at best. Bradley could explode again coming back to the AL (pun intended).

[OldNo7]

Mariners are going to win the West this year. Angels will miss Figgins and Lackey. They signed Matsui but havent resigned Guerrero....they are in trouble unless they make some splashes.

[The_Hater]

I know the Cubs wanted to dump Milton, but Silva? Geesh.

You know, if Vernon could have just matched his 2008 numbers of 20/78/300, I bet the Cubs would have taken him for Bradley without forcing us to eat a ton of salary. And he put up those numbers in only 108 games too.