J-Roc wrote:Randle McMurphy wrote:J-Roc wrote:Some fired up fans in this thread. I guess what Rogers is trying to convince us is they won't go blow dough in free agency, but they'll do it to keep our own talent. So the plan is to build up as much of our own talent as possible, from the ground up.
Wasn't Marcum "our own talent?"
I'm talking about how Rogers is claiming they'll spend big money. It'll be to keep our own players. Marcum didn't go because we didn't want to pay him. Jays just feel Lawrie is worth more.
btw, I'm not necessarily buying their act. I want to see if they'll be willing to do another Vernon Wells deal any time soon.
Players that are developed in the farm system or acquired after only one or two years of MLB service (i.e. Brandon Morrow) are a lot easier and more cost efficient to lock up to long-term deals prior to free agency/arbitration than free agents are. So AA's plan, as evidenced by locking up Romero long-term, is likely to develop the "star" players and lock them up prior to arbitration/FA rather than sign free agents to $20 million a year contracts. That means weeding out the players he does not want to lock up (Marcum may fit in that category) and just creating a cycle of high upside talent filtering through the system.
We'll see if it works, although I do hope the Jays sign a top free agent at some point. A team is not going to develop their own impact talent at every position. They will need to acquire a free agent eventually. My pipe dream hope is still Albert Pujols if he becomes a FA after next season, even if it means shelling out $30 mil a year. Doubtful.
