2011 Jays Off Season Discussion Thread

[LittleOzzy]

Farrell wants Jays to be more aggressive

If there is a strategic message new Blue Jays manager John Farrell will convey this spring, it’s that he doesn’t want to sit around waiting for a three-run homer.

“From a pure strategy standpoint,” he said Saturday, “I feel we have the ability to put pressure on our opposition a little bit more than the approach that’s been taken here in the past.

“I certainly want us to be more aggressive on the base paths. Whether it’s going first to third with more aggressiveness, picking opportunities to create more runs, that is an area that has a lot of room for improvement.”

Now that doesn’t mean you should pay big in your fantasy draft to get Jose Molina for a stolen base bonanza. This team is not going to be known anytime soon as the Go-Go Jays but Farrell believes there are ways to make a few more things happen on offence for a team that scored more than half its 757 runs last year via the home run.

“We’re not just going to turn everybody loose and try to steal bases.” said Farrell. “But we can be more aggressive. The addition of Rajai (Davis) gives us an additional speed component who can create some disruption on the basepaths. I think there are others among our returning players who are solid-average major-league runners who could be a little more aggressive on the base paths as well.”

Farrell wants that aggressive nature ingrained in the team’s philosophy as soon as possible.

“Situations will dictate what we do, but there’s no question I want to create an overall attitude here in Florida,” he said.

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/baseba ... 54671.html

[LittleOzzy]

Early signs point to promise for Jays

There is no way of knowing positively whether the Blue Jays will be “better’’ in 2011, but this much already appears certain: They are in a much better situation now in baseball’s deepest division.

It would be nice, obviously, if the Jays could contend for something this season and regain some of their old relevance and the door won’t always be open. Surely the Maple Leafs and Raptors can’t suck forever — they can’t, can they? — and the first team that shows signs of competitive life locally is going to be rapturously received, about the way Christina Aguilera would welcome a TelePrompTer these days.

The most significant aspect of the Blue Jays as they assemble in Florida again to play catch is the way Alex Anthopoulos already has cleared the decks and made it “his’’ team, in less than two full off-seasons. This cannot be underestimated and the shedding of $81 million of Vernon Wells’ radioactive $86 million contract to the Angels, a move that in itself could qualify Anthopoulos to be this country’s federal minister in charge of debt reduction, does more than provide financial options and flexibility. Wells (and good luck to him) was a presence they now are rid of. That’s not to say Vernon was a bad guy. He wasn’t and he was very good in the community. But he was the big guy in the room, the longest-serving and most highly paid Jay, one who was going to play every day and bat in the middle of the lineup, deservedly or not. He factored into almost every managerial decision, from the field to the boardroom. Now he doesn’t.

After Jose Bautista gets his $7.6 million or $10.5 million in arbitration, or saws off somewhere, the most highly paid Jay looks like Juan Rivera, at $5.25 million, and he’s mostly a bench/DH guy (or, given the way he plays outfield, let us hope he’s mostly a bench/DH guy). All that young pitching and youngish controllable players and there’s plenty of money for either future free agents or taking on a “bad’’ contract to make a good trade work.

http://www.thestar.com/article/938137-- ... e-for-jays

[premedfailure]

Do you guys think AA will make a run at Pujols next year? It seems that we will be looking to contend in 2-3 years and Pujols may be the guy that pushes us over the top especially with the possibility of expanded playoff spots (2012?). I am by no means a baseball expert and more of a casual fan but what do you guys think?

[WpgPage]

No chance according to MLBTR he wants 10/300 on an extension now, which is just insane. No point in the Jays paying that kind of money to a 30+ year old. The only slugger that I can see AA going after is Fielder and even that is a really really long shot at best.

[LittleOzzy]

New skipper Farrell plans to go on the offensive

John Farrell may come from a pitching background, but it's the offensive side of the game that appears to be the focus of his attention these days.

The first-year manager is determined to add another element to the Blue Jays' powerful offence. Last season, Toronto ranked first in the Major Leagues in homers, with 257, but finished just ninth in total runs scored.

The club enjoyed a lot of success when the ball was flying out of the park, but when the Blue Jays struggled to generate power, the offence often became stagnant.

That's something Farrell hopes to change this season.

"This is still a team that has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark," said Farrell, who spent the past four years as Boston's pitching coach, earlier this month. "We're going to play to that strength, but in preparing against this team, it was one that seemed to be very one-dimensional and a little predictable.

"I would like us to become a much more aggressive team on the basepaths. That doesn't mean we're going to try and make Jose Molina a basestealer, but it does mean there are opportunities where we can turn guys loose. ... There are a lot of good teams in this division, and we can't sit back and just wait for the home run."

Farrell officially began his first year in a Blue Jays uniform on Monday, when pitchers and catchers reported for workouts at the Bobby Mattick Training Center in Dunedin, Fla.

Farrell knows that his pitching staff may lack experience, but it's one of the deepest in the league and is expected to sort itself out over time. Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Brett Cecil will anchor the rotation, and such youngsters as top prospect Kyle Drabek, Jesse Litsch and Marc Rzepczynski will be added to the mix.

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/ar ... r&c_id=tor

[LittleOzzy]

12 more days!

[LittleOzzy]

Jays' Snider ready to earn it

For a guy who rocketed to the big leagues, Travis Snider certainly has paid his dues since he’s been there.

You will find no silver spoon in his mouth and his new manager, John Farrell, seems to understand that. In parts of three seasons, Snider has shown brief glimpses of the promise that brought him first to the majors at the age of 20. But in between those glimpses were many long, dark days of frustration.

“I think, throughout the last two seasons, I’ve been going through a lot of that adversity, whether it was injury or performance or not being an everyday player,” said Snider on Monday. “I’ve learned from that. This year, it’s a new staff, a new manager and more of a new direction for the organization.

“It’s exciting for me to know I’m going to be given the opportunities as I earn them.”

Until he shows he can’t do it, Snider is the Blue Jays’ starting left fielder. He will be out there game after game, with the occasional day of rest against nasty left-handed pitchers.

“He has all the ability to play left field and hit for some power, hit for better average than we’ve seen so far,” said Farrell. “It starts with him feeling our trust in him and creating an environment where, if he makes a mistake, he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder. We commit to him and put him right back in the lineup.”

Snider will tell you he grew up a great deal playing under Cito Gaston but, the truth is, Gaston didn’t get the best out of his budding star. For whatever reason, it was not an easy relationship to fathom, especially for a kid barely out of his teens. That said, Snider is not about to off-load his problems on somebody else.

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/baseba ... 73936.html

[LittleOzzy]

Arencibia catching the wave

Everybody raves about the Blue Jays’ young pitching, nobody more loudly than the rookie catcher whose job it will be to get the most out of all those valuable arms.

“I’m like a kid in a candy store,” bubbles J.P. Arencibia. “I’m excited about just being a part of this. I played with Ricky (Romero) coming up. Zep (Marc Rzepczynski) and (Brett) Cecil and I signed at the same time. I’ve gotten to play with (Kyle) Drabek now. Even though we’re all young, we’re going to have a real good staff.”

This is a serious challenge for Arencibia, who did not get the kind of audition that was expected when he was summoned to Toronto in August after tearing it up in the Pacific Coast League.

After his debut for the ages (4-for-5, homers, four RBIs), Arencibia played sparingly, then was sent back to Las Vegas for the last two weeks of August, returning on Sept. 1. In all, he was 5-for-35, with four of those hits coming in his first game.

For manager John Farrell, Arencibia has a clean slate and he’ll be watching carefully all spring.

“I want to see an ability to balance both sides of the game,” said Farrell. “What I mean by that is he’s going to go through times when he’s challenged at the plate. We want to be sure that that’s not going to affect the calling of the game and the leading of the pitching staff.”

Arencibia is already determined to find that defensive mindset. When asked about goals for the season, he answered immediately.

“Putting a zero up every inning against the other team’s name,” he said. “For me, all I’m concerned about is leading the staff and handling these guys and make them the best they can be when they’re out there. Offence is secondary. I’ve always been a hitter. It’s going to be there.”

Farrell isn’t pretending this is going to be easy or that there won’t be some serious bumps along the way.

“(Arencibia’s) learning curve is steep,” said Farrell. “He’s getting a lot thrown at him but he’s a smart kid. His passion is undeniable and he’s going to be the kind of guy that pitchers will attach to because he’ll make them know he cares about them, as well.”

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/baseba ... 73866.html

[SharoneWright]

Feb 16 CBS Power Rankings - Jays 19th.

19 Blue Jays · Trends 9
What looks good: The future. Shedding Vernon Wells' contract was like dropping 12 dress sizes worth of lard in a single workout. Awesome sly genius Alex Anthopoulos is no longer operating with one hand tied behind his back and one foot taped to the floor.
What looks bad: They won't score many runs, but who cares? $86 million has been returned to their pockets. Swing, baby, you're platinum!
Spring training to-do list: Take all the Vernon Wells money, dump it on a stadium-sized mattress and allow Jays fans to roll around in it -- while tastefully attired, of course.
Prediction: Huge media market, deep-pocketed owners, a miracle worker of a GM at the helm -- long-term, there's nothing not to love. Short-term? Fourth place.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/1469 ... good-thing

[LittleOzzy]

8 days!!

[LittleOzzy]

5 Days!

[LittleOzzy]

Podsednik out indefinitely with recurrent foot problem

Veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik has a painful condition in his left foot that will keep him out of action for an indefinite period, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell said Monday.

Podsednik signed a minor-league contract last week with an invitation to major-league camp. He was expected to report Sunday, but sent word that he has plantar fasciitis, a condition that forced him to miss the final three weeks of last season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“It’s a re-aggravation of the injury that he had a year ago,” Farrell said.

Farrell said he believes the condition returned as Podsednik was working out after he signed with the Jays. He is scheduled to report to camp on Wednesday for an exam by Toronto’s medical staff.

After visiting a doctor near his Dallas home, Podsednik is wearing a boot to immobilize his foot.

Plantar fasciitis is soreness in the ligament that connects the heel and toes. It can be extremely painful, difficult to treat and long-lasting.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/02/ ... t-problem/

[LittleOzzy]

4 Days!!

[LittleOzzy]

3 Days!!

[torontoaces04]

3 Days!!

WOO-HOO!

[YogiStewart]

ITS A'SPRING TRAININ', SONS!