I don't care what you experts say...

[luenell]

Aaron hill was pretty good 2 years ago and hasn't done much since. A lot of things have to go right if they are to be competitive and im not overly optimistic that it will

[Michael Bradley]

A lineup with Rivera, Encarnacion, Nix, Patterson, Davis, etc, getting extensive playing time is not going to be able to get it done over the course of the season no matter how much Bautista can mask some of those issues.

I disagree. Rivera has shown he's capable of putting up decent offensive production; he was pretty good just two years ago in 2009. Davis is coming off two pretty good years, and I don't think it's fair or realistic to look at his current stats (based only on 86 ABs)) as an indication of how he'll perform this year. I think he can be a pretty good leadoff hitter.

Moreover you seem to be assuming that Snider won't give the team anything this year. If he comes back then Rivera and Patterson go back to being the team's 4th and 5th outfielders anyway, or Rivera DHs and Patterson goes back to the bench.

Also who knows what will happen with injuries and other x factors to the other teams in the division. I'm no saying that they're the favorites, but I don't see why the Jays can't have a shot if Snider and Cecil come back and produce.

Rivera hasn't been good offensively since 2006. His OPS since 2007 is .742 in 1493 plate appareances, and this is a player with no other skill (defense or speed). I have blasted Ricciardi many times for releasing/trading players and swallowing up salary in the process, but this is one of the times where I don't think anyone would bat an eye if it happened. The Jays had to take Rivera as a price for getting rid of Wells. It wasn't a talent move, it was a dump. I realize AA views every player as an asset and wants to maximize whatever value he can out of Rivera, but Rivera is simply not very good. Thames over him would be an upgrade at this point. EE has proven to be mediocre as well, so he is better served in a bench role too.

Davis/Patterson is less of a concern for me because they primarily play CF. Platoon those guys or use one as a 4th OF. No difference. But when you are dealing with the big time positions where offense is mandatory (1B, DH, LF, RF), it is hard to justify putting a crappy hitter in one of those spots.

[Raps in 4]

If there is one sport where this is true, it's baseball. Even scrub teams can get hot and ride that streak all the way to a WS. If we get hot, I say go for it. Look at all the Minnesota's, Colorado's, St. Louis', etc of past years that have made postseason runs while having rather underwhelming rosters, simply riding hot streaks.

[Schad]

We go through this literally every year on this board. There's nothing wrong with optimism, but the odds of us making the playoffs are exceedingly slim; we have had a tough schedule, but .500 ball isn't exactly setting the world alight. As such, if opportunities present that would place us in a stronger position entering what will be a very important off-season (say, trading away some of our easily-replaced veteran relievers to whichever team panics in July), we take them. And we sure as hell shouldn't be renting players for the stretch unless we're at the top of the division in six weeks; had we made that mistake last year -- as a good many people wanted us to -- we'd be in a far worse position today, with nothing to show for it.

As for wasting Bautista's season, I don't see it that way. If we're going to load up in the winter for a run, we now have two of the best sales pitches imaginable: a giant pile of cash, and the best hitter in the game. If the playoffs do expand as expected, that should give us considerable pull...hopefully enough to make the splashes necessary to put a playoff team out there in 2012.

[dagger]

Is it even realistic that we can have a chance at getting Fielder?

Rogers has the money.

More like Rogers has my money.

In fact, they have enough dough to buy Manhattan, and they don't have to steal from the natives either. The issues is whether the bean counters have a will to spend, because as we know, the bonuses of Nadir Mohamed and his executive team are determined by short-term financial benchmarks, not by shrewd investments that will only pay off well into the future.

[luenell]

don't the jays always start like this only to fizzle as soon as they reach the end of june when they start interleague play

[youngLion]

A lineup with Rivera, Encarnacion, Nix, Patterson, Davis, etc, getting extensive playing time is not going to be able to get it done over the course of the season no matter how much Bautista can mask some of those issues.

I disagree. Rivera has shown he's capable of putting up decent offensive production; he was pretty good just two years ago in 2009. Davis is coming off two pretty good years, and I don't think it's fair or realistic to look at his current stats (based only on 86 ABs)) as an indication of how he'll perform this year. I think he can be a pretty good leadoff hitter.

Moreover you seem to be assuming that Snider won't give the team anything this year. If he comes back then Rivera and Patterson go back to being the team's 4th and 5th outfielders anyway, or Rivera DHs and Patterson goes back to the bench.

Also who knows what will happen with injuries and other x factors to the other teams in the division. I'm no saying that they're the favorites, but I don't see why the Jays can't have a shot if Snider and Cecil come back and produce.

Rivera hasn't been good offensively since 2006. His OPS since 2007 is .742 in 1493 plate appareances, and this is a player with no other skill (defense or speed). I have blasted Ricciardi many times for releasing/trading players and swallowing up salary in the process, but this is one of the times where I don't think anyone would bat an eye if it happened. The Jays had to take Rivera as a price for getting rid of Wells. It wasn't a talent move, it was a dump. I realize AA views every player as an asset and wants to maximize whatever value he can out of Rivera, but Rivera is simply not very good. Thames over him would be an upgrade at this point. EE has proven to be mediocre as well, so he is better served in a bench role too.

Davis/Patterson is less of a concern for me because they primarily play CF. Platoon those guys or use one as a 4th OF. No difference. But when you are dealing with the big time positions where offense is mandatory (1B, DH, LF, RF), it is hard to justify putting a crappy hitter in one of those spots.

Well Rivera's OPS in 2009 was .810 which isn't bad. Obviously AA took him on to dump Wells' contract, no one is disputing that, but that doesn't mean he can't get a few hits.

I'm not calling the Jays to win the pennant or anything, but I'm also just not going to write of the season in mid May because guys like Rivera and Davis are getting ABs.

[luenell]

do people here honestly think the red sox are going to stay a 500. team? Their going to heat up just like the Yankees do every year

[U_Mad]

God getting fielder next year would put Make me soo happy....Jbau, Fielder, Lind, Lawrie, Hill, Thames, Escobar, Davis, JPA....Romero, Morrow, Cecil, Drabek....OHH LAWD

[Relentless88]

^Yeah, Fielder would be awesome.

1B: Lind
2B: Hill
3B: Lawrie
SS: Escobar
LF: Snider
CF: Patterson/Davis
RF: Bautista
C: Arencibia
DH: Fielder

Add in a rotation of Morrow/Romero/Drabek/Litsch and hopefully a fixed Cecil, and that's a pretty competitive team.

I'm always optimistic, but the chances are really slim. The Red Sox will go on a run soon and should make 90-95 wins. Same with the Yankees, and even the Rays look pretty good.

[Raps in 4]

We should go after Pujols too.

[OldNo7]

There is a big difference between being competitive every game, and being able to win the AL East. As has been alluded to, we are still the 4th best team in the division this season, but being competitive and at least sniffing the playoff picture will surely help our young guys for next year when I can see AA making his FA splash.

[Chevy Chase]

I there is no FA splash this off season, I'm through. I'm willing to ride out this year and bite my tongue after each win, but next year this team better spend some dough.