Rosenthal: Jays players ready to alter deals to get Santana

[dagger]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/blue ... ana-040314

[There There]

If anything, this seems like a leak from the Jays side to cool fan expectations on Drew.

AA has all but said that a verbal agreement was in place, pending only a physical.

Agents saying here that they were never contacted by Anthopoulos about deferring money.

You would think that if signing Santana required money being deferred, then those conversations would have taken place with the agents at the point in which a verbal agreement was in place.

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[Randle McMurphy]

More evidence that Rogers tightened the purse strings this offseason, it seems.

[Wo1verine]

More evidence that Rogers tightened the purse strings this offseason, it seems.

[Santoki]

This is a story I don't buy at all.

[BlueJayReyes]

Pure BS.

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[Randle McMurphy]

Shi confirms it from multiple sources (perhaps those in Jays management?):

T. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Toronto Blue Jays headed north amid new questions about the restrictions on general manager Alex Anthopoulos’s off-season dealings that are sure to hang in the background of Friday’s home opener.

A stunning report by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com that a group of players was willing to defer salary so free agent Ervin Santana could be signed is sure to rile unhappy portions of the team’s fan base, surely part of the intention by those who leaked the details.

The revelation, confirmed by multiple sources to sportsnet.ca, demonstrates the determination to boost the roster belonging to an unnamed group of the team’s players with significant guaranteed money, and how Anthopoulos essentially had his hands tied this winter.

Logically, you don’t borrow from players and against future payrolls if you have money to spend. Anthopoulos must have been given the resources to support the roster’s internal growth through raises and arbitration, and nothing more.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/ja ... questions/

Yes, it seems Rogers is that cheap. It would help explain everything about why this offseason went the way it did and why no additions in any of the areas of need were made.

[C Court]

None of this explains the Jays inactivity on the trade front, particularly after Alex indicated he was going to use the depth of the bullpen to acquire talent.

[Raps_Swingman]

Hayhurst pointed out in his blog that once the Jays started losing games in the middle of the season they were no longer sent on the road to cover games and dialed back much of their coverage from company guys.

They're such a joke. They're making money hand over fist and keep putting a dusty product on the field. They're still living off 92/93 and they know people will show up.

Santana was no world beater but adding him to a broken pitching staff would've been a graet PR/on-field move but clearly money is tight.

[whysoserious]

My biggest problem with this is how the Jays operate in general. I have no problem if they decided to tighten the purse strings because they weren't impressed with the results of the first year of AA's supposed contention timeline.

That makes sense from a business perspective and keeping flexibility to go in either direction and basically saying to the team, prove that last year wasn't an aberration.

But the problem is the Jays love to sell that they are in talks with everyone, drum up the hype and this goes back before last off-season. They know how to market they're involvement to keep fans on that string so to speak and engaged.

They should have simply come out and stated what their plan was and we'd wait and see how this team performed. We'll try and improve but we won't be adding payroll. Instead they like to sell that hope to either get new SSH or to keep the ones they gained last year.

[Brinbe]

Pathetic. I wish there was someone like a Leiweke handling things, instead they just shut off that money faucet and thought that was an adequate solution.

[Randle McMurphy]

None of this explains the Jays inactivity on the trade front, particularly after Alex indicated he was going to use the depth of the bullpen to acquire talent.

If you can't add salary, that kind of limits the ability to make trades too.

[Santoki]

None of this explains the Jays inactivity on the trade front, particularly after Alex indicated he was going to use the depth of the bullpen to acquire talent.

If you can't add salary, that kind of limits the ability to make trades too.

I don't think Rogers wanted to add any long-term salary to the books. That really shouldn't affect short-term bench depth that wouldn't be very costly especially considering the type of money Santos and Janssen are getting right now.

I don't buy for a second that AA's hands were SO handcuffed that he couldn't add a penny, but I do believe he had limitations placed on him. We're always trying to blame either the owner or the general manager, but both have clearly failed this offseason. Let them share the blame.

[Randle McMurphy]

None of this explains the Jays inactivity on the trade front, particularly after Alex indicated he was going to use the depth of the bullpen to acquire talent.

If you can't add salary, that kind of limits the ability to make trades too.

I don't think Rogers wanted to add any long-term salary to the books. That really shouldn't affect short-term bench depth that wouldn't be very costly especially considering the type of money Santos and Janssen are getting right now.

I don't buy for a second that AA's hands were SO handcuffed that he couldn't add a penny, but I do believe he had limitations placed on him. We're always trying to blame either the owner or the general manager, but both have clearly failed this offseason. Let them share the blame.

There's more than enough blame for all to go around, but the fact that AA didn't literally didn't add anything to this flawed team (a team that likely needs to do well for him to maintain his job) was always suspect. If any money was actually there, he had no incentive not to use it.

[Randle McMurphy]

Beeston has also now publicly confirmed the story (which you can be sure that Rogers wouldn't have wanted him to do). Sounds like there might be a rift between Beeston/AA and ownership.

[Santoki]

If he did then that's a pretty clear indication that Beeston will be on his way out with Alex. I don't think it makes sense to take on Rogers publicly as that's a battle they'll definitely lose. But a captain must go down with his ship...

At least if Beeston does go, there will be a silver lining to this season.

[Lateral Quicks]

Do the Jays have no money for PR?

What executive discusses this embarrassing topic in the media at all, let alone on opening day? Good grief.

[Randle McMurphy]

Do the Jays have no money for PR?

What executive discusses this embarrassing topic in the media at all, let alone on opening day? Good grief.

An executive pissed off at ownership, that's who. What an absolute mess this organization is.

[Michael Bradley]

If you can't add salary, that kind of limits the ability to make trades too.

I don't think Rogers wanted to add any long-term salary to the books. That really shouldn't affect short-term bench depth that wouldn't be very costly especially considering the type of money Santos and Janssen are getting right now.

I don't buy for a second that AA's hands were SO handcuffed that he couldn't add a penny, but I do believe he had limitations placed on him. We're always trying to blame either the owner or the general manager, but both have clearly failed this offseason. Let them share the blame.

There's more than enough blame for all to go around, but the fact that AA didn't literally didn't add anything to this flawed team (a team that likely needs to do well for him to maintain his job) was always suspect. If any money was actually there, he had no incentive not to use it.

Agreed and that's something we may never get a clear answer on (unless AA/Beeston spill the beans when they are no longer employed by Rogers). I'm sure AA wanted to hold on to Sanchez, Stroman, etc, even if his job was on the line, so not trading for Samardzija was sensible, but trading for Mark Ellis before his option was declined by the Dodgers, or signing Jeff Baker, or signing Paul Maholm for rotation depth, etc, were all things that could have been accomplished for much less than what it would have taken to sign Santana.

It wasn't 2009 levels of undercutting (I wasn't even a JP fan and I felt bad for him), but it was a damn close. If it's true that even Beeston is speaking out on it, then it had to have been mandated by Rogers. AA had no incentive to sit on his hands. Lord knows if my job was on the line, Ryan Goins would be so far away from the MLB roster that he wouldn't be a glimmer in anyone's eyes.

[soulchild_07]

Beeston has also now publicly confirmed the story (which you can be sure that Rogers wouldn't have wanted him to do). Sounds like there might be a rift between Beeston/AA and ownership.

Wouldn't be the first time we're hearing of something like that...http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2012/10/19/brunt-a-rift-between-beeston-and-rogers/