Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Baseball Bullpen: Chatting with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos
(www.thestar.com)
posted on March 26, 2013 at 02:54 PM by RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) to alex anthopoulos, blue jays, jose reyes, josh johnson, mark buerhle, melky cabrera, r.a. dickey
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1 comment(s)
Just two guys, talking baseball, presumably at a Tim Horton’s.
Read More...RG: When you talk to agents or other GMs now do you detect a different vibe than when you were starting out? Do they know where you’re coming from before you even come from there?
AA: I never thought about it that way. Over time you get to know them better and they get to know me better. So, from a working relationship standpoint it’s better that way. I think having dealt with (Marlins GM) Larry Beinfest trying to get Dan Uggla ...
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1. Paul D(uda) posted on November 16, 2012 at 05:44 PM # hit 0 | hit 0They could use an upgrade at 1b/DH and possibly another starter (Happ seems like a fantastic number 6), but that's about it. I suppose 2b if you want to get really greedy.
It depends on how Cabrera's 2012 finishes up, no? Let's say he regresses just a bit and finishes out at 335/380/500. At his age, coming off the last two seasons, I think 5/75 would be an opening bid and I could see him getting much, much more than that. The high bid would probably break 100M, especially if the market is as flush as some suspect.
The big question is which Melky Cabrera shows up next season. My guess is 290/350/450 with roughly his typical defense and baserunning. If Cabrera produces at that level, this is a steal.
Aside from coming up here to socialist iglooville with turf, funny money, high taxes and laws against certain breeds of dog? When does the punishment end?
No official ones, but Im guessing that both kept him out of the post season, and lowered his price. if he immediately cops to it, he may still be a Giant.
I want to get really greedy.
I'm not under the impression that the Jays are actually going to make the playoffs this year or any other, but if they're going to try, they should concede nothing. An all-star at every position, that should be the goal. I want this to be the best 85-win fourth-place team in the history of baseball.
His CAIRO projection for 2012 is 335/430, which looks about right to me. A 760 OPS is about average for a corner outfielder, and Cabrera's been roughly average in the field the last few years. 2/16 looks like a minor bargain for a league average player.
1. Reyes SS
2. Lawrie 3B
3. Bautista 1B
4. Encarnacion DH
5. Cabrera RF (?)
6. Rasmus CF
7. Lind/LF?
8. Johnson ? 2B
9. Buck/D'arnaud/Arencibia C
1. Reyes SS
2. Lawrie 3B
3. Bautista RF
4. Encarnacion DH/1B
5. Cabrera LF
6. Rasmus CF
7. Lind/Cooper DH
8. Bunnyface/Isturiz 2B
9. Buck/D'arnaud/Arencibia C
That will likely be the players, although I don't know about the order.
Until the next signing/trade, anyway.
I like the pen, for the most part, so we are down to whether they get the good and healthy vesions of Johnson and Romero. If they are both reasonably healthy and reasonably good, that looks like a very competitive team.
2008-12 was already a very odd career arc that already identified him as an outlier then you add the uncertainty of the PED effect.
2/$16 is low-risk enough it doesn't really matter (and there's high reward potential) but you could be getting anything from old Melky to new Melky and I wouldn't feel confident about either.
I'm a little surprised both that a team would give him two years and that he would want two years. Assuming he gets through 2013 clean, he'd surely make more money in 2014 unless he is below-average.
Are there any option years? Seems the best deal for Toronto to have some at a discount.
That's a shame. They were having a great offseason, now this.
But as this move likely means less Rajai Davis, it gets my seal of approval.
EDIT: Heh, apparently this is the biggest FA signing of AA's tenure. Which is surprising, but I guess the vast majority of his moves have been through the trade end of things.
Only the Red Sox had a bigger train wreck in the AL East than the Jays last year.
They lost three starting pitchers to injury in 4 days.
They lost the MVP runner up in 2011 to injury.
They lost their newly signed closer to injury before the end of April.
Their shortstop had a homophobic slur on his eye black.
I'm not sure 2013 could be much worse than 2012.
That worked out well.
(Trivia note: the Glaus trade is still alive in Toronto. He was acquired, with Sergio Santos, for Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista. Santos drifted out of the organization, but they traded Glaus to the Cards for Scott Rolen. Then they traded Rolen to the Reds for Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart. Encarnacion's still with the team, Roenicke isn't, and Stewart was part of the trade that brought Colby Rasmus and some evanescent spare parts back.)
Being a Jays fan has been frustrating but you know one of these years things will go right and we'll see the playoffs again. If it could happen for Baltimore it could happen for anyone :)
McGowan was drafted by the Jays in the 1st round of 2000's draft as a compensation pick for losing Graeme Lloyd. Lloyd was acquired in the Roger Clemens trade, and Clemens was signed as a free agent in 1997 by GM Gord Ash. Thus one legacy (sorta) of the Ash era is still kicking and if McGowan can make a comeback this year then Clemens being signed could be bringing returns still as he gets voted on for the HOF.
I do wonder if there is a way to reach back to the Gillick years here (1994 or earlier)?
Found one - Adam Lind - drafted as a compensation pick for the loss of Kelvin Escobar who was signed by the Jays as a free agent in 1992.
Santos drifted out of the organization, failed as an infield prospect, converted to the mound, and came back to Toronto. The Santos traded with Glaus is the same Santos who started 2012 in the bullpen and ended the season on the DL.
Ventura was traded for Bubba Crosby and Scott Proctor. Although, Proctor did get traded back to the Dodgers four years later for Betemit.
The Jays selected Al Woods in the expansion draft in 1977. They then traded him for Cliff Johnson in 82. When Johnson signed with the Rangers, the Jays then received Tom Henke as compensation. When Henke signed with the Rangers in 92, they selected Shannon Stewart with the compensation pick they received. Stewart was eventually traded for Bobby Keitly who then was traded for Ted Lilly. When Lilly signed with the Cubs, they used their compensation pick on Trystan Magnuson. The then traded Magnuson for current Jay Rajai Davis.
The only hole in the line up yet is at first base unless otherbToronto fans think David Cooper is ready to step in.
That would be awesome, but unfortunately, Stewart was drafted in June of 1992, when Henke was still a Blue Jay. Stewart was compensation for Tom Candiotti. Henke netted Chris Carpenter.
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