Jays out on Furcal
TORONTO — I’ve been stuck on the couch or in bed pretty much since I got back from the Winter Meetings. I’m sick and it’s not fun. I’ve got a marathon in less than a month and I haven’t been running in a week. Basically, I feel like garbage.
My theory is that my body is rejecting all this fresh air after being stuck inside the smoky casino in Las Vegas for four days. But, what are you going to do? Hopefully, I’ll be on the mend here soon. I’ve been sick for about five or six days now — very rare for me.
Anyway, just because I’m stuck inside with this cold, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been trying to work the phones. Spoke briefly with Paul Kinzer today — the agent for shortstop Rafael Furcal — and it appears as though the Jays are no longer in the running to sign the free agent.
“J.P. did all he could, but he couldn’t work it out,” Kinzer said. “We appreciate everything he did.”
The A’s appear to lead the pack, with the Dodgers and Royals also in the mix. Kinzer declined to going into specifics, but I’ve been writing from the beginning that acquiring Furcal was a long shot. Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi wasn’t immediately available for comment.
As for short, I’m not sure what this will mean for the Jays. They might be content with using Marco Scutaro and John McDonald, which is what Ricciardi had been saying all winter until the Furcal rumors resurfaced. Orlando Cabrera is also out there on the open market.
Again, though, if the Jays want to add anything, they’ll have to subtract, according to Ricciardi. Without Furcal in the plans, maybe Toronto could again turn its focus toward someone like Jason Giambi to help out in the power department. Just some speculation on my part.
More as more develops…
~JB
Major League Bastian 
Get well soon Jordan!
I for one would much rather see the jays go out and sign someone like giambi, a bonafide 30 HR guy. We need a power bat to protect Vernon, putting giambi 5 does this. Next up, Scott Rolen has got to go, he’s not the player he once was and isn’t capable of producing at the plate, however, Jose Bautista isn’t the answer either. Trading Overbay would be great, but I wouldn’t expect much in return for an overpaid first baseman with no power. Giambi is a bargain at around 10 million a season with reasonable expectations of 30 hr 100 rbi’s. Thats the kind of production we are lacking and thats the kind of salary that is affordable and makes us more of a contender. The fact that JP thinks that the jays are contenders is a complete joke, we’re nowhere near one.
The Jays never were in the hunt for Furcal as soon as Oakland offered 4 years and $36 million. JP just kept the story going to get press coverage, nothing more.
It’s interesting we offered a contract to Bautista. With Hill coming back, we have Inglet, Bautista, McDonald and Scutaro are vying for the short stop and two utility role positions. Seems to me, we have one too many, unless we trade Rolen.
Justin-you are right we are not a contendor in 2009, so why would you want to sign Giambi and what position would you expect him to play?
JB
It’s not the smoke in the casinos which gets you, they actually do a good job of filtering that. What they don’t filter out through are are the re-cycled germs as you have found out.
If the Jays were supposed to get a 1st rounder and a sandwich pick for Burnett… But the Brewers get the 1st rounder, shouldn’t the Jays get at leat 2 sandwich picks instead of a 2nd rounder and a sandwich? Or at least get a sandwich this year and the yanks 1st rounder in 2010? I can’t help but feel the Jays didn’t get their slice of the pie (or sandwich) on this deal…
Burt the Jays will never trade Halladay,I never said i wanted Furcal to come to Toronto,i also know the Jays will go nowhere in 09 or 2010.
If we can’t trade Ryan, then why not throw him into the rotation? I would rather see him there then Downs or Tallet, and I think he would be a much better fit considering he started in the big leagues as a starting pitcher.
Ryan gives up at least 3 hits an inn. in 7 inn. 21 hits lol.
If cheap, I’d like to see them try to get Cabrera in there. He has all the potential in the world. He’s young (around Marcum/McGowan’s age), still has a lot to learn, and would get to learn around Halladay and Arnsberg. Sky is the limit and worse case scenario he is an OK 5th starter.
Sorry rene but worst case scenario is he is released mid season because he can’t throw a strike. Yes we all love Cabrera’s upside, and hopefully sometime with Arnsberg somehow magically turns him into an ace. Realistically however, this guy has seen a ton of talented pitching coaches and no one has made him throw strikes consistently, not pitch to pitch, not stat to start.
gsjays- sign Giambi to play first, trade or release Overbay for all i care, we sign Giambi to give 2009 a glimmer of hope, but know that 2010 is the most realistic year to make a playoff run.
So what if he is released mid-season ? as long as it’s a cheap contract it shouldn’t matter. Guys with cheap contracts who aren’t performing are released on a regular, that applies to all sports not just MLB.
I agree with Rene, if they can get him for cheap why not ? If anyone can teach the guy control it’s Roy or Brad. It sounds like a dozen teams are interested though, so I doubt this happens.
Baseball is full of pitchers who can’t throw a strike,and all of a sudden viola another Halladay out of nowhere,why not take a chance and look to the future,he just may turn out,remember lightning in a bottle.
Ok, if Cabrera were signed to a two-way contract or a cheap(less than a couple million a year) then i am all for it, however it is known that a dozen or so teams are interested in him and that its unlikely to get him under either of those terms.
Daniel Cabrera isn’t Roy Halladay, if he hasn’t magically, “voila” learned to throw strikes by now i don’t see it happening. Baseball is full of pitchers who can’t throw strikes, major league baseball however isn’t.
I wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope all is well. We’re getting closer too spring training and that is a great thing!
Sabathia for over 160 million guranteed and Burnett over 80 million guranteed, not money well spent. How many big $$$ free agents do well ???? Most flop!
I’d love to know the names of all of these guys from the scrap heap who “voila” suddenly turn into another Roy Halliday????????????
So i can’t spell voila big deal.
All i was trying to say is maybe the guy can turn around,if JP wants this guy he will get him even if it cost 4 mm a year.
What do they have to lose 09 and 10 and11 will be lost years anyway so why not experiment for the next three years and see what they can develope,most of the young players will be ready providing they are not traded away for garbage by JP in 12 and 13 and away we go maybe.
BOSOX.
Merry Christmas to you to,and the same for the rest of you guys and gals,even you rshobie.
JORDAN.
Merry Christmas to you and your family and hope you are feeling better.
I wonder what happend to Harry Potter????.
Merry Christmas KATE.
I’m not an overly talented individual, as you can perhaps tell from my comments. However, perhaps one of the more talented contributors to this blog might put together a “12-days of Christmas” poem, explaining how, in a perfect world, the Jays might right themselves.
E.g., On the first day of Christmas Rogers gave to JP, one pink slip….
Good one Burt,lol.
on the second day of christmas rogers gave to me, 2 decent starters, and a pink slip for JP.
(From The Borowitz Report)
In their latest bid to beef up their pitching rotation for the 2009 season, the New York Yankees today signed Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zeidi to a three-year deal worth $32 million.
The right-handed al-Zeidi, 28, impressed the Yankee scouts with his performance in Baghdad yesterday when he threw both of his shoes at President George W. Bush.
While neither of the shoes hit their target, both throws “had great velocity and good movement,” said Yankee owner Hank Steinbrenner.
“The first shoe was high and outside but the second one was right down the middle,” Mr. Steinbrenner said.
The Yankee boss said that he was also impressed with Mr. al-Zeidi’s fighting spirit when Secret Service agents tackled him.
“That could come in handy when we have a series with Boston,” he said.
***Those damn Yankees are signing everyone.
On the third day of christmas Rogers gave to me Mannys big bat and a pink slip to JP.
G.the best one yet.
If Cabrera pitches as well as he has in any of the past 5 years (except for maybe 07), he’s an OK 5th starter.
Anyways, ain’t gonna happen.
Finally Christmas Break!
I am right here, I read most of the posts but just don’t have the time to log in and then comment myself, usually someone else brings up my point of view anyways.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!
Now Baseball…I just hope Sabathia and Burnett both get injured, that would be fun to watch wouldn’t it.
Bluejays I don’t mind them going after Cabrera, but to a minor league deal (which i doubt is happening so lets forget him)
OVerbay, Ryan, Rolen, Wells, 2/4 of them should be traded mostly Overbay and Rolen (with Ryan he can do good next year and then trade for good prospects, or need him for 010). Wells, noone wants to pick up his contract.
On the 4th day of Christmas Rogers gave to the yankees one Vernon Wells and a pink slip to JP.
It blows my mind that people want to trade Vernon Wells!!!!!!! Wake up people 2 years ago you could have made a strong arguement that he was or at least on his way to becoming the best player in baseball. He’s been injured a little the past couple seasons but was still able to hit .300 20 HR’s and 78 ribbis on basically 400 at bats largely playing with some nagging injuries. His production on a per at bat basis people was not far off Alex Rodriguez’s. He is 30 years old and maybe the best defensive player in baseball.
Can someone please tell me what the city of Boston has over the city of Toronto????????? It was not long ago that the Jays set an ALLTIME major league baseball attendence record and could certainly do it again with the proper team on the field. Toronto market ( GTA ) is 3 times the size of Boston. Ted Rogers approx ( 8 Billion in assets ) one of the wealthiest families in the world. At the peak Ted could have bought the Yankees/ Steinbrenner’s/ Throw Trump into it as well. Stop blaming the wrong people and attack the rogers family for not investing in the product they own. Toronto can compete with any city in the world when ownership spends some money. No reson why the Jays can’t have a 150-175 million payroll and put 45-50 thousand plus in the seats everynight……… Did it before can do it again under the right ownership!!!!!!!!!!! Remember the Jays had the highest payroll in Baseball when we won back to back.
RSHOBIE.
Instead of having a bird everytime someone says something you don’t like,Why don’t you tell us what this team needs to do.Not just the payroll but what players they need to bring in,also should JP stay or go,and who should they trade and for whom.
My bet is you have no clue.
As for Wells i think we all know what kind of a player he is,but this team can not afford to carry him.We have three good outfielders now Rios Lind and Snyder,cheap for the next 4 or 5 years.
Let’s hope the Jays don’t claim Bobby Crosby,the A’s just put him on waivers.
i agree with rshobie……all you guys do is complain about the jays.you seem to forget that their division is the toughest basball has probably ever seen!and vernon wells is probably the best offensive weapon the jays have ever had,and maybe ever will have.unfortuneatly you can’t stop injuries.give him a clean bill of health for a year and he’ll be back to 35+hr,120+rbi,30+sb,300+ average.
michaelgorman.
We are just baseball fans,not experts.noone said Wells was no good just that the Jays can’t afford his contract.
The Rogers family does not own the Jays outright,They are owned by Rogers company and the shareholders,For a payroll increase it must go to the board and they all vote on it.What the team needs is a new owner with big bucks that is not afraid to spend money to make money.
Bring in Tex and Manny and a good shortstop who can hit and they will fill the seats.
Michaelgorman
“he’ll be back to 35+hr,120+rbi,30+sb,300+ average.”
Just for the record, Wells has never hit 35 hr’s or 120 rbi’s in a year and his career BA is .283. In 7 years, he’s averaged 25 hr’s per year and 92 rbi’s. Nice player but not worth 20 million per year-which is the whole point I think you’re missing.
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill is ready to return.
Hill, whose season ended on May 29 when he sustained a concussion in a collision with shortstop David Eckstein, expects to be ready by opening day. Hill is working out three times a week at the team’s complex in Dunedin.
“Everything is fine,” he said before a session with pitchers Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch. “I got the go-ahead about a month or so ago to go full time. It’s been good fun getting here every day and actually doing some things.”
Hill was hitting .263 with two home runs and 20 RBI when he was injured. The 26-year-old Hill had hit .291 in each of the previous two years as a regular.
“It was emotional more than anything,” he said. “It’s probably the most I have been out since I was 13 or 14 years old. You can always learn something so now it’s time to work hard and get back on the field.”
The Blue Jays will compete in the AL East next season minus pitcher A.J. Burnett, who opted out of his contract and signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent.
“A.J. did a great job for us last season, but we have some young kids that had a chance to do some things and it’s also looking pretty promising in the farm system. It’s a great opportunity for them and hopefully they will come up, prove themselves and help us next season.”
Copyright 2008 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.
From SI-Jon Heyman
The Blue Jays have fielded a few trade inquiries about star outfielder Vernon Wells, league sources said. It appears Toronto has financial constraints, and it might consider trading Wells, who has six years remaining on his seven-year, $126-million contract.
It isn’t necessarily to the point where the Jays are shopping Wells. But they may have financial concerns. The Jays’ star closer, B.J. Ryan, also is thought be available at the right price — though there’s no evidence the Jays would entertain trading franchise pitcher Roy Halladay.
Wells is a terrific all-around player, but he’s missed some time the past two seasons. He hit .300 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs last year after a dreadful 2007 campaign in which he .245 with 16 homers and 80 RBIs. He is a much better player than that, although his contract may make trading him difficult in these economic times.
**The only better news than this, is an announcement of a trade of Wells.
hey anyone out there know the answer to this one. do you think a blue jays/yankees game in the new stadium in August will be sold out or do you think we’ll be able to get tickets shortly before.
Hi everyone,
Had a ball on a yankees blog last week after the CC and AJ thing. I kept telling them to enjoy AJ while they can and predicted that he’ll be on the DL by June. I also mentioned that his lifetime stats aren’t worth the money they’re going to pay him. I think the pressure from the fans and media will be too much for him. His wife alone will be good for a few choice comments. We’ll have to see. They (yankee bloggers) kept telling me I had no business being on their blog. Anyway, it was fun and hopefully it will be fun teeing off on AJ when he comes back to Toronto.
I have always been a supporter of JP in the past, and he did bring some pretty big names to this team, but am seriously wondering if it isn’t time to let him go? Who would replace him would be my concern?
Merry Christmas everyone! Let’s hope that 2009 is at least competitive. Look how Tampa Bay surprised everyone…
“Cabrera drawing interest from Jays”-Not any longer.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera and the Washington Nationals have reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract, pending a physical that his agent said is slated for next week.
I really think that this season, Cito needs to decide on a #1 shortstop and stick with him, not like last season where it was a rotation all year long.
I thought that Johnny Mac had solidified the job of #1 shortstop, leaving him in there will bring up his batting average…….and anyway, even if his average remains a bit lower, he more than makes up for it with his dazzling plays on the field.
All the pitchers would rather play knowing that he is behind them. Period.
Heard somewhere the Jays signed minor league journeyman DH/1B Randy Ruiz? I’ve always liked this guys bat, and I didn’t know why he’d floated around the minors for so long. Great hitter against lefties, but strikes out a lot. The last two he years he has consistantly hit over .300 in AAA. He’s old, but packs a punch? Here is where I got it from.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/36420529.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqCP:iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU
Hmm thats the answer a career minor leaguer theres tons of AAAA players who can be productive in the minors but not in the majors take John ford griffen for example Randy Ruiz is not going to help us at all.
I agree with gjays wells is a very good player but not at 18 million plus a season. If the jays want to trade him this is not the year wait for a bounce back year or at least until the team decides what direction it wants to go in in the next couple of years.
I don’t think in any way I implied that Ruiz was the ‘answer,’ to the Jays problems. That is a strange thought. He was signed to a minor league contract, not exactly a premier free agent pickup. Depending on how others fair next season, he probably won’t see any MLB playing time.
In my opinion, I think the guy has drifted under the radar a bit. I think he has legitimate Major League talent, but for one reason or another (probably because he is only a 1B/DH), hasn’t been able to show it. He actually did well briefly with Minnesota late last season. He is not exactly Mark Teixeria or Manny Ramirez, but not bad for the bottom of the barrell in my opinion.
If he plays, and tanks. You can come to my blog and bash me for thinking the guy had any value whatsoever, because I will deserve it.
http://homerfoodandhistory.mlblogs.com/