[Official] Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball thread

[Mackcanuck]

 

 

 

SkyDome opened in 1989 and cost $570M. Rogers bought it in 2004 for $25M

Edited November 27, 2020 by Mackcanuck

[RUPERTKBD]

On 11/21/2020 at 11:46 PM, shiznak said:

Seems like the Jays are linked to just about every big name player on the market.

 

I’m probably in the minority here, but I hope the Jays don’t trade for Lindor. As good as he is, the risk of not re-signing him will put a hole in their prospects pool that they built since Shatkins took over. Plus, I’m not a fan of trading Gurriel Jr. (most likely going the other way), because he such a key member in the locker room. It would be the equivalent to the Canucks trading Miller away. 
 

If they want to go the trade route. I would target a guy like Kris Bryant. While not the greatest defender, he’s a former MVP and all-star, who seem to had an off-year in the COVID-19 season. I’m confident he can bounce back. Rumour has it, the Cubs want to shed some money and he seem like the likeliest candidates to be moved. 

I agree. I'd rather keep the young players and go the FA route.

 

A front three starter and maybe George Springer please....and thanks...

[RUPERTKBD]

On 11/22/2020 at 12:38 PM, Sean Monahan said:

I’m not sure I was active ITT much at that time but I was definitely onboard with the rebuild too. I actually didn’t think they were really all that close even in 2015 and 2016, I thought they were still maybe one high-end arm and some bullpen improvements from being a WS caliber team. That rebuild should’ve been obvious. 

I think they had a shot the year they lost to the Royals....

 

I still can't help but think of "what if?" when I think of that blooper that dropped in between Bats and Goins.....It's the Blue Jays' "Nathan Lafayette" moment for me.....

[shiznak]

If true, that would be strange since they just renovated the Rogers Center a year ago.

 

17 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

I agree. I'd rather keep the young players and go the FA route.

 

A front three starter and maybe George Springer please....and thanks...

My ideal off-season scenario, trade for Bryant (doubt it would cost much), sign Tanaka, Paxton, and Jackie Bradley Jr.

 

 

[Violator]

On 11/27/2020 at 5:56 AM, Mackcanuck said:

 

 

 

SkyDome opened in 1989 and cost $570M. Rogers bought it in 2004 for $25M

It's sitting on some pretty valuable land.they need to do the same thing that the Canucks did and build lots of condos above it.

[Mackcanuck]

1 hour ago, Violator said:

It's sitting on some pretty valuable land.they need to do the same thing that the Canucks did and build lots of condos above it.

Rogers only owns the building, not the land it sits on

It is Federally owned by Canada Lands Company

Edited November 29, 2020 by Mackcanuck

[Violator]

On 11/28/2020 at 9:20 PM, Mackcanuck said:

Rogers only owns the building, not the land it sits on

It is Federally owned by Canada Lands Company

Interesting

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Jose Bautista move over we have a new bat flip king 

 

 

[Heretic]

 

Well there you go!

Report: Cleveland's MLB team will drop 'Indians' from its name

Sportsnet Staff@SportsnetDecember 13, 2020, 8:39 PM

 

 

After 105 years, the Cleveland Indians have reportedly decided to change their team name, according to David Waldstein and Michael Schmidt of The New York Times.

The decision comes after years of protests from Indigenous groups and fans who have criticized the name as being racist. An official announcement on the decision could come as early as next week.

It was not immediately clear, according to The Times' reporting, what Cleveland intends its new name to be. One option reportedly being considered is moving forward without a replacement name initially, and consulting with the public in creating a new one.

More to come...

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/report-clevelands-mlb-team-will-drop-indians-name/

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by Heretic

[RUPERTKBD]

19 hours ago, Heretic said:

 

Well there you go!

Report: Cleveland's MLB team will drop 'Indians' from its name

Sportsnet Staff@SportsnetDecember 13, 2020, 8:39 PM

 

 

After 105 years, the Cleveland Indians have reportedly decided to change their team name, according to David Waldstein and Michael Schmidt of The New York Times.

The decision comes after years of protests from Indigenous groups and fans who have criticized the name as being racist. An official announcement on the decision could come as early as next week.

It was not immediately clear, according to The Times' reporting, what Cleveland intends its new name to be. One option reportedly being considered is moving forward without a replacement name initially, and consulting with the public in creating a new one.

More to come...

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/report-clevelands-mlb-team-will-drop-indians-name/

 

Overdue, but better late than never, I suppose.

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Jays invite three players to Spring Training

 

The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms with outfielder Forrest Wall, and infielder's Richard Ureña, and Tyler White, the team announced on Friday.

 

 

All three players agreed to Minor League deals with invites to 2021 Major League Spring Training.

 

Ureña, 24, returns to the Blue Jays after spending the 2020 season with the Baltimore Orioles.

 

The native of San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic, batted .243 in 30 games for Toronto in 2019.

Ureña originally signed with the Blue Jays as a 16-year-old in 2012 and holds a career .253 batting average over 91 Major League contests. 

 

https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-blue-jays-invite-three-players-to-spring-training-1.1566091

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Agent Scott Boras: Blue Jays are pursuing ‘group of players’ to bolster roster

 

Once a regular target for Scott Boras’ biting barbs, the Toronto Blue Jays are now drawing praise from arguably the sport’s most powerful agent for their aggressive posture in the marketplace.

 

“I think they really feel this is a now time for them, and I said before that they built the lamp and now they’re looking for the right light bulbs,” he continued. “I think they’re in ready pursuit of a group of players that they think can be additions to the core that they built, and I think they’re very confident that those additions will lead them to levels that they haven’t been at for some time.”

 

The Blue Jays have been engaged with all the top free agents in play, including George Springer, D.J. LeMahieu, J.T. Realmuto and Trevor Bauer, but have also explored options at a variety of tiers. Boras doesn’t control the market the way he did last off-season when he negotiated in excess of $1 billion in contracts, but has a handful of players on the Blue Jays radar including Bradley Jr., reliever Trevor Rosenthal and Canadian starter James Paxton.

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/agent-scott-boras-blue-jays-pursuing-group-players-bolster-roster/

[Gurn]

1 hour ago, ChuckNORRIS4Cup said:

Canadian starter James Paxton.

 

If only.

That woud be a good thing both on and off the field.Good guy, good with media, major public relations score.

Edited December 19, 2020 by gurn
spelling

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

5 hours ago, gurn said:

If only.

That woud be a good thing both on and off the field.Good guy, good with media, major public relations score.

He was in Langley 2 years ago at the sports card show signing autographs, great guy!

[Gurn]

La Russa strikes a deal. Caught driving under the influence-says he knows he doesn't have a drinking problem. Proves he is a very good baseball manager but an idiot in  other matters. Driving drunk is a problem Tony!

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/chicago-white-sox-manager-tony-la-russa-agrees-to-plea-deal-will-serve-one-day-house-arrest/ar-BB1c7vZx?ocid=msedgntp

 

“Mr. La Russa knows he made a mistake last February and deeply regrets it,” La Russa's counsel, Larry Kazan, said in a statement obtained by The Athletic. “He is embarrassed and concerned. He knows what he did was wrong.”

As punishment, La Russa will serve a one-day sentence from home. He also will be required to complete 20 hours of community service and pay a $1,383 fine. Kazan said La Russa completed alcohol counseling at Scottsdale Treatment in Arizona.

“I know I don't have a drinking problem, just like I know I made a serious mistake in February,” La Russa told reporters in a conference call, “and where I am right now is to prove that I don't have a drinking problem and to prove it every day off the field that I'm going to handle it and what's painfully clear to me is if I have a drink I will not drive. There's always an alternative.”

[BoKnows]

 

[Sean Monahan]

On 12/23/2020 at 7:16 AM, BoKnows said:

 

One of my favourite moments in baseball of the recent past. A Canadian hitting a no-doubter of a home run is just a sweet cherry on top. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Sean Monahan

[Gurn]

Phil Niekro, Hall of Fall pitcher pases away at 81 yrs of age:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/baseball-hall-of-famer-knuckleballer-phil-niekro-dies-at-81/ar-BB1cgECB?ocid=msedgntp

TLANTA — Phil Niekro threw a pitch that baffled hitters and catchers.

Heck, he didn’t even know where it was going most of the time.

But the knuckleball carried Niekro to more than 300 wins, earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame and gave him a nickname that stuck for the rest of his life.

 

Knucksie.

he longtime stalwart of the Atlanta Braves rotation died after a lengthy fight with cancer, the team announced Sunday. He was 81.

The Braves said Niekro died Saturday night in his sleep. He lived in the Atlanta suburb of Flowery Branch, where a main thoroughfare bears his name.

He was the seventh Hall of Famer to die this year, the most sitting members to pass away in a calendar year, according to spokesman Jon Shestakofsky. The others were Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan and Tom Seaver

“These names, and these men, will be remembered forever in Cooperstown,” Shestakofsky said.

Niekro won 318 games over his 24-year career, which finally ended in 1987 at age 48 after he made one final start for the Braves. The right-hander was a five-time All-Star who had three 20-win seasons with Atlanta.

Dale Murphy, who won two straight NL MVP awards as a teammate of Niekro's, was among those who mourned his death.

“Knucksie was one of a kind,” Murphy wrote on Twitter. “Friend, teammate, father and husband. Our hearts go out to Nancy Niekro, the kids and grandkids. So thankful for our memories and time together. We’ll miss you, Knucksie.”

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, this year's NL MVP, described himself as “heartbroken.”

“An amazing pitcher but an even better man!” Freeman said on Twitter. “Thanks you Phil for all the laughs and wonderful memories over the years.”

Niekro also pitched for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays late in his career.

Incredibly, he had 121 wins after his 40th birthday.

“We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend,” the Braves said in a statement. “Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil baffled batters on the field and later was always the first to join in our community activities. It was during those community and fan activities where he would communicate with fans as if they were long lost friends.”

A statue of Niekro delivering his trademark pitch is located outside of Truist Park, the Braves' stadium.

Niekro didn't make it to the big leagues until 1964, when he pitched 10 games in relief for the then-Milwaukee Braves. He made only one start over his first three years in the big leagues but finally blossomed as a starter in 1967 — the Braves' second year in Atlanta — when he went 11-9 and led the National League with a 1.87 ERA.

With a fluttering knuckleball that required catchers to wear an oversized mitt, Niekro went 23-13 as the Braves won the first NL West title in 1969. He was runner-up to Seaver for the Cy Young Award, the closest he ever came to capturing pitching's premier prize though he finished in the top six of the balloting four other times.

Niekro also had 20-win seasons in 1974 and 1979, despite pitching for a team that fell on hard times after its appearance in the inaugural NL Championship Series, where the Braves were swept in three games by New York's Amazin' Mets.

Niekro also led the league in losses for four straight seasons, losing 20 games in both 1977 and '79.

He finished with a career record of 318-274 and a 3.35 ERA. Niekro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

His younger brother, Joe, also had a long baseball career with an arsenal that included the knuckleball. He won 221 games over 22 years in the big leagues, making the Niekros baseball's winningest set of siblings, with a total of 539 victories, just ahead of Gaylord and Jim Perry.

Joe Niekro died in 2006 at age 61.

Phil Niekro pitched a no-hitter in 1973 but his most memorable game with the Braves came in 1982, when the team started the season with 13 consecutive wins and improbably won the NL West title by a single game to send Niekro to the playoffs for only the second time in his career.

On the final weekend of the season, the 43-year-old Niekro pitched a three-hit shutout and hit a two-run, eighth-inning homer that led Atlanta to a crucial 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Niekro finished 17-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 35 starts, but he didn’t get a decision in his only start of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals as the Braves were again swept in three straight games. He never made it to the World Series.

Niekro picked up his 300th win in 1985 while pitching for the Yankees. He reached the milestone by shutting out the Blue Jays 8-0.

Philip Henry Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio, and learned the knuckleball from his father, who played for a coal-mining team in eastern Ohio.

“He was a very good pitcher,” Niekro told ESPN in an interview after his playing days were over. “He hurt his arm one spring, didn’t warm up good enough, couldn’t throw a fastball anymore. Another coal miner taught him how to throw the knuckleball.”

The elder Niekro passed it on to his son, who learned to grip the ball with his fingernails on the seams. That kept the ball from spinning, causing it to move in all sorts of confounding ways on its way to the plate.

“He threw it to me one day.” Niekro said of his father. “I asked him what it was. He showed me how to hold it. Didn’t know what it was, didn’t know anything about it except that I liked it.

“I never knew how to throw a fastball, never learned how to throw a curveball, a slider, split-finger, whatever they’re throwing nowadays. I was a one-pitch pitcher.”

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

In his 300th victory, Niekro said he didn't throw a knuckleball until the final batter, using it to strike out former teammate Jeff Burroughs to end the game. At the time, Knucksie was the oldest pitcher in baseball history to toss a shutout, a mark since broken by Jamie Moyer.

?I always wanted to pitch a whole game without throwing knuckleballs because people thought I couldn’t get people out without throwing them,? Niekro said afterward, with brother Joe sitting alongside him in Toronto.

After going 11-10 with a 3.97 ERA in 1983, Niekro had an acrimonious split from the Braves, who wanted him to retire so they could focus on their younger pitchers.

But Niekro was far from done. He won 16 games each of the next two seasons with the Yankees and even made the All-Star Game for the final time. He picked up 11 more wins with Cleveland in 1986 before his knuckler finally ran out of steam.

Niekro started 1987 with the Indians and was traded to Toronto in August, only to be let go by the Blue Jays after getting roughed up in three starts. He decided to retire but only after returning to Atlanta to make his final start in a Braves uniform.

Niekro lasted just three-plus innings, giving up six hits, six walks and five runs before he left the mound for the final time to a raucous ovation from the crowd at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

While the knuckler was his trademark, Niekro was an all-around athlete. He won five Gold Glove awards and was a decent hitter for a pitcher, wracking up seven homers and 109 RBIs.

Niekro remained active in the Braves organization after his retirement, taking part in alumni activities and often serving as a special instructor at spring training. He managed Atlanta's Triple-A farm team for one season, but struggled in the role. He also guided the Colorado Silver Bullets, a barnstorming women's baseball team sponsored by Coors.

Niekro is survived by his wife, Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael, and two grandchildren, Chase and Emma.

Longevity was the hallmark of Niekro's career, which was spent largely in obscurity pitching for Braves teams that rarely managed a winning season.

The knuckleball put little stress on his right arm, so he made at least 30 starts every season from 1968-86 — excluding the strike-shortened 1981 campaign — and finished with 245 complete games in his career.

He was even able to make infrequent relief appearances, earning 29 saves.

In 1979, at age 40, Niekro made a career-high 44 starts, completing 23 of them. He went 21-20 with a 3.39 ERA for a dismal Braves team that finished 66-94.

He remains the last pitcher to both win and lose 20 games in a season.

In this era where teams value velocity above all other traits, the knuckleball has essentially become extinct.

“There’s nobody around who can teach how to throw a knuckleball,” Niekro said in the ESPN interview. "There’s very few pitching coaches that I worked with that actually came out on the mound and told me what I was doing wrong with the knuckleball. Because they just didn’t know.

“I was on my own.”

[BoKnows]

Lindor to Mets.  Wonder if they are will go all in on Springer now.

[shiznak]

As good as Lindor is.....he’s practically a rental player.

 

That package the Mets gave up would be the equivalent to the Jays giving up Biggio, Groshans, Simeon-Woods, and Martinez. Would rather just keep Biggio and Groshans and not risk of Lindor not re-signing with the Jays.