RUPERTKBD Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Bure_of_94 said: No salary retained. But Jays sent them just short of $10,000,000. That is to pay the difference in salary for the remainder of Grichuk’s contract. as for Tapia, he’s very very fast. Gives the jays a solid base-stealing option. Bats left. And he’s actually got not bad distance on lots of his hits. He just played in the NL...I saw analytics on this guy saying if he played in the AL, he would have hit 38-43 dingers. But the most impressive thing is that he gets on base. He runs pitch counts up and has very good selection. I think this is a really solid add, giving the blue jays something at the plate that we’re missing. Yeah, I knew about that, but I don't think it counts against the luxury tax. (someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that) I'm hoping for the best on Tapia. At the very worst, he's a no-risk addition. At best, we could have a solid addition, that provides speed a decent power from the left side....two things the club is in need of.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Bure_of_94 said: I think Biggio could possibly be on his way out, there’s talk of shipping him out to Cleveland for J-Ram and shifting J-Ram to 2nd to create the best defensive infield in the majors. However the Guardians were not budging on wanting Manoah. Which is obviously a non-starter for the Jays. And possibly adding Tapia could have changed things. Perhaps as the season goes on or if cleveland budges, we may see Ramirez here. I've been wanting Ramirez since the last trade deadline, but I wonder if that ship might have sailed.... I agree that Manoah is a non-starter, but any prospective deal I had in my head always included Espy or Biggio, plus one of Grichuk, Gurriel or Hernandez (preferably Grich) and Josh Groshans....and as much as I would have hated to do it, I probably would have given up Pearson if Cleveland preferred him to any of those guys.... I don't think they can afford to move any of their outfielders now.....of course, if Tapia turns out as we hope, that might change once this year's TD comes around and Ramirez is still a Guardian.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 If Biggio is on the block, would Houston pay a bit more for the son of a franchise legend? And does Houston have any one that fits a Jay's need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure_of_94 Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 6 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said: Yeah, I knew about that, but I don't think it counts against the luxury tax. (someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that) I'm hoping for the best on Tapia. At the very worst, he's a no-risk addition. At best, we could have a solid addition, that provides speed a decent power from the left side....two things the club is in need of.... You’re correct it doesn’t hurt against the tax. And Cleveland is one of the lowest 3 payroll teams in baseball so Toronto “helped them“ by making sure they weren’t taking on extra expenses for grichuk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 6 hours ago, gurn said: If Biggio is on the block, would Houston pay a bit more for the son of a franchise legend? And does Houston have any one that fits a Jay's need? The 'Stros are pretty much set at 2nd and 3rd.....not sure if CB can play short, but I don't think so.... Fun fact, with the departure of Carlos Correa, former Jay Aledmys Dias is next on the depth chart..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Monahan Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 28 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said: former Jay Aledmys Dias is next on the depth chart..... For a short while. They’ve got Jeremy Peña waiting in the wings. I think they viewed this situation similar to the Nats letting Harper walk knowing they had Soto to replace him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/jays-fans-scoff-at-complaints-of-unvaccinated-players-not-allowed-entry-into-canada/ar-AAVv70z?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=d0c6b75d780846c7ae16a8d21ecd63a2 There are still plenty of unvaccinated baseball players scattered across the MLB and it is now influencing transactions in the league. Before infielder Trevor Story officially signed with the Boston Red Sox, the deal reportedly almost fell apart, as the 29-year-old was hesitant to get the COVID vaccine. While that is fine for a significant majority of baseball, the team and player were concerned about the fact that he would not be allowed entry into Canada to face the Toronto Blue Jays, a divisional opponent. Story ended up getting vaccinated and put pen to paper on the six-year, $140-million contract with the Red Sox, but this did not stop word from getting out of the deal almost falling through because of his indecision to get the shot. So much so that teams seem to worry about the supposed competitive advantage that the Jays would have if some big-time unvaccinated players had to miss a chunk of games north of the border. In theory, the various teams that employ players unwilling to get a vaccine have an argument that only makes sense if you have major Baseball Brain. If a player is fully healthy and willing to play, but is unable to because of outside factors that greatly affect one specific team’s possible performance, then it should be talked about. But many Blue Jays fans wanted to point out two specific things: Be an adult and get vaccinated, and the entire Toronto team is under the same jurisdiction and had to receive the shot in order to play any home games. hat is certainly an easy answer for teams that are up in arms about this supposed advantage. And if teams want to truly talk about competitive nature, they should remember the Blue Jays were forced into an extremely challenging situation for the last two years. Due to travel across the Canada-U.S. border being heavily restricted during the last two seasons, the Blue Jays played portions of their season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., and in Buffalo, N.Y., at their Triple-A affiliate’s stadium. During the 2021 season, on July 30, they were finally granted a level of exception from the Canadian government that allowed passage through the border and played the first game at Rogers Centre since 2019. Not being able to play on your home field for the better part of two seasons certainly sounds like a competitive disadvantage. Most recently, New York City lifted the vaccine mandate pertaining to athletes, making certain star players like Yankees’ Aaron Judge able to participate. The entire country of Canada might not be that easy to persuade. Toronto is opening its season at home on April 8 against the Texas Rangers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some tweets at the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Yeah, cry me a river, for any US based teams whingeing about "competitive advantage" after the last two seasons..... Last I heard, Aaron Judge was being cagey about whether he was vaccinated or not, but I won't feel sorry for the Yankees for one effing second, if he has to stay home when they play at Skydome.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/other/jays-shortstop-bo-bichette-focused-on-work-ethic-in-off-season-after-all-star-season/ar-AAVv785?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=c7776eea5d2a4489858c63c8d7d53896 Bo Bichette dug in in the batter's box, facing teammate Jose Berrios in the first live batting practice of the Toronto Blue Jays' spring training. With the day's activities winding down, players, coaches, and team staff had gathered around the backstop at Field 1 of the Blue Jays' player development centre to watch the showdown. After battling for most of the at-bat, Bichette made solid contact and sent the pitch to deep-left centre field. After a pause a coach called out "FOUL BALL!" to much laughter. Toronto's shortstop laughed too, but otherwise Bichette has been all business at spring training this year. He has worked with his father, former major leaguer Dante Bichette, as well as former Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the off-season. His biggest takeaway from working with Tulowitzki? "Probably work ethic, but not even amount of work, just the intensity in the work," said the younger Bichette in the Blue Jays clubhouse in Dunedin, Fla. "Also not really caring what you look like, just get the job done. "So I focus a lot on simple things. It sounds silly, but catching the ball and making good throws instead of a lot of the you know, trying to look smooth and stuff like that." The 24-year-old Bichette wouldn't quite say it's about working smarter, not harder. "To be honest, it's a little bit of both," said Bichette. "You've got to put a lot of work in but as intense as you can." It's not like Bichette lacked effort in 2021. He was named an American League all-star last season, hitting an AL-best 191 hits with a .298 batting average, 29 home runs, 102 RBIs, and an .828 OPS. For Bichette, working hard is a tribute to his teammates. "I think that that's probably what the best teams do is they're more prepared than anybody else," he said. "They get out there and they work when they feel tired. That's the kind of standard that we're going for here." Bichette turned 73 double plays in 2021 — among the top 10 in the majors — but he also led the bigs in errors at short. The arrival of Matt Chapman at third base is expected to help Bichette with his defence. "One thing that Chapman does, he plays D and plays in the hole. So we can always move Bo more to up the middle," said Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo, about Bichette having to cover less of the infield. Bichette had a hit and scored in the Blue Jays' 8-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Dunedin on Friday. He and right-handed starter Alek Manoah had their contracts renewed for the 2022 season on Wednesday after the pre-arbitration players and the Blue Jays couldn't reach agreements on new deals. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2022. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Blue Jay boss responds to "competitive advantage" report: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/blue-jays-mark-shapiro-says-incoming-players-needing-vaccinations-impacted-our-access-to-talent/ar-AAVvj5T?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=11a5ebde8f9b4bf78302b3723498ad9d International laws are creating odd dynamics in MLB. Much has been made of the Blue Jays' alleged competitive advantage because of Canada's travel restrictions on people who are not vaccinated for COVID-19. While it has mostly been talked about through the lens of players like the Yankees' Aaron Judge not being able to play road games in Toronto, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro says that the country's vaccine requirements have hindered the team more than it might help. "I almost jumped through my phone screen when I [saw] a reporter write that it's a competitive advantage of the Toronto Blue Jays because [teams] can't bring players across the border," Shapiro said Friday, per Sports Illustrated. "You got to be freaking kidding me." Shapiro then laid out the challenges the Jays have faced the past two years. "How about the competitive disadvantage of not being able to sign players that aren't vaccinated? How about playing half your season in Dunedin? In Buffalo at a competitive disadvantage? But nobody was writing that from the U.S.,” he said. The Canadian government barred the Jays from playing at Rogers Centre from the start of the 2020 season to last July because of concerns about cross-border travel. The team played home games at its spring training stadium in Florida and the stadium of its Triple-A affiliate in New York state. Per SI's Ethan Diamandas, Shapiro said the Blue Jays' "access to talent" was "impacted." The restriction "negated some trades and limited our free agents," and although the Blue Jays broached the idea of getting players vaccinated before they signed contracts, the team explicitly said it wouldn't sign unvaccinated players. Shapiro managed an extremely busy offseason in spite of these limitations. He signed right-handed starter Kevin Gausman before the owners' lockout, and when free agency reopened in mid-March he landed left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi. He also traded for A's third baseman Matt Chapman and dealt outfielder Randal Grichuk and cash to the Rockies for outfielder Raimel Tapia and a prospect. Shapiro also shed light on why the team decided against pursuing free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman harder. "It was one of those ones that we could have done it but, man, to think about that was tough," he said. "What's that going to mean, tying up DH and first base with two different incredible players?" Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the Jays' first baseman. Freeman eventually signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers. It's a difficult situation for the Blue Jays as they continue to try to gain ground in the AL East. The Yankees, Red Sox and Rays all have strong rosters. It appears, however, that Shapiro made things work as he tries to maximize Guerrero and Bo Bichette's early seasons with the team. The Chapman trade was one of the bigger moves of the offseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Marchand Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Pete, you God damn moron: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Further to the above: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/blue-jays-pitching-coach-pete-walker-arrested-on-dui-charge-in-florida-report/ar-AAVwzue?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=5da1572d3c6646e48482ed8609d28ab8 Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker was arrested Friday morning after he was speeding under the influence in Penellas County, Fla. According to local police the 52-year-old was going 82 mph (131.9 km/h) in a 45-mph zone. The police on scene said that Walker failed his sobriety test and confessed to drinking four beers at a local bar and restaurant. The Blue Jays and Walker are currently in Florida for Spring Training, and their southern home stadium in Dunedin, in Penellas County, is approximately a 10-minute drive from where Walker was caught allegedly speeding under the influence. As of this writing, there has been no official word from the Blue Jays or MLB in terms of potential disciplinary actions on the matter, but there is somewhat of a precedent to this happening to major-league coaches. Chicago White Sox manager and infamous baseball personality Tony La Russa was sentenced to one day of home detention, a mandatory 20 hours of community service, and fined nearly $1,400, for a drunken-driving charge in 2020. La Russa is a repeat offender in this case (he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2007 as well), and the initial arrest happened before he was hired by the White Sox. Walker’s situation could prove a little more complicated as a current employee in the middle of Spring Training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Yep...very dumb move by Walker....not sure how this affects his ability to do his job, but it's something he should have thought about before getting behind the wheel.... Meanwhile, in more positive news, former Yankee, Greg Byrd hit another Spring Training dinger today against his former team, turning around a high fastball and easily clearing the fence in right-center.... Maybe he'll be the left handed bat that the team needs, either as the DH, or off the bench.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 11 hours ago, gurn said: Further to the above: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/blue-jays-pitching-coach-pete-walker-arrested-on-dui-charge-in-florida-report/ar-AAVwzue?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=5da1572d3c6646e48482ed8609d28ab8 Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker was arrested Friday morning after he was speeding under the influence in Penellas County, Fla. According to local police the 52-year-old was going 82 mph (131.9 km/h) in a 45-mph zone. The police on scene said that Walker failed his sobriety test and confessed to drinking four beers at a local bar and restaurant. The Blue Jays and Walker are currently in Florida for Spring Training, and their southern home stadium in Dunedin, in Penellas County, is approximately a 10-minute drive from where Walker was caught allegedly speeding under the influence. As of this writing, there has been no official word from the Blue Jays or MLB in terms of potential disciplinary actions on the matter, but there is somewhat of a precedent to this happening to major-league coaches. Chicago White Sox manager and infamous baseball personality Tony La Russa was sentenced to one day of home detention, a mandatory 20 hours of community service, and fined nearly $1,400, for a drunken-driving charge in 2020. La Russa is a repeat offender in this case (he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2007 as well), and the initial arrest happened before he was hired by the White Sox. Walker’s situation could prove a little more complicated as a current employee in the middle of Spring Training. Should be automatic jail time. LaRussa getting that slap on the wrist sickens me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mj2345 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Getting excited for start of 2022 MLB Season!!! Blue Jays Open up at home Friday April 8th against Texas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mj2345 Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 https://www.tsn.ca/jordan-romano-ankle-sprain-walking-dog-toronto-blue-jays-1.1779070 Romano suffers ankle sprain walking dog; considered day-to-day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 Mixed bag on the Jays' front today.... Romano apparently threw a "pain-free" bullpen session yesterday and should be goo to go opening day. Berrios had his best start of the spring against the Phillies, although the game was stopped in the 6th because of rain and Berrios about 20 pitches shy of his goal of 80. The best thing about the start was that he appeared to be getting better as the game went on... Matt Chapman turned in a couple of defensive gems yesterday. He's likely going to surpass Donaldson and maybe even Scott Rolen as the best defensive 3B the Jays have ever had. On the down side, Nate Pearson is still sick, even though he has tested negative for Covid. Hopefully nothing too long term on that front. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mj2345 Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33662218/sources-san-diego-padres-acquire-lhp-sean-manaea-trade-rebuilding-oakland-as San Diego Padres acquire LHP Sean Manaea in trade with rebuilding Oakland A's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mj2345 Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/blue-jays-release-infielder-greg-bird-from-minor-league-deal/sn-amp/ Blue Jays release infielder Greg Bird from minor-league deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mj2345 Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 https://www.tsn.ca/seattle-mariners-julio-rodriguez-opening-day-roster-19.29828 Mariners top prospect Rodriguez makes Opening Day roster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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