What Happens With JP?

by Matty Gaul on Jan 7, 2009 1:51 PM EST in Reviews Comment 12 comments

With all of the big signings going around throughout the league, and the Jays being responsible for none of them, they have to consider axeing Riccardi, in my opinion. He seems content with watching all of the big names signing else where, and won't even make a play for a DH. It's extremely frustrating for a fan, not to mention a beat writer. Riccardi won't talk to anybody (but in all fairness, we haven't haven't had the initiative to talk to him, anyways). The Jays have to do something this off-season, or did JP forget they finished fourth in the division last year, with Wells leading the team with a mere 20 homeruns.

I can guarantee you one thing; as soon as I land in Dunedin in February, and I'm sure I speak for the rest of the beat writers here when I say JP's gonna be peppered with questions and second-guessings.

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I don't know if you can blame Ricciardi

the offseason isn’t over, so he may have a strategy that may play itself out in a way that is beneficial to the Jays. He also may be working within constraints that we don’t know about. So I wouldn’t say it is his fault, though I agree that if the Jays go into the season with the present roster, he will have some explaining to do. Moves can be made without taking on extra payroll, though that doesn’t mean that if he doesn’t make any of them he is at fault. You can’t force another team to make a trade that’s advantageous to you.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 7, 2009 1:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Rogers needs to be fired as owners first

they’re the ones responsible for JP not having money to spend.

"He almost has to start. Do you believe in miracles?"

by Torgen on Jan 7, 2009 2:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Nice

Here, here. I don’t think they should be fired, but they should definitely give Riccardi a helluva lot more money to spend. I mean, come on, they’re major money-makers in Canada. Why don’t they give the GM of the team they own a bit more money.

Matty Gaul
Toronto Blue Jays Beat Writer
Email: mattygaul34@hotmail.com
Phone: 902-840-0905 (Text only, please.)
Website: www.bluebirdbanter.com

by Matty Gaul on Jan 7, 2009 5:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

IF he’s fired it will be ONLY because the new CEO wishes to bring in his own people.

I think it’s pretty obvious there’s no disconnect between upper management and JP on what should or shouldn’t have been done this off-season. Even if they look back on March first and say “Damn, we should have made a play for Burrell” they are not going to lay that at JP’s feet unless he’s lying to us about what he has to spend (and though he’s a known liar, there doesn’t seem to be any upside in telling that lie unless you are lying in the weeds for a later move).

I don’t necessarily agree with the “we must do SOMETHING!” logic anyway. If we take the team we have now to sprig training there’s every possibility we’ll have a notably better offense in 2009 and signing expensive starters to multi-year deals is unwise.
Even if it means you have some risks this season. The downside to having, for instance, Lowe sucking up 14 or 15 million in 2011 far outweighs the downside to having Scott Richmond spend part of 2009 in the Jays rotation, IMO, unless there’s some coming wave of cash we don’t know about.

by WillRain1 on Jan 7, 2009 7:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

One reason there's no disconnect between JP and upper management

is the vacuum in upper management. We don’t have a team president/CEO. (Aside from an interim one who doesn’t want to be the full time one, and thus probably can’t approve payroll like a full time one would.) Maybe if we did, we wouldn’t be in a payroll freeze?

"He almost has to start. Do you believe in miracles?"

by Torgen on Jan 7, 2009 8:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree we shouldn't make a move just to make a move

and I agree the hitting will be better. But there is still a substantial power drought on this team. Now Snider or Lind could develop into power hitters faster than people think, Rios could recover what looked like 30-hr form before 2008, or Rolen could suddenly recover his power stroke. But none of those things are particularly likely. The team would be well served to get a DH, and I’m starting to like the idea of Alou – he will be affordable and when he plays he has been a well above average hitter. Yes, he is certain to get hurt, but for a team that will have Snider waiting in the wings that could be as much of a feature as a bug. Let Snider hone his hitting skills (working on pitch recognition) for a little while until Alou gets hurt. If Snider is raking when Alou gets healthy, you keep Snider and mix and match Alou with Lind and Snider (and maybe Overbay, moving Lind to first) to keep him healthy and get them some bats against lefties without overexposing them.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 9, 2009 6:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It looks like Rios already recovered his power stroke

Remember 11 homers in the second half?

"He almost has to start. Do you believe in miracles?"

by Torgen on Jan 9, 2009 11:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

true

our power numbers really weren’t so bad the second half of last year.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 9, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Better

They could still be better. 11 isn’t that much..

Sorry guys, I’m just not much of an Alex Rios fan.

Matty Gaul
Toronto Blue Jays Beat Writer
Email: mattygaul34@hotmail.com
Phone: 902-840-0905 (Text only, please.)
Website: www.bluebirdbanter.com

by Matty Gaul on Jan 9, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

right

it’s about 25 or so over the course of a full season, isn’t it?

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 9, 2009 3:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not a fan if he hits 15 home runs.....

but he really did seem to be putting it together at the end of the season. There is the ability in there somewhere to have a really big year but will it happen is the question.

by Tom Dakers on Jan 9, 2009 5:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No matter what you ask come spring training we all know what you will get. He will talk in circles, never really answer any questions and possibly rip an unsespecting player for no good reason! It is always the same with him. And i am glad he never went after Dunn anyways. I find it amusing that he can voice such a strong opinion on Dunn but can’t answer a question about the Jays!

by schooner15 on Jan 7, 2009 8:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs