Best News of the off-season thus far...

by bunner on Nov 3, 2009 10:08 AM EST

And possibly the best news Jays fans will get this off-season at all:

"Anthopoulos confirmed that while the team's fourth free agent, utilityman Kevin Millar, won't be back, he does have some interest in retaining the other three."

Kevin Millar won't be back!!!! Woohoo...the other three being referred to are Scutaro, Barajas and MacDonald. The entire article can be read here:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jwsP9iWfJBgBTci58kxav8bBRwJQ

Whether the Jays are rebuilding or adding payroll the one thing we can be sure of is that Kevin Millar won't be hitting clean up for the Jays in 2010 and that is the start of something good!

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Yay....

by Tom Dakers on Nov 3, 2009 10:24 AM EST reply actions

Suddenly!

Melvin Mora is signed!

Well, I hope I’m only joking.

by Casusby on Nov 3, 2009 2:30 PM EST reply actions

I am sure that even Kevin, time may have passed him by and it is time to hang up the cleats. Broadcast booth, coaching, perhaps MiLB, independent or foreign leagues are opportunities. Congrats on you MLB career Kevin. Enjoy the next stage of your life.

by aagoodfella on Nov 3, 2009 3:11 PM EST reply actions

Which washed-up veteran will Cito put out next?

by Frag on Nov 4, 2009 12:05 AM EST reply actions

Yes to Scoot and Barajas,

No to MacDonald,

I love Johnny Mac as much as the next guy but it become clearly evident last year that he has no place left on this team even as a bench player.

Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...

by JohnnyG on Nov 4, 2009 8:53 AM EST reply actions

I disagree

I don’t want substantial playing time, but I can see him being a late game innings eater to give Scoot and Hill a blow, especially as the season goes on.

Johnnie Morton: The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

by craig in calgary on Nov 4, 2009 11:19 AM EST up reply actions

Yep that’s great. Except Scoot and Hill are already good defenders.

And Cito has shown a penchant for not putting in defensive upgrades regardless.

Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...

by JohnnyG on Nov 5, 2009 8:35 AM EST up reply actions

I don't really mean as a defensive upgrade

More as an inning eater to save Hill and Scoot from wear and tear. If its 13-2 Jays in the 6th, might as well get them out of the game and save them for the penant stretch…In ~~2015~~

Johnnie Morton: The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

by craig in calgary on Nov 5, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah but any “replacement level” player will be able to do that.

The problem with Baseball is that players with seniority tend to get raises, just because of their tenure with the league. I doubt very much that Johnny Mac’s agent is going to allow a pay cut and he is already getting paid too much as it is now.

Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...

by JohnnyG on Nov 5, 2009 2:16 PM EST up reply actions

he has a role on a contender heavy on batting and light on defense as a late inning subs when games are cemented. Also, the Jays won a Series with Manuel Lee, a guy light on hitting but good at fielding. I would not be so quick to dismiss him.

For sure he is on the bubble, but there are plenty of reasons to keep him around depending on how the roster fills out.

by aagoodfella on Nov 4, 2009 1:04 PM EST up reply actions

Manuel or Manny?

by bunner on Nov 4, 2009 2:07 PM EST up reply actions

well, they called him Manny, but I think his name was Manuel, which was always kind of funny cause in English, obviously, Manuel Lee (manually) is a word — ok, not that funny

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leema02.shtml

In any case, he was a strong glove, like Johnny Mac, and had a fairly big role on two championship teams, as could Johnny Mac, would be my argument. Bottom line, Johnny need not be systematically dismissed for his hitting flaws. It really depends on who else is on the roster which determines his relevance to the Jays and vice versa.

by aagoodfella on Nov 4, 2009 3:55 PM EST up reply actions