If Ricciardi goes, Gaston's job also not safe..

by valter on Jul 25, 2009 8:11 PM EDT Comment 29 comments

It's been an incredible roller coaster ride this far into the season for the Blue Jays, but after witnessing the Jays lose two heart breakers in extra innings the last two days to the Rays, you have to presume a major shakeup could soon be on the way.

Although Halladay certainly will be the biggest piece of the puzzle soon to leave this organization, don't be shocked if other packaged deals involving Scutaro, Wells and possible Alex Rios could also follow .

We should also not rule out, that the axe may fall on Ricciardi before the end of the year. This organization is no further now then they were when Ricciardi came in with his bag of promises, which until this point he has never delivered.

If Ricciardi is let go and a new general manager is brought in with a new plan, there's a distinctive possibility Cito Gaston might not be retained. Yes, Gaston won two championships for us in the early 90's, but the game of baseball has changed.

Baseball games are no longer just being won on home runs and base hits, speed and situational strategies are very much becoming a huge part of the game. Bringing in a younger and established manager with fresh ideas would be a good move for this organization in the immediate future..

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Younger AND established?

Those two don’t usually go together

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 25, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Of course they do............example

Joe Girardi 45-years old now manager of the Yankees, came to New York already having success and leading the lowest payroll team in baseball in 2006 the Florida Marlins into a wild card spot..
Terry Francona who came to Boston and was only 45-years old when he took his post with the Red Sox in 2004..Mike Scoscia was named manger of the Angels in 1999 at only 40-years of age. Since then he has won five division titles with the Angels and one World Series Championship…..Freddi Gonzalez who is only 42 and currently has his team battling for a NL wild card spot…

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 25, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alright, So who do we get? And is Rogers going to pony up to pay said valuable commodity manager to come to TO?

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 25, 2009 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's plan for the future....

I don’t think it’s about dollars when it comes to Rogers, more about interest. Rogers just would rather invest the money into other profitable business projects rather than the Blue Jays…This team could really work here, but we should also keep in mind a new fan friendly stadium of about 35-40,000 seat stadium similar to Fenway Park is something this team also requires to move on into the future, if baseball is going to be part of this city for a long time… Yeah, Rogers has the money all right, but commitment is lacking big time when it comes to this baseball team. Hopefully, we are not going to be in a position similar to the Expos and end up being sold to an outside businessman who wants to move the team out of Canada….

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 25, 2009 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t see Rogers Selling the team anytime soon.

It is such a big moneymaker for them it is insane. Free Broadcasts for their own sports station, Naming rights to a big stadium in the middle of Toronto that holds many other functions and despite what their financial statements say with the free synergies between the two they make money with the Jays.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 25, 2009 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Empty seats= loss of dollars

If Rogers don’t start investing some more money to try to put a better product on the field, attendance figures will continue to decline and eventually Rogers will be forced to reach into their pockets for money to pay for overpaid underachievers such as Wells and Rios….

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 25, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m sure the overall attendance drop in ALL OF BASEBALL has nothing to do with it either.

You make it sound like the Jays are dead last in league in attendance which is simply not the case.

We had a similar discussion recently in another thread on this site, about how ticket prices vs attendance would affect their bottom line and you have to conclude that some accountants and finance people somewhere within the Jays organization have determined that this is the maximum amount they can charge to optimize profits.

Empty seats = Loss of opportunity to make money, not an actual loss of money. Having free content to fill up Sportsnet more then makes up smaller attendance figures in the eyes of Rogers.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 26, 2009 8:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Empty seats hardly means theyre losing money

with 50,000 seats, i think its a bit much to expect a sellout every game.

Onions Baby Onions

by ohmybosh on Jul 26, 2009 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unless you're the Red Sox, Yankees or Cubs

by suitup17 on Jul 26, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Okay, but how do we trade Wells?

by suitup17 on Jul 25, 2009 9:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's not how, but when?

Yes, Vernon Wells carries a big price tag no team wants, but in reality he’s a big right handed bat some teams could use down the stretch and into the post season….you can bet as soon as Ricciardi get’s reasonable offer on the table, Wells will be shipped out of town. The good news for Ricciardi, he will feel as if he washed his hands out of that ridiculous contract extension he awarded Wells last year…

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 25, 2009 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Um No team is coming knocking on the door to pay Wells close to 100Mil, They aren’t offering anything.

In fact most quotes i seen on MLBTradeRumours has scouts and such saying if Wells gets into the conversation… well that conversation is then over.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 25, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I missed JP giving him a contract extension last year...

I know the idea is to complain about JP all the time but he was signed in 2006, not last year. And it has been pointed out many many times that the signing came from above JP.

by Tom Dakers on Jul 25, 2009 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wells isn't going anywhere

Why does this come up all the time? His contract is the biggest albatross around any team’s payroll and NO ONE wants to pick it up. If Wells gets moved by some divine intervention, the Jays will be footing at least part of his salary or they will not be getting a “reasonable offer” in return.

I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby

by wroth91 on Jul 26, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It comes up all the time because it’s the biggest problem we have and until it is solved(either through improved play or shipping out) we can’t really think about building anything because we don’t know what to build around. It’s like the keystone and when you remove it the whole castle crumbles or at least the doorway to the castle. Right now Vernon is the moat, drawbridge and portcullis guarding entry to the playoffs.

by BigTimeBlueJayFan on Jul 26, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can’t “solve” the contract through shipping out.

It isn’t going anywhere, either via buyout or trade

So you have no choice but to work with it, Which is why Wroth is so confused it keeps coming up.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 26, 2009 8:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

unreasonable offer can be a good thing...

I’m not so convinced the Jays would be to concerned in getting an unreasonable offer for Wells at this point.
If they can get an opportunity to get rid of this guy for nothing, where they can receive a small prospect in return and the other team would be fully obligated to be responsible for the remaining of Wells’ contract, it’s a done deal…This would create some much needed cap space for this team and open the doors for the Toronto to acquire some much needed depth…

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 26, 2009 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree completely. If they can basically find some team to take on his full contract then they would seriously think about it,

But there are only two teams in the league that will take on Wells at 100 Mil and I dont think they are interested.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 26, 2009 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we all dream right now of this happening

Why are contracts in the MLB set in stone. It’s like me going into work tomorrow and just not performing or doing my job. They’re not going to say, " well you’re guaranteed to work here for the next 5 years, so I guess you’ll just have to get paid to do nothing." There should be some liability to perform. If not, then we should be able to release the player for a smaller loss, say 5 million for example.

by suitup17 on Jul 26, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then who decides who is performing according to their contract vs. who isn’t?

That is a fine line to cross.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 26, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

a team is free to offer up incentive-based contracts

that pay players based on performance. Of course, a player can’t be compelled to accept such a deal if someone else is offering them guaranteed money.

"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 Jul 26, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not necessarily....

Texas are very deep, and New York Yankees….Wells would be a good fit in Texas because he’s from there and he would be closer to home. While New York are already stocked in the outfield, but they are never short of money.. The Chicago Cubs are currently battling the Cardinals in the NL Central and their outfield are amongst the lowest in baseball in homers and rbi’s. Wells would be a good fit there, especially with the short porches in RF and LF… there are options or teams who probably could use a player like Wells

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 26, 2009 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And if you think any of those teams are take on a player who is getting to the age when they will be on the downside of their career, who has been hurt the past couple of years, who is having the worst year of his career stat-wise (In a year he has been healthy to make matters worse). AND to top it all off he is scheduled to make approx 100 Mil over the next couple of years? Not gonna happen.

You mentioning Texas makes me laugh. All of the Halladay rumours have Texas written off because they will have trouble taking on his contract. If they can’t take on Halladay’s contract, no chance in hell can they do Wells.

'But I don't want to go among mad people' Alice remarked.
'Oh, you can't help that' said the Cat 'we're all mad here'.

by JohnnyG on Jul 26, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right.

Texas should be jumping all over this. You know, for sentimental reasons. Ignoring the fact that his on-field play isn’t returning $100million, they should throw everything they can at the Jays to pick him up because he’s a hometown boy.

I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby

by wroth91 on Jul 26, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

correction...

When I say deep, I meant in funds….

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 26, 2009 10:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

and when you meant Texas was deep in funds,

you meant deep in the Red, because their owner is insolvent and they are borrowing money from MLB to meet payroll.

by ayjackson on Jul 28, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

David Murphy??????

Anything is always a possible…..how about Vernon Wells and his full contract obligations to the Rangers for David Murphy….This guy I believe is only 27, he can hit, run and play good defense..I would make this trade in a heart beat…

"Sports is something you know, not something you should preach.'

by valter on Jul 26, 2009 10:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You don't seem to realize that it is impossible to move Vernon Wells

Particularly to the Rangers, who are broke. But no team would take Vernon Wells’s contract obligations, even if they didn’t have to give up a useful player (as Murphy is). Your suggestion is unreasonable.

"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"

by jessef on Jul 26, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

JP

I would prefer that JP go, Gaston will stay, if Beeston has anything to do with it, the real problem with the Jays is the new owner, now that Ted has gone!

by BC Blue Jay Fan on Aug 8, 2009 4:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs