Jays Don't Get Aroldis Chapman
by Tom Dakers on Jan 10, 2010 1:59 PM EST
in Toronto Blue Jays News
Email
PrintMost likely. It is all just rumors yet.
Apparently a National League team has signed Chapman for $30 millions. The rumor was that the Jays offered $23 million. If this is true someone blew the Jays offer right out of the water. I don't understand why someone would top the last offer by $7 million, I guess someone really wanted him.
They figure it is an NL Central team that made the offer.
Update: Looks like it is the Reds that signed him, filling the prospects hole that was opened when they trade for Rolen.
36 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
30 million? no thanks
There is a fine line between a realistic offer and one that is downright insane. Besides, by the time Chapman reaches the majors (if he ever does) we will have a starting five of Marcum, Romero, Drabek, Jenkins, and Stewar/Morrow, so Chapman can suck it.
Marcum will be a free agent after 2012
As will McGowan, who missed your list somehow. None of the last 4 you listed are sure things.
They're not just hitting home runs. They're doing the little things, like hitting doubles.
you gotta have hope!
I don’t think McGowan’s future lies in the rotation. If Marcum bolts (not sure he would wanna give up a spot on a then hopefully competing team), we still have Cecil; whom i really have high hopes for. But you to figure that if the current plan calls for a contending team by 2012, Rogers will be kind enough to loosen the purse strings by that time.
Hope is not a strategy
They're not just hitting home runs. They're doing the little things, like hitting doubles.
not a real strategy, no
but it can be a pretty effective PR strategy
"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
That's too bad
But the line had to be drawn somewhere. 23-25 million was probably as good an offer that could/should have been made.
Cincinnati is a confusing organization.
I was hoping the Jays would land him, oh well.
30 million? That’s a tad ridiculous. It’s especially confusing considering recent rumors suggested the highest offers were around 23-25 million. Unless those rumors were off.
Either Chapman’s agent(s) is/are really good or Cincinnati’s management is insane.
I would have liked to see him as a Jay but perhaps it’s best the Jays keep their money to sign draft picks, bolster our system and spend this type of money 2 or 3 years down the road to get a missing piece.
Bizarre
$30M is just too high. If that’s where the bidding war had gotten to, I’m glad the Jays pulled out. $20-25M should have been the upper limit, and I’m really encouraged that AA put forward an offer at $23M. It shows the Jays are ready to spead if it improves the ballclub, and aren’t afraid to take a couple of risks for the highest upside. However, dumping another $7M into it would have just been brinksmanship.
In Reality this was a win/win situation for AA.
Seeing the Jays take a serious run at this guy showed the fanbase that management was willing to spend the money and not just words (no rather they ever really intended to sign the guy remains a point of contention) but whether or not they did sign him for the amount they wanted to, or not they were going to get a ton of good press out of this and revitalize a fanbase somewhat that has taken some lumps these past 2 years.
Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...
True
But I doubt that was what AA was thinking. I think he wanted Chapman within a certain price window, and once he was comfortable with it, made a solid offer. The fact that the Reds came in almost a third higher to me says that they felt if it came down to a couple of million, Chapman was ready to chose Toronto or LA, so they trumped it with cash.
It shows some good things about our GM and President that they could swing a real shot at the guy, and almost as much when someone decided to overpay, they shook their heads and walked away.
I agree that
You have to be able to walk away. Otherwise you have no bargaining power and end up making bad decisions.
You can agree or disagree with AA’s specific decision here, but I respect the fact that he had a specific plan and amount he was willing to pay, and stuck with it, even when the narrative that Toronto was likely to get him began to develop, something that I’m sure made it tempting to go all in on Chapman rather than lose him.
"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 11, 2010 8:50 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
If Chapman turns out to be Randy Johnson or some other pitching superstar than $30M is an ok price for five or six years … of course that is with the benefit of hindsight. The question is what probability do you attach to him achieving that stature, how quickly and for how long.
The thing is, something around $20-$25 is the price of a top level starting prospect that has some experience. Past that, and I think you want someone proven in MLB level ball. I look at Chapman as a more advanced Strassburg; high potential upside, has had success against major league talent. So, sure, he’s worth a good potion more than Strassburg because it’s more likely he’ll see the Bigs in a short time frame. More than that, and you’re making a costly gamble.
I'm not sure that
Chapman will see the bigs before Strasburg.
"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 11, 2010 8:56 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Personal Bias
I’m not as sure about Strasburg as everyone else. I don’t like his mechanics, which I think pronates his elbow oddly. With his breaking ball, I’m convinced that elbow is going to blow out sooner rather than later. So I fully admit Strasburg objectively could get to the bigs to stick sooner.
risky mechanics, I tend to agree
I’m not an expert on mechanics, but based on what I’ve seen of Chapman and also looking at some of the problem’s he’s had, I think repeatability of his delivery is a significant concern and has caused a lot of his control problems. So I could see him taking longer than Strasburg to get to the majors, but perhaps
having fewer long-term arm problems over the long run.
the real reason Chapman is getting what he is, though, and Strasburg is getting what he is, is that Chapman had the ability to bargin with 30 teams, and Strasburg had 1.
"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
Chapman has a very long, very elastic kind of delivery, which right now is quite sloppy. However, it’s fairly smooth in the sense that he uses his whole body in the delivery and whips the arm, which means it’s a lot less stress on the elbow and rotator cuff than your usual fireballer, who jacks the shoulder on their delivery. That’s something that will really work for him, if he’s got the work ethic and will listen, is to have a good coach tighten up his delivery a bit, which should fix the control issues. I wouldn’t even play with the arm motion much, instead focus on his draw back from the glove and then his follow through. If he can shorten those movements a bit, make them consistent, they’ll dictate his arm.
According to this Yankee blogger, Chapman is on a plane to Cincinnati.
i wanted him as a Jay
but not at that price, i’d pass
given the price of free agents … i am not sure. It could turn out to be a very bad deal. It could turn out to be a great deal. In any case, it is a big gamble for sure. But I am not disappointed in AA or Jays. They fought hard and were in the lead much of the way. I do not think Jays fans can fault them from walking away at $30M. (if that proves to be official)
Thats fine.
We’re already stacked on pitching anyway. though he seems like a fabulous prospect, 30 mil for someone who hasn’t pitched in the U.S. is a stretch.
HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THEM, I PRESS DOWN MAH GUNS!
id still want him at that price
and i know everyone else would too deep down… rogers has the money to spend.
Onions Baby Onions
I want him too
but the way i look at it, at least now we have no excuse not to sign all of our high draft picks. Hopefully someone falls to us at #11 and we’ll have the money to sign him.
Jays came in 3rd
Olney says A’s had the 2nd highest offer
Good lord, so much for rumours and reporting. A’s were never in any of the talks that I saw.
Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...
i would not be surprised if there were a few teams stealthily hanging on the sidelines looking to make a last minute play
by aagoodfella on Jan 10, 2010 10:18 PM EST up reply actions
Not bad
At least this way, if he turns into a superstar AA gave it a shot. If he flops then good on AA for not blowing his budget. Saves some money for those draft picks!
Why do we do this to ourselves?
I’ve got a bad feeling about the upcoming draft.
If I an agent for a prospect (Well ok advisor, since they can’t have agents before they have pro) I am making sure my client knows that the Jays want to avoid another PR disaster and could very well be vulnerable at the table because of that.
I could see a few players getting bumped up because the Jays don’t want to miss out like last time.
Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...
fortunately
every agent knows we’ll walk away from a deal if we don’t think the price is right. No team has made that clearer than Beeston and the Jays made it last summer.
This is the Jays MO. They have a value in mind for a player and won’t overpay. They showed it with Paxson and Eliopolous and they showed it with Chapman.
It can be argued whether that is the right decision. I realize that Paxson and Eliopolous may not have been all that great anyways, but if that’s the case, don’t draft them.
Last year’s draft is still a fail to me, unless those picks are absolutely golden this year.
yeah, that wasn't my point
just saying that agents have to be careful with the Jays if they think they can call their bluff.
It's all Good
AA made a play for a big name ‘flashy’ player but got beat out…it might have looked bad if Chapman signed with the Reds for $23.5M but at $30M that is significantly higher and a price I’m glad the Jays backed off from.
HOPEFULLY that money will be available for the Jays to use on the 2010 draft and for any other international FA’s that may pop up this season.
I wonder if the Jays ever goosed up their offer a bit before it got to $30M. Maybe they moved to $25M and/or $27M and then just said it was enough and walked away. Are these things blind auctions like sealed bids where you make an offer and hope it is the highest? Or do the agents call around and say, “hey, we have a $23M, you want to beat it?” etc …
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
