Blue Jays Sign Ben Francisco and Kelly Johnson

by Tom Dakers on Jan 17, 2012 3:29 PM EST in Toronto Blue Jays News

Yeah, I messed up. Mike Wilner and John Lott were reporting that Morrow, Janssen, Francisco and Johnson didn't get contracts, and I put it up. I should have waited to hear from the Jays first, but I had waited for half an hour after the deadline and we hadn't heard anything else about contracts, so, wanting to get on with my day, I put it up. Dumb.

Anyway the real news:

The Jay signed 2B Kelly Johnson to a one year contract worth $6,375,000 and OF Ben Francisco to a one year contract worth $1,537,500.

Presumably the Jays are working to sign Morrow and Janssen to longer contracts.

Anyway, sorry for messing up, I should have known better after going through the Yu Darvish thing and seeing that no one knows anything. We'll wait a little longer in the future and make sure we have the right news before posting it.

Tweet Comment 44 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

6,375,000 million dollars

KJ is one rich dude

I tweet.

by benk on Jan 17, 2012 3:31 PM EST reply actions 5 recs

With that sort of money to KJ, Rogers really can’t say anything about payroll parameters or restrictions.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

by Jevant on Jan 17, 2012 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

It's a bargain

1 year deal, so no long term risk. He was the best FA out there, and if he signed elsewhere we’d have had a big hole there. All he has to do to earn the contract is deliver 1.5 wins, if he’s even average he come out just fine.

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 4:05 PM EST up reply actions

I think you missed the joke

6,375,000 million = 6.375 trillion dollars

by Playoffs!!!!1 on Jan 17, 2012 4:09 PM EST up reply actions

Woosh

My bad!

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

That was what I was laughing and commenting about.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

by Jevant on Jan 17, 2012 4:37 PM EST up reply actions

If it's any consolation

So did I. :(

by siggian on Jan 17, 2012 4:11 PM EST up reply actions

Meh, it’s alright, it came out late. Nothing wrong with just putting up a new post :)

I do tweets sometimes

by leaflover4ever on Jan 17, 2012 3:31 PM EST reply actions

I hate getting things wrong.

I blog, therefore I am.

by Tom Dakers on Jan 17, 2012 3:31 PM EST up reply actions

No big deal...

I thought I was wrong once too, but I was mistaken. :-)

by Alan F. on Jan 17, 2012 3:38 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I really like...

how apologetic you were about it. Any chance you’d ever see an author/columnist profusely apologize like that on the front page of the New York Times, Washington Post, or Wall Street Journal? Err, Canada, I mean, the National Post, the Globe and Mail, or someone from the Sun or Star groups?

Maybe it’s just the Canadian-ness, but either way, I love it!

"Do not ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

by Jeremiah Stanghini on Jan 17, 2012 5:35 PM EST up reply actions

atleast,

you didnt stake your reputation on ‘the jays press conference announcing they won Yu bidding in 10’..lol
……….whatever happen to that guy?

by highvoltagerob on Jan 17, 2012 5:51 PM EST up reply actions

he's still twittering just like before....

of course when you have no reputation, it is easy to bet it.

I blog, therefore I am.

by Tom Dakers on Jan 17, 2012 5:56 PM EST up reply actions

Don't sweat it.

This is still the best and most reliable site for Blue Jays news. And as mentioned above, you didn’t really get anything wrong anyways.

Keep up the good work!

by J-DUBZ on Jan 17, 2012 3:33 PM EST reply actions 5 recs

Although, I do have one beef with this site.

And that is that I can no longer talk to any of my friends about the Blue Jays anymore, because I become too frustrated with their lack of knowledge and understanding of what it takes to build a winner.

The price of enlightenment I suppose.

by J-DUBZ on Jan 17, 2012 3:42 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs

well....get them to join....

I blog, therefore I am.

by Tom Dakers on Jan 17, 2012 3:57 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs

Then how could he maintain that feeling of superiority?

I, for one, enjoy it quite a bit.

by Playoffs!!!!1 on Jan 17, 2012 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Haha, was just gonna say this!

by J-DUBZ on Jan 17, 2012 4:00 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, get them to join

Fresh fish!!

/bangs cup along prison bars

Hic sunt fortuna dracones
There is only 1 "n" in Hutchison

by JaysfanDL on Jan 17, 2012 4:19 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

that last year had seen many a fresh fish in theses parts...

"Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking." (J.M Keynes)

by HESS2479 on Jan 17, 2012 4:23 PM EST up reply actions

i am literally going through that right now.

But then he said that he thinks Johnny Mac should start at 2b. I informed him that he was no longer a jay, and declared the internet closed for the remainder of the night.

by rcharris_85 on Jan 17, 2012 10:06 PM EST up reply actions

takes balls of steel to close the Internet

or SOPA

I tweet.

by benk on Jan 17, 2012 10:49 PM EST up reply actions

Wilnerness590 Mike Wilner
AA says policy still same – only way to avoid hearing with Janssen and/or Morrow is to sign a multi-year deal. #bluejays #jays

Wilnerness590 Mike Wilner
AA: We all agree Janssen and Morrow deserve raises, just need a 3rd party to help figure out how much. #bluejays #jays

As a Toronto sports fan I proudly follow the lessons of lachrymology.
"He drives that new car around town and feels really good about it." - Ron Wilson
"Vancouver, BC: A massive inferiority complex with a city." - TheOtherAndrew
"HOPE is more than a postponed disappointment" - Epica

by Redonred on Jan 17, 2012 4:09 PM EST reply actions

Wilnerness590 Mike Wilner
AA: All deals signed today are non-guaranteed. So #bluejays can release players in Spring Training and pay just 1/6. #jays

by Redonred on Jan 17, 2012 4:13 PM EST up reply actions

This is interesting

Same thing that happened with Reed Johnson in 2008. For Francisco, I think this means this spot is far from guaranteed, especially if both Thames and Snider rip up Spring Training and the Jays decide to make room for both (by playing EE, Lind, Thames, Snider 75% each, or roughly this)

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 4:18 PM EST up reply actions

That makes a lot of sense. I’ve never heard of this non-guarantee contract before.

by Redonred on Jan 17, 2012 4:21 PM EST up reply actions

All contract awarded by arbitrators are non-guaranteed, in that the player can be released for 1/6 the value (or 1/4 if it’s later in Spring Traianing, less than 15 days to Opening Day iirc).

So it would follow that teams would generally insist than any contract signed in lieu of going to arb would be non-guaranteed

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 4:27 PM EST up reply actions

But Fransico was signed to a contract no?

by Redonred on Jan 17, 2012 4:34 PM EST up reply actions

Yes

But if they hadn’t, they would have gone to arb. So the idea is, the Jays would have said, since we’re forgoing arb, we want it to be the same non-guaranteed contract you would have got otherwise

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 4:46 PM EST up reply actions

thought that would contravene the CBA

signing a player to a non-guaranteed contract. Also, I though are awards to protected players (under six years of service time) were guaranteed. Damn Cot’s has removed the CBA from their site.

by ayjackson on Jan 17, 2012 6:58 PM EST up reply actions

Probably don't have the new CBA

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 7:07 PM EST up reply actions

i was hoping to see the old one at least

by ayjackson on Jan 18, 2012 10:07 AM EST up reply actions

That's still available in man places

Here, for example, at the MLBPA website

by MjwW on Jan 18, 2012 1:41 PM EST up reply actions

Morrow

Exact same quotes I was about to post and comment, lol. If he’s not going to sign a long-term extension, you may as well go year to year. And if you’re going to arb, from the team point of view, he’s the kind of player you want to take. Strong “nerd stats” but realtively poor convetional stats. Not so surprising they couldn’t agree

by MjwW on Jan 17, 2012 4:17 PM EST up reply actions