Well everyone has an opinion on the Rios thing. Mine keeps evolving, but I keep coming back to "it was a lousy baseball move." And it was. The guy was an All-Star a couple of years ago. If you were interested in improving your team you would ride out the year with him, hope that he has a hot start next year and then trade him when he has some trade value again.
Yeah we saved some money. That will mean something to me if we use that money. I do worry that all we will do is resign Scoot and put the rest in the pockets of the executives of Rogers. I think that is most likely at the moment. Picking up a corner outfielder as free agent or in a trade shouldn't be that hard after the season, the question is will we. Or will we sign someone that was good 7 years ago and hope that the effects of aging can be reversed.
Does it add to reasons why JP should be fired? I don't know, I don't think this was all his idea, unless he and Cito decide they were tired of Rios I kind of see it as a decision from above him. But then it's not exactly a vote of confidence in the job he is doing.
Anyway everyone has an opinion:
Surprising, Richard Griffin sees it as a reason to fire JP. The Toronto Star. Of course, Griffin sees the sun coming up in the east as reason to fire JP, with the underlining suggestion that he should be given the job.
Jeff Blair in the Globe is getting grumpier and grumpier.
It’s never a good sign when your general manager is forced to speak like an economist.
The Drunks have their own unique view.
Ugh. I feel dirty defending them like that, and yes, I do fully understand that if they had just found some money in Uncle Ted's couch cushions last year for a DH this organization could be in a different position entirely, so it's not exactly like I'm saying that there's no chance that this cash isn't going to disappear, never to be seen again-- and it really does pain me to say this-- but, um... could we all please simmer the @@@@ down and maybe actually give them the benefit of the doubt?
Hmmmm give them the benefit of the doubt? Have they been on the internet before?
Over at the Tao of Stieb, they are fighting out the fan vs. reasoned observer views, all in one post.
So we get it. It makes sense. It's rational. It was probably the right thing to do.
I don't think it is probably the right thing to do but ok.
The Southpaw thinks it is time to start the full rebuild:
So I'm ready to write it off. Close the books on this window of opportunity and look ahead to the next one. If the Jays tried to bring back most of the current roster next season, and didn't import ANY well paid free agent (which means you get buck coats or Joe Inglett in LF among other things) they would STILL be sitting almost exactly on the same payroll they have this year?
Anyway Randy Ruiz likely is the guy coming to fill the spot, Minor League Ball looked at Vegas the other day and this is what they said about Ruiz:
Randy Ruiz, DH Veteran minor league slugger, 31 years old, hitting .324/.396/.593 with 25 homers, 43 doubles, 105 RBI. A lot of this is PCL stat inflation, and scouts aren't going to say good things about his 6-1, 240 body. He hit .320/.366/.536 last year for Triple-A Rochester, a much more difficult environment, but with a 23/116 BB/K ratio. This year he's at 47/96. In these two games his approach looked good, working the count effectively, laying off junk he couldn't handle. His age and lack of tools will keep him from having a significant major league career, but if you need someone to hit 20 homers for your Triple-A team, give him a call.
Not exactly a glowing review, but he can't be worse than Millar.
Anyway there is still a game tonight and I'm looking forward to forgetting about all this and enjoying baseball.