So, since my last post on Friday, one word pretty much sums it up. Wow. We really never know what's coming with the AA regime. I'm not sure how I feel about any of the trades really. Obviously unloading Wells' salary is a good thing, but only if they spend that money on better players. And really, how many relief pitchers do we need?
Putting together link posts after a big trade isn't a whole lot of fun. When everyone is writing about the exact same thing, it's tough to find anything interesting but here you go. Does anyone think the Jays go into spring training with this roster, or is there still a move (or two...or more) coming?
Jays Links
Put Darin Mastroianni on the 2011 Opening Day Roster
I agree! Matthias Koster takes a look at Darin's numbers and makes the case for him on the opening day roster.
Is Alex Anthopoulos a top GM?
Brad Johnson at the Hardball Times thinks that the decision to hire AA was genius and that with their payroll flexibility, they could aquire enough talent to take a run at the 'beast of the East'.
Relentless, Alex Anthopolous Trades Mike Napoli for Frank Francisco and Cash
Mat Germain at Jays Journal was surprised by this deal, but now he can see the positives from the Jays perspective. I more or less agree, but are we grasping at straws here? The piece also breaks down the pitching rotation, and bench situation. How do you think the pen will shape up?
The Southpaw: Deep Deep Depth
Another look at how the pitching rotation will shape up.
Napoli for Francisco: Winners, Winners, Chicken Dinners
FanGraphs thinks the trade is a win-win. Here's why:
Napoli is a more valuable player on an absolute win basis, as any productive hitter would be vs. any relief pitcher, even a really good one. But there’s a good chance that a near-elite reliever like Francisco could fetch more in a deadline trade than a defensively-challenged two-and-half-true-outcome hitter like Napoli, should the Jays fall out of contention.
Red Sox explored trade for Jays' Bautista
According to Rosenthal, the Red Sox made multiple offers for Bautista, as did other teams. Also, according to his agent, the Jays have not offered a multi-year deal yet.
Around the League
Cashman Candidly Comes Clean
From Parkes:
There are two ways of looking at Cashman’s candor. 1) He feels secure enough in his job that he’s comfortable being transparent with all of this information. 2) He’s questioning his job security after the Soriano overruling to the point where he doesn’t care about optics anymore at all.
What do you think, is Cashman in his last year with the Yanks?
Your 2011 baseball-themed Oscar nominees
Oscar nominations with a baseball slant. Which is your winner?
Return Of The Two-Division Format, Part 3
Part 3 of FanGraphs 2 division format piece looks at how the baseball landscape would change.