Thursday Bantering: Game Times, Edwin Rumors, Playoff Odds

Happy ALCS Eve.

The start times of the games has released:

If people would like to meet up, how about lunch on Wednesday, before the game. I am open to suggestions on where.

And if anyone wants to go for beer after the games, we can find a place to meet.

Personally, I’m hoping for a Jays four game sweep.

There isn’t all that much for Jays news, at the moment, it is the quiet before the storm. They haven’t announced their rotation beyond the first game. There has been no official announcement on the status of Devon Travis or Francisco Liriano. Dalton Pompey’s spot on the roster depends on the health of both players. If the Jays aren’t sure about Devon’s ability to play, I would think Ryan Goins would get Dalton’s spot. If Francisco can’t play, I’d expect the Jays to carry an extra reliever (who they will likely never use) taking Dalton’s spot.

In our ALDS prediction poll, only 14% of us voted that the Jays would win in 3 games.

In the thread, the only ones to predict a sweep were GrubersTomahawkChop and erik.t. Great job guys, I tip my Jays cap to you. And to those that picked the Rangers to win, I can only shake my head sadly at you, ye of little faith.

As much as I think the time to talk about this is after our playoff run is over, Jon Heyman writes that the Jays ‘plan to make a play long-term for Edwin Encarnacion’. He tells us the Jays will

give both him and longtime right field star Jose Bautista a qualifying offer (assuming the new CBA still has a provision for qualifying offers). The Jays offered Encarnacion a concept of two years plus two option years this spring (with the idea of maybe getting to three years), but Encarnacion’s big year is expected to spur the Jays to be willing to do something more competitive – though no one expects them to blow him away and no one will be surprised if he leaves for greener pastures.

The idea of two years plus two option years is likely where I would have started with Edwin and Jose too. That’s what I’d likely offer Jose now. Edwin, after the season he’s had would never go for that.

Heyman talks about the rumor that Edwin would have been willing to take a ‘hometown’ discount in the spring. I get the feeling Edwin would like to stay in Toronto if they came close to what other teams offered.

I think there is next to zero chance that Jose would take a QO, but I think he’d like to stay in Toronto too. He been the face of the team for so long and he makes a fair bit of money in advertising and spokesman roles for Canadian companies. If he went somewhere else, matching that would take some time. But I doubt he’s want just a one year deal.

Keeping both would raise some questions. I think both only suited to a first base/DH role. If you keep both, you don’t have the DH spot open for some of our other aging players, who would benefit from being allowed games at DH now and then.

And our team is getting older. At some point we have to get some younger players into the lineup. As much I’d love to keep both players forever, I don’t see the team improving while the players move into their later 30’s.

And the people at bovada.lv have sent out new betting odds, and they have us as 2nd best chance of winning the World Series, next the Cubs.