MLB 2016 thread

[Bucky]

I'm looking forward to the Jays this season, considering how 2015 ended, although I'm not real happy with the transfer of Cleveland's front office to ours and the seeming small market mentality that's come with it. As the third largest city in the league, with a market of 30 million plus Canadians, we should be in the top five in spending in all of baseball, not languishing in the middle. Not signing David Price and allowing Boston to get him is an example of cheap, small minded leadership.

The possibility of not signing both Bautista and Encarnacion is also bothering me. Jose Bautista is what the Jays are - no other player, even Donaldson from last year means as much to the Jays as Bautista does - at least in my view. And Goose Gossage is an imbecile for suggesting Bautista is a disgrace to baseball and to Latin players - he's one of baseball's great stars and the Latin players love him and the way he plays.

Anyway, at least for this year we've got by far the strongest offense in baseball and our pitching is looking pretty good - should be fun.

I see the Blue Jays struggling mightily in 2016. I fully expect Marco Estrada to regress. Relying on R.A Dickey, J.A Happ, and Jesse Chavez is just playing with fire. I do like Stroman, but let's be honest, he's no Price or Tanaka.

Jose Bautista is a egotistical hot head baseball player that will likely get traded in July. He's 35 years old and wants a 5-year $150 million contract. Complete absurdity.

The Yankees are the class of the AL East. Tanaka is a likely Cy Young candidate while they may have the greatest bullpen in the history of baseball.

 

[CanadaJohn]

I see the Blue Jays struggling mightily in 2016. I fully expect Marco Estrada to regress. Relying on R.A Dickey, J.A Happ, and Jesse Chavez is just playing with fire. I do like Stroman, but let's be honest, he's no Price or Tanaka.

Jose Bautista is a egotistical hot head baseball player that will likely get traded in July. He's 35 years old and wants a 5-year $150 million contract. Complete absurdity.

The Yankees are the class of the AL East. Tanaka is a likely Cy Young candidate while they may have the greatest bullpen in the history of baseball.

That was good for a laugh Bucky - thanks.

We'll look back at the end of the season and analyze just how absurd your comments were.

 

[Bucky]

I lump Blue Jays fans with Browns fans. low class. Throwing bottles and garbage on the field? Pathetic.

 

[austrianecon]

I see the Blue Jays struggling mightily in 2016. I fully expect Marco Estrada to regress. Relying on R.A Dickey, J.A Happ, and Jesse Chavez is just playing with fire. I do like Stroman, but let's be honest, he's no Price or Tanaka.

Jose Bautista is a egotistical hot head baseball player that will likely get traded in July. He's 35 years old and wants a 5-year $150 million contract. Complete absurdity.

The Yankees are the class of the AL East. Tanaka is a likely Cy Young candidate while they may have the greatest bullpen in the history of baseball.

Jose Bautista is a joke. He was a joke player in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Tampa and KC. I always thought he was cheat. He's ****ing crazy if he thinks he's gonna get $150m.

Yankees are far from class. Tanaka is gonna get blown up this year (more then last year). Watch him have a 4 ERA this year. And no, Yankees will not have the greatest bullpen in history.

 

[austrianecon]

That was good for a laugh Bucky - thanks.

We'll look back at the end of the season and analyze just how absurd your comments were.

As an Orioles fan, I hate the Blue Jays. They've literally lucked out because we got stuck with Expos. But I hate Yankee and Red Soxs fans even more. But Mark Shapiro is a steal for you guys, in 2017 or 2018 you guys will be golden and make massive run for 4 years after that (getting rid of dead weight contracts).. imagine this you could have had Dan Duquette who was an MLB reject for 9 years until 5 years ago when Orioles took a chance on him. It would have cost you what it took to get Tulo. What would you have done?

 

[CanadaJohn]

As an Orioles fan, I hate the Blue Jays. They've literally lucked out because we got stuck with Expos. But I hate Yankee and Red Soxs fans even more. But Mark Shapiro is a steal for you guys, in 2017 or 2018 you guys will be golden and make massive run for 4 years after that (getting rid of dead weight contracts).. imagine this you could have had Dan Duquette who was an MLB reject for 9 years until 5 years ago when Orioles took a chance on him. It would have cost you what it took to get Tulo. What would you have done?

Shapiro has done virtually nothing yet with the Blue Jays, other then make a lot of PR mistakes like touting John Farrell to a Blue Jays fan base that hates Farrell. We'll see if Shapiro can move from a small market, low budget team, to a big market team with aspirations and expectations of going to the World Series. His handling of Alex Anthopolous was incredibly bad and bringing his pet flunky from Cleveland to replace AA was another bad move. It looks to a lot of fans like transferring the mistake by the lake from Erie to Ontario. If they fail to sign Bautista, they'll lose me and thousands of other Jays fans in the process. They've come in acting small minded and that may be what the corporate ownership of the Jays wants, cheap bastards that they are, but it's not what this fan base wants and they've done a lot to harm the good will the team got from last years post trade deadline momentum.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

All teams make good deals and trades, and bad ones. The Blue Jays made a bad one with the Mets in the RA Dickey trade.

Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, John Buck and Wuilmer Becerra. for basically Dickey. Mets got a starting catcher, 1 of the best young pitchers in baseball and Becerra who is moving fast up the minor league prospect charts.

Dickey's been good for the Jays, but the Jays could really use Syndergaard and d'Arnaud, especially because the team controls both for the next few years, while Dickey will probably walk or be traded. (I'm guessing he's going to be traded sometime this year)

Anyway the AL East is going to be stronger this year, as should the NL East. But who knows? Last year the NL East was suppose to be maybe the strongest in baseball, but it turned out to be probably the weakest.

 

[CanadaJohn]

All teams make good deals and trades, and bad ones. The Blue Jays made a bad one with the Mets in the RA Dickey trade.

Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, John Buck and Wuilmer Becerra. for basically Dickey. Mets got a starting catcher, 1 of the best young pitchers in baseball and Becerra who is moving fast up the minor league prospect charts.

Dickey's been good for the Jays, but the Jays could really use Syndergaard and d'Arnaud, especially because the team controls both for the next few years, while Dickey will probably walk or be traded. (I'm guessing he's going to be traded sometime this year)

Anyway the AL East is going to be stronger this year, as should the NL East. But who knows? Last year the NL East was suppose to be maybe the strongest in baseball, but it turned out to be probably the weakest.

The Jays, in the Dickey trade, weren't concerned about D'Arnaud because they always intended to make a play for Russell Martin the following year and their catching situation is fully covered for several years to come. As for the pitching, they had to choose between Sanchez and Syndergaard as the prospect and they choose to keep Sanchez. I think Sanchez will prove to be the better pitcher - I think he already has - and pitching in the NL is far easier than in the AL in general and the AL East in particular and there's nothing that indicates Syndergaard would out perform Sanchez. As for Dickey, there's been nothing wrong with him in his years with the Jays - he's consistently pitched over 200 innings, something they needed, and at the time the trades positioned the Jays to win the AL East and many thought they were World Series favourites. But it didn't work out that way and lots of teams can tell you that such plans didn't work out - just ask the Angels or the Dodgers and many others. As for Dickey being traded, I don't see it happening unless the Jays are out of the division and wildcard races which seems pretty unlikely to me.

The Jays spent several years compiling future prospects for the purpose of trades like the Dickey one. Such prospects got them within striking distance of the World Series last year and without phantom umpiring in the last game in Kansas City, the Jays may be World Series champs right now. Too early to call anything, but the Jays look as strong as late last year, if not better, at this point.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

The Jays, in the Dickey trade, weren't concerned about D'Arnaud because they always intended to make a play for Russell Martin the following year and their catching situation is fully covered for several years to come. As for the pitching, they had to choose between Sanchez and Syndergaard as the prospect and they choose to keep Sanchez. I think Sanchez will prove to be the better pitcher - I think he already has - and pitching in the NL is far easier than in the AL in general and the AL East in particular and there's nothing that indicates Syndergaard would out perform Sanchez. As for Dickey, there's been nothing wrong with him in his years with the Jays - he's consistently pitched over 200 innings, something they needed, and at the time the trades positioned the Jays to win the AL East and many thought they were World Series favourites. But it didn't work out that way and lots of teams can tell you that such plans didn't work out - just ask the Angels or the Dodgers and many others. As for Dickey being traded, I don't see it happening unless the Jays are out of the division and wildcard races which seems pretty unlikely to me.

The Jays spent several years compiling future prospects for the purpose of trades like the Dickey one. Such prospects got them within striking distance of the World Series last year and without phantom umpiring in the last game in Kansas City, the Jays may be World Series champs right now. Too early to call anything, but the Jays look as strong as late last year, if not better, at this point.

Dickey's under .500 with the Jays, and barring injury Syndergaard has electric stuff. He won the only game the Mets won in last years WS. IMO him and deGromm will be better pitchers for the Mets than Harvey.

BUT being a baseball fan forever I have learned to never, EVER bet the house on young pitchers. I've seen a million of them come up, look great for a year or 2, then disappear forever. My point is right NOW, the Mets picked the Blue Jays pockets in the Dickey trade. But in 2 years I might be saying just the opposite.

 

[CanadaJohn]

Dickey's under .500 with the Jays, and barring injury Syndergaard has electric stuff. He won the only game the Mets won in last years WS. IMO him and deGromm will be better pitchers for the Mets than Harvey.

BUT being a baseball fan forever I have learned to never, EVER bet the house on young pitchers. I've seen a million of them come up, look great for a year or 2, then disappear forever. My point is right NOW, the Mets picked the Blue Jays pockets in the Dickey trade. But in 2 years I might be saying just the opposite.

We'll see what happens.

 

[austrianecon]

Shapiro has done virtually nothing yet with the Blue Jays, other then make a lot of PR mistakes like touting John Farrell to a Blue Jays fan base that hates Farrell. We'll see if Shapiro can move from a small market, low budget team, to a big market team with aspirations and expectations of going to the World Series. His handling of Alex Anthopolous was incredibly bad and bringing his pet flunky from Cleveland to replace AA was another bad move. It looks to a lot of fans like transferring the mistake by the lake from Erie to Ontario. If they fail to sign Bautista, they'll lose me and thousands of other Jays fans in the process. They've come in acting small minded and that may be what the corporate ownership of the Jays wants, cheap bastards that they are, but it's not what this fan base wants and they've done a lot to harm the good will the team got from last years post trade deadline momentum.

You are assuming he had the ability to expand payroll. It's Rogers Communications who decides. You are sitting at $130m right now without counting the rest of the 40 man roster. Opening day payroll is always lower then what it is at the end of the season.

 

[Linc]

You are assuming he had the ability to expand payroll. It's Rogers Communications who decides. You are sitting at $130m right now without counting the rest of the 40 man roster. Opening day payroll is always lower then what it is at the end of the season.

My gut feeling is that "good" teams that underperformed last year will bounce back this year.

Houston and Texas are the two teams I picked to over perform last year but are the two I can't get a handle on right now.

A full year of Cliff Lee and getting Darvish and Tepesch back should solidify TX but I don't feel it.

With HOU, Fiers was a steal and he's off to a good start this spring.

As for your Nats, Zimmerman and Fister couldn't get out of town fast enough .

 

[Bucky]

A full year of Cliff Lee and getting Darvish and Tepesch back should solidify TX but I don't feel it.

Cliff Lee is a free agent. He might have 1 good year left in him.

Darvish will likely start the year on the DL. He might have a good year but could struggle given the layoff.

 

[austrianecon]

My gut feeling is that "good" teams that underperformed last year will bounce back this year.

Houston and Texas are the two teams I picked to over perform last year but are the two I can't get a handle on right now.

A full year of Cliff Lee and getting Darvish and Tepesch back should solidify TX but I don't feel it.

With HOU, Fiers was a steal and he's off to a good start this spring.

As for your Nats, Zimmerman and Fister couldn't get out of town fast enough .

I am not a Nats fan. I believe the team should move back to Montreal and call themselves the Expos if they are gonna bitch about MASN.

 

[Bucky]

Jose Bautista is a joke. He was a joke player in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Tampa and KC. I always thought he was cheat. He's ****ing crazy if he thinks he's gonna get $150m.

Yankees are far from class. Tanaka is gonna get blown up this year (more then last year). Watch him have a 4 ERA this year. And no, Yankees will not have the greatest bullpen in history.

He's disrespectful to the game. That's not how we act in the United States...... maybe in Canada, where he did the bat flip but players need to be just a bit more respectful. I guess hotdogging and being classless is what they teach in the DR.

 

[CanadaJohn]

You are assuming he had the ability to expand payroll. It's Rogers Communications who decides. You are sitting at $130m right now without counting the rest of the 40 man roster. Opening day payroll is always lower then what it is at the end of the season.

I'm not assuming anything. I'm going by the man's reputation and what he's done here in Toronto. I know full well that Rogers sets the payroll and I know they're cheap bastards since the father died - Ted Rogers loved sports and his kids who took over control and moved it from a privately held company to a publicly controlled company are only interested in money, not sports. Ted Rogers is rolling in his grave looking at what his kids are doing to the company he built. That said, Shapiro was the perfect hire for Rogers because he built a career doing everything on the cheap in Cleveland and he's bringing that to Toronto. Virtually every one of his and Atkins' acquisitions have been players on the scrap heaps that they think they can rehabilitate for nothing. Not signing David Price and letting him go to Boston was a prime example of cheap, small minded thinking.

I've got one year left to enjoy the Jays before these idiots turn what AA was building into a new Cleveland Indians model. Hopefully they win it all because it will be the last chance for a decade or more.

 

[CanadaJohn]

He's disrespectful to the game. That's not how we act in the United States...... maybe in Canada, where he did the bat flip but players need to be just a bit more respectful. I guess hotdogging and being classless is what they teach in the DR.

That comment is so full of **** and a total lack of historical perspective that you have to be joking or totally ignorant.

The United States invented hotdogging and classless acts - in pretty much every walk of life - Donald Trump and Cam Newton are two prime examples at the moment - and I'm old enough to remember that many of the greatest names in baseball were big personalities who demonstrated their greatness and celebrated big moments in ways similar to Bautista and there isn't a single one who wouldn't have done something similar under the circumstances of that game and that inning. That moment rivals Joe Carter's World Series winning home run in Blue Jays history and is one of the most iconic acts in recent baseball history. You sound as idiotic as Goose Gossage.

 

[DA60]

He's disrespectful to the game. That's not how we act in the United States...... maybe in Canada, where he did the bat flip but players need to be just a bit more respectful. I guess hotdogging and being classless is what they teach in the DR.

Who gives a **** if he flips a bat? Gossage was flipping out over it like some senile idiot.

All the misery, starvation, torture, wars, disease and poverty in the world...and this dumbass is freaking out over one frigging bat flip.

Respect for the game? What a load of nonsense. It's a game, not a person. You don't respect things...you respect people.

If 'respecting the game' means human beings are supposed to act like robots - even when they make fantastic plays and/or are having great fun - then the game can go screw respect.

It's a game...not a war. They are playing a sport...not curing cancer.

And no one...NO ONE...is going to die because Bautista flipped his stupid bat.

Jeeeez....lighten up MLB and it's 'respectful' fans.

 

[Renae]

 

[Bucky]

Who gives a **** if he flips a bat? Gossage was flipping out over it like some senile idiot.

All the misery, starvation, torture, wars, disease and poverty in the world...and this dumbass is freaking out over one frigging bat flip.

Respect for the game? What a load of nonsense. It's a game, not a person. You don't respect things...you respect people.

If 'respecting the game' means human beings are supposed to act like robots - even when they make fantastic plays and/or are having great fun - then the game can go screw respect.

It's a game...not a war. They are playing a sport...not curing cancer.

And no one...NO ONE...is going to die because Bautista flipped his stupid bat.

Jeeeez....lighten up MLB and it's 'respectful' fans.

Not just him. I watched Robbie Cano hot dog to first base 50% of the time he played with the Yankees.

I am not here to crucify Bautista but that's not how they teach baseball here. When you hit a homerun you run the bases, don't admire your blast.

That's the difference between baseball and football/basketball: Tradition. It is America's pastime for a reason.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

That comment is so full of **** and a total lack of historical perspective that you have to be joking or totally ignorant.

The United States invented hotdogging and classless acts - in pretty much every walk of life - Donald Trump and Cam Newton are two prime examples at the moment - and I'm old enough to remember that many of the greatest names in baseball were big personalities who demonstrated their greatness and celebrated big moments in ways similar to Bautista and there isn't a single one who wouldn't have done something similar under the circumstances of that game and that inning. That moment rivals Joe Carter's World Series winning home run in Blue Jays history and is one of the most iconic acts in recent baseball history. You sound as idiotic as Goose Gossage.

Why.....?

 

[CanadaJohn]

Why.....?

Why what?

 

[CanadaJohn]

Not just him. I watched Robbie Cano hot dog to first base 50% of the time he played with the Yankees.

I am not here to crucify Bautista but that's not how they teach baseball here. When you hit a homerun you run the bases, don't admire your blast.

That's the difference between baseball and football/basketball: Tradition. It is America's pastime for a reason.

I guess you never saw Reggie Jackson or Ricky Henderson, to name two Americans, play baseball. How about Mickey Mantle bat flips or Yogi Berra pointing to the seats where he was going to hit a home run? Are all those great players - remember, they're Americans, bad for baseball and disrespectful of the game. And I distinctly remember Dennis Eckersley, in the 1992 ALCS when Oakland and the Blue Jays played - Eckersley came into the game in the 8th inning, with Oakland ahead by two runs, and he mowed the Blue Jays down that inning and as he was leaving the mound he faced the Blue Jays dugout and used his hands like two pistols firing at the Jays. In the 9th inning, Roberto Alomar hit a two run homer off Eckersley to tie the game and the Jays won the game and the series later in extra innings. That was a very exciting game and I hated Eckersley for getting us out in the 8th but loved how the Jays came back and took him down in the 9th.

You're just showing you have no idea about the history of the game and what has happened in tense, highly contested games. And seems to me your comments are bordering a little on racism to single out Latino players for your distain and not mention all the others in the game, the vast majority Americans, who are also demonstrative.

 

[Top Cat]

I guess you never saw Reggie Jackson or Ricky Henderson, to name two Americans, play baseball. How about Mickey Mantle bat flips or Yogi Berra pointing to the seats where he was going to hit a home run? Are all those great players - remember, they're Americans, bad for baseball and disrespectful of the game. And I distinctly remember Dennis Eckersley, in the 1992 ALCS when Oakland and the Blue Jays played - Eckersley came into the game in the 8th inning, with Oakland ahead by two runs, and he mowed the Blue Jays down that inning and as he was leaving the mound he faced the Blue Jays dugout and used his hands like two pistols firing at the Jays. In the 9th inning, Roberto Alomar hit a two run homer off Eckersley to tie the game and the Jays won the game and the series later in extra innings. That was a very exciting game and I hated Eckersley for getting us out in the 8th but loved how the Jays came back and took him down in the 9th.

You're just showing you have no idea about the history of the game and what has happened in tense, highly contested games. And seems to me your comments are bordering a little on racism to single out Latino players for your distain and not mention all the others in the game, the vast majority Americans, who are also demonstrative.

I have no problem with the bat flip. As long as the player knows high cheese will be served thereafter. And when did Yogi call his shot? Babe I know, but Yogi?

Oh and CJ, Bucky thinks the Cheatriots are America's team. He obviously is ill-informed.

 

[CanadaJohn]

I have no problem with the bat flip. As long as the player knows high cheese will be served thereafter. And when did Yogi call his shot? Babe I know, but Yogi?

Oh and CJ, Bucky thinks the Cheatriots are America's team. He obviously is ill-informed.

Yep, you're right - goofed on the Babe/Yogi - thanks for the correction. And yes, you're also right - Bucky's still in mourning.