MLB - 2008 Season

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


Considering the team with the worst record is the Nationals, I'll take that bet.

Last time I saw, the Nationals aren't in the american league...

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
And they'll still beat the Blackhawks

But, about this baseball sport thingy .

Yet they couldn't beat the Blackhawks THIS year in the season series...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Arrian
They're morons because they have no viable plan, and they clearly have delusions of competing this year. If they want to compete this year, they needed Thomas. If they want to rebuild, they need to friggin' rebuild... not sign guys like Eckstein, trade for guys like Rolen, etc.

Apparently they've decided that competing this year isn't a be all end all, with all the young talent they have. And Thomas just ripped the manager for benching him. So how can you keep him around?

In addition you have a good prospect in Adam Lind sitting in the minors. And then Travis Snider, who is a top 20 prospect (according to Baseball America) expected to join the big club in 2009.

I actually commend the Blue Jays for making a bold move that needed to be done.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Yet they couldn't beat the Blackhawks THIS year in the season series...

Final record is what counts, not season series, boyo .

[Arrian]

They sign Thomas to a 2-year deal ($18 million) with a vesting option ($10 million)... and then just cut him rather than allow the option to vest. So they paid $18 million for a little more than 1 season of Thomas.

I don't know what they're doing with Lind. I wonder if they do. I've heard of Snider, dunno about the 2009 ready-date. Could be.

Their team is actually not full of young talent. They have Rios. Lind, if the call him up. Marcum, McGowan, Litsch and Accardo on the pitching side (that's good stuff, right there ). After that... Matt Stairs. Vernon Wells (not old, but not young, and has some scary injury history). Eckstein. Rolen. Zaun. Shannon Stewart...

I'll grant that if Thomas was a complete ass about sharing time (platoon DHing with Stairs), it may have been a necessary thing. Then again, that sort of thing should be manageable. Or maybe they should've looked at Thomas' history and realized that the option was a bad idea...

They've had a lot of trouble with players clashing with their manager over the past several years. I've no doubt that the players were at least partly to blame, but at some point one has to question the manager's ability to, you know, manage his team.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

As in the SI.com article about it:

Frank Thomas' career as a Blue Jays backup lasted a grand total of one day, albeit one very eventful day. On Saturday, Thomas publicly ripped management for demoting him, then didn't bother to appear either in the dugout or on the field during the Blue Jays' 3-2 victory over the Tigers.

He got demoted to backup for hitting like crap. Then ripped management and didn't bother to appear in the next game.

Little you can do but cut someone like that.

[Arrian]

He hit like crap in a tiny sample of ABs. It was an excuse to toss him to avoid the option. Come on.

Thomas is not blameless here, obviously. But that doesn't make the Jays management less moronic. Gibbons is known for being exceedingly undiplomatic. Riccardi... heh, let's just say I'm happy he's GM in Toronto.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

About Lind:

Adam Lind is hitting .360 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 14 games in Triple-A right now. According to the Canadian Press, he wasn't called up initially because he has a sore neck, but he will be up soon enough. He will play every day. And he can rake.

It was an excuse to toss him to avoid the option.

Well, I'm sure if it was just he wasn't hitting that's one thing, but when he goes off because the manager benches him for a day (or even a week), there isn't anything you can do. Can't really keep a grumbling player on the team, who is scheduled to make $10mil the next year if you can get out of it. Makes sense to just rid yourself of him.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Can't really keep a grumbling player on the team, who is scheduled to make $10mil the next year if you can get out of it. Makes sense to just rid yourself of him.

What? They still have Rolen.

Oh - right; he's not grumbling yet. I'm sure the whole Thomas thing will get him started.

[Ming]

Big guys that can't play defense or run better hit. Thomas has been awful all year. Sure, one might argue that the odds will work in his favor and that he would start to hit soon, but the Jays can't afford to wait. The fact that he pulled a childish stunt by whining, and then not showing up just made him an easier target.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Stuie


What? They still have Rolen.

Oh - right; he's not grumbling yet. I'm sure the whole Thomas thing will get him started.

In the minors on the dl rehab assignment. I'm sure that grumbling will commence promptly on his return. Maybe they wanted Thomas gone before Rolen made it back up?

[Deity Dude]

Originally posted by Ming
Big guys that can't play defense or run better hit. Thomas has been awful all year. Sure, one might argue that the odds will work in his favor and that he would start to hit soon, but the Jays can't afford to wait. The fact that he pulled a childish stunt by whining, and then not showing up just made him an easier target.

I don't like whiners but can excuse it if it doesn't happen often.

Doesn't Thomas usually start out slow - at least for the last 3 or 4 years. Someone said the Blue Jays couldn't afford to wait. Well unless they have someone of Thomas' May-Sept numbers waiting to take his place, they couldn't afford not to wait. He'll soon be doing fine on another AL team.

Ozzy, I did say "worst in the league", not in all of baseball.

Snoopy, I've heard about the Wings getting old for a very long time now but they keep seeming to get top notch young players (Dastyuk Zetterberg, Samuelssen just to name a few) and top veteran free agency pick-ups to add to the mix of over-the-hill hall of famers to keep them one of the best teams every year. I'll take the Wings over the Blackhawks in 2 years. I'd probably take the Pistons over the Bulls too, but, that one isn't as certain.

Now back to your previouosly scheduled baseball thread.

[Ming]

Yeah... Thomas has never been known to get out of the gate fast. But I can see Toronto's point here. It's one thing to whine about not starting. It's another thing to not show up for a game. That was not a smart thing for him to do, especially with the way he has played so far this year.

[-Jrabbit]

His money is guaranteed. I suspect it was very smart -- getting him out of a bad situation and possibly onto a contending team.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Deity Dude

Ozzy, I did say "worst in the league", not in all of baseball.

Eh, sometimes people say "league" to mean "mlb". *shrug*