Adios Alex!!1

So, that "non-story" about Alex Rios being claimed on waivers turned out to be quite the story in the end, didn't it?

Rios is off to the Chicago White Sox. I found out about his travels while on the treadmill. I nearly fell the fuck off.

Now that I've had some time to have a few drinks collect my thoughts, first and foremost, it's still hard to believe the Toronto Blue Jays allowed their starting right fielder - a two-time all-star, a Blue Jay lifer since being drafted 19th overall in 1999 - to walk away for nothing in return. I wrote only two days ago that it would be unbelievably foolish to allow Rios to leave; that there was absolutely no way it was going down like this.

Wrong. (Again.)

But I've changed my tune. And not only because I'm a J.P. Ricciardi apologist. While it hurts to see Rios go, it was the right move for him to be "awarded" to the White Sox. Toronto was presented with an opportunity by Chicago's Ken Williams, and it was one they had to take. I love Alex Rios. I believe in Alex Rios. But love is blind. He's not worth $12 million a season.

On the surface, sure, it looks brutal. I read The Mockingbird's take where "Jonny Hale ain't a damn thing changed" (as coined by Drew - LtB) points out that, according to The Hardball Times, the Blue Jays released an underrated fielder who, at an average of $11.7 million dollars a season, "is a bargain." So, I quite understand the angst towards Ricciardi.

(That being said, this notion that Ricciardi works alone in a small corner of the Rogers Centre, making these decisions all by his lonesome, is absurd, infuriating, and driving me batty. Much like the potential tradeage of Roy Halladay, I've no doubt the decision on Rios was an organizational move. It was too big not to be. If you're going to bash Ricciardi, bash his assistants, Tony LaCava and Alex Onthopoulos; bash Paul Beeston; bash Rogers. Bash them all. Not Ricciardi exclusively. Please, and thanks.)

However, I believe the market, down $47 million overall in club payrolls in 2009 versus 2008, will continue in that direction. No longer will the Alex Rios's of the world be worth $58.7 million over five years. That's Jason Bay type money.

We were all emotionally invested in Alex Rios, yet it's safe to say we all expected more. A player making that type of money has to have a career OPS+ higher than 104; has to have hit more than 24 home runs, and driven in more than 85 runs, in one season.

Bay's career OPS+ is 129; he's hit the 30 home run and 100 RsBI mark three times. His career OBP is .041 points higher than Rios's (.376 to .335). Rios is a better defender, with a better arm, and more speed, but I believe Bay is the better overall player. Bay's taking home $7.8 million in 2009, and will likely hit the free agent market this winter. Flip their contracts, and I think you've got a market that makes a whole lot more sense.

There will be no more waiting for Alex Rios. He and Vernon Wells were to be the offensive core of this team; it didn't work out. And there was only one moveable contract between the two of them. Bottom line: I believe the Jays figured they'd eventually, via a trade, have to pay for Rios to play on another team; that's why he's no longer a Blue Jay today. Like it or not, the offensive torch has been passed on to Aaron Hill and Adam Lind, with Travis Snider, the right fielder of the future, waiting in the wings. And I've got no problem with that.

The Blue Jays did receive something for their prized right fielder, who's never posted an OPS above .865 in his six seasons with the team, and I'm sure your already very familiar with the term: financial flexibility.

More financial flexibility. Gone is the remainder of Rios's near-$60 million contract, to add to the $11 million shed in trading Scott Rolen. In 2010 alone, Ricciardi, and his fine support staff, have shed more than $20 million, while adding only Edwin Encarnacion's ($4.75 million) and Josh Roenicke's ($1 million and change) salaries to their MLB payroll. (I'm a dreamer, but here's hoping the $15 million allocated to B.J. Ryan in the 2010 budget is available to fill other holes in the roster. That's more than $30 million to spend next year - Doc's last hurrah.)

Do the Jays have a chance to compete in 2010? As an eternal optimist, you know I think they do. (I think they're still in it this year. After last night's win, if the boy can win their next eight versus New York, Tampa Bay and Boston, they're right back in this thing. Playoffs!1) The pitching is there, and I'm assuming Roy Halladay is Blue Jay come opening day. The same goes for Marco Scutaro. I can support an outfield of Lind, Wells, and Snider. And while it's probably the complete opposite direction the team should be moving in, I'd be all over an incentive-based contract to bring Carlos Delgado back home as the designated hitter. (I'm a sucker for nostalgia.)

If the payroll stays in the $80 million to $100 million range, and I believe it will, Rios had to go. I think it's worth the gamble to have money to play with in a downward trending market, so Toronto can find it's own Bobby Abreu. (Five million!!1 Unbelievable.).

Think of it this way: not including arbitration eligible players, post 2010, the only Blue Jays owed loot are Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells. Financial flexibility for Alex Rios? Sold.

As Stoeten points out over at Drunk Jays Fans, this could be Paul Beeston, and J.P. Ricciardi, setting the table for the next Blue Jays president and, subsequently, next Blue Jays general manager. Ricciardi's come out and said that if they're tearing it down again, he won't be the man to try and rebuild it. So, in essence, Ricciardi might very well be going down as a martyr. What a man. What a hero.

Farewell, Alex.

UPDATE: According to Jeff Blair, everything is fucked, and we're all fucked along with it.

More J.P. Ricciardi Goodness

I've just begun to read Rob Bradford's 2004 book, Chasing Steinbrenner: Pursuing the Pennant in Boston and Toronto. Literally. I'm on page ix of the acknowledgements; the first page of the book. (You knew it was only a matter of time before I read a book with "pennant" and "Toronto" in its title.)

Found in the third paragraph of said first page is the following nugget, which put a smile on my face, and which I must share with you:

"Topping that list [of people to thank] is John Paul Ricciardi, the former scout who used to go out of his way in the Fenway Park dining room to talk basketball with a fellow high school basketball coach who carried no weight among a room usually full of baseball power. In the cutthroat world of media, scouts, and other executives, there is no more genuine person in any business than J.P."

Rob Bradford is clearly my new favourite author.

As for Ricciardi, it's amazing that even after he trades a Scott Rolen who asked to be dealt out of town, he can do nothing right in the eyes of so many.

Look, the trade wasn't about Edwin Encarnacion and his underperforming bat (he'll fit right in), and horrendous defence. It was about money, first and foremost, and the arms of Josh Roenicke and, especially, Zach Stewart.

I love Scott Rolen. We all do. The impact he had on Toronto's baseball fans, in only a year and a half wearing the best baseball jersey of them all, was nothing short of profound. #LONGLIVETHEGBOAT.

But Ricciardi did the right thing. He traded, for youth, a Scott Rolen who will be banking $11.625 million as a 35 year old in 2010; who has played more than 115 games in an MLB season once since 2005; and who seriously contemplated retirement late last season. J.P. sold high. And isn't that what a general manager is supposed to do?

For more on Rolen, Ricciardi, and the "utter disgrace" that is Kevin Millar, hit up my man Drew - LTB at Ghostrunner on First. And for more on the new guys, allow yourself to be filled in by the great Jon Hale at The Mockingbird.

Enjoy and appreciate Scott Rolen, Cincinnati. You'll never see it done better at third base.

Doc

I paid $8.50 to watch Roy Halladay do what he did last night. I gave so little, and got so much. It was akin to robbery. I now know how Rogers Communications feels when doing business with me.

It was an epic performance from Doc. I've been to five of his six starts, and last night's might have been the best yet; even better than when he laid the smack down on A.J. Burnett and the Yankees. 

What's really left to be said about Halladay? As TD points out over at The 500 Level, since 2002, when Halladay became a premier pitcher in baseball, through twelve starts he's arguably never been as dominant as he's been in 2009. His 82 strikeouts, thanks to a career-high 14 last night, are astounding. The man is aging tremendously.

A couple of folks put it most aptly: 

Baseball Facts - "Roy Halladay can make Tim McCarver shutup."

Ghostrunner on First - "Roy Halladay is not of this earth." 

It's one thing to watch Halladay shut down a lineup with a masterful two-hit, 95-pitch performance. It's another to watch him allow four earned runs in a troublesome seventh inning, and end up throwing a 133-pitch complete game victory.

At the top of both the 8th and 9th innings, I was on the edge of my seat, hoping to see Halladay emerge from the dugout. Each time, he did. No bullpen was going to blow the lead. Thank you, Cito Gaston. 

And make no mistake, The Cito knows: pitch counts mean something only to mere mortals; not Harry Leroy Halladay III. 

In the final two innings, Halladay struck out five Anaheim Angels. The side, in the 9th, to end the game.

If you don't know, now you know: Doc's the best pitcher in baseball.

UPDATE: Check out Pitch F/X goodness from Doc's start over at The Mockingbird. Halladay's 130th pitch of the evening hit 94.7 mph on the radar gun ...

UPDATE #2: Brian Wolfe's on his way to Las Vegas. As the fine bitches at Puck Huffers say: Woo!

UPDATE #3: Doc's start, and finish, last night, did not qualify as a "quality start." Needless to say, the quality start statistic is now dead to me. I will never reference it again.

Until May 29th, Massholes

Look at that, the Blue Jays are still in first place; still playing .600 baseball.

The Red Sox? I hate to channel my inner Dennis Green, but those bastards are who we thought they were.

Yet despite the sweep, it wasn't all bad. 

Brian Tallet gave Cito a quality start in Fenway Park, and Brett Cecil and Bobby Ray learned valuable lessons in defeat. 

The bullpen? Lights out. No Toronto reliever allowed a run. In nine innings of work spread over the three game set, a committee of Jason Frasor, B.J. Ryan, Shawn Camp, Brian Wolfe, Brandon League and Jesse Carlson allowed only seven hits while striking out 12, and walking only two.

Rejoice, Red Sox Nation. Revel in the fact that your beloved BoSox defeated Tallet, who before April 18 last started a game back in 2006, and two rookies fresh from the minors.

While the Jays weren't able to score runs, they sure did hit the ball. Toronto's offence pounded out 25 hits over the last two games, and left 29 men on base in the series, including 12 last night. The big hit simply remained elusive. When you live by the long ball, some nights you die by the long ball. That's the beauty of baseball.

See you next week, at our house, Massholes.

And we'll see you, young Travis Snider, in about a month.

Required Reading:

Over at The Mockingbird, check out the calls Jon Lester got last night from home plate umpire Marvin Hudson. Shocking.

The More Things Change...

I guess it doesn't matter who's managing the Toronto Blue Jays. They simply cannot score runs. The second Cito Gaston era began last night, and the result was one that Gaston's predecessor John Gibbons was all too familiar with: a 1-0 extra innings loss.

God damn this set of Blue Jays hitters. They are ridiculously inept. Not only could they not win one for their new manager, they couldn't even plate a run in 12 innings. Against Zach Duke and the fucking Pittsburgh Pirates! Not one.

I'm sure John Gibbons felt Cito's pain last night, for it was the same old story: great pitching, zero execution, runners left on base, and another loss. The losses are adding up. That's why Gibby, and half his staff, weren't in the dugout yesterday, replaced by the old guard. Last night's loss was the Jays' sixth in a row, and pushed their June record to 4-and-13. Shit's ugly right now. We're last in the AL East, 10.5 games behind the Red Sox, and 9.5 games out of the wild card (I need a hug).

To make matters worse, Roy Halladay, who was dominant again last night, took a line drive off the side of his head in the 7th inning. Facing a two-out, based loaded jam, Doc took a screamer off his temple, and the ball then ricocheted right into the glove of Scott Rolen to end the inning. It was a frightening play, although Halladay was able to walk off the field under his own power. The Jays are saying he's day-to-day, so look for Doc to be out of the lineup until September. Remember, Aaron Hill was only supposed to miss a couple of days after he hurt his noggin, and he's not coming back any time soon.

As for the unemployed John Gibbons, he's a great human being. Even after he was given the pink slip by his good friend J.P. Ricciardi, he had nothing but good things to say about the franchise and team, thanking the organization for the opportunity to manage and wishing the players well because he's "still a big fan of these guys and I want to see them succeed." Stay classy, Gibby.

I'm going to miss the laid-back Texan. He was a good manager and, ironically, he leaves with an even 305-305 record as Blue Jays manager. It seemed as though the Jays were always treading water with him behind the wheel. Never a push-over squad, but never one that truly competed either. And I didn't realize it until I read it somewhere, but turns out Gibbons had the third-longest tenure as Jays manager in franchise history.

Hopefully there now will be some serious soul-searchage going on in the club house. It's time for the hitters, one through nine, to look in the mirror and realize that four quality baseball people are out of work because of their inability to get the job done.

Does the return of Cito Gaston and a new batting coach mean that the Jays are suddenly going to start hitting and scoring some runners when they're 90 or 180 feet away from home plate? If last night was any indication, the answer is a resounding no. Yesterday's bullshit game simply proved that Gibbons' firing was not because Gibbons wasn't getting the job done, but rather a move to shake up the team.

The thullards over at Drunk Jays Fans can't believe that Cito's back, and think J.P. Ricciardi made the move in order to take the heat off himself after he publicly dissed Adam Dunn. I couldn't disagree more. Clearly, this move was in the works for at least a couple of days. It was only a matter of time until it had to be done, as the Jays are at least going to make an attempt at salvaging this season.

While I am a sucker for nostalgia, I don't think bringing back Cito is about trying "to bribe its fan base into having restored interest in the team by trying to capture a piece of its long-passed glory years." What other manager is out there with two World Series rings on his resume and who has some knowledge of the Jays current roster? Nobody but Cito. It's about damned time he got another gig as an MLB manager. And he said it himself, his heart has always been in Toronto.

I do agree, though, that this does reek of some desperation on J.P.'s part. And I'm fine with that. He should be desperate. The team he put together is sucking complete ass and if this ship doesn't get turned around, it's likely that these are also Ricciardi's final months as general manager of the Jays. As they should be. This was supposed to be a playoff team. At the very least, a competitive team.

When it comes to the Jays' offense, there's really not much I can say about it that hasn't already been said. Getting shutout by the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 12 innings, is simply inexcusable.

You know what I do miss, though? The home run. The Jays have hit 49 home runs this season, good for 28th in the league. Alex Rios, who's only hit three bombs this season, last touched them all on May 1st. May fucking 1st. (For more on how much Alex Rios sucks this year, check out The Mockingbird.) Scotty Rolen has only hit three jacks in 51 games. Don't get me wrong, he's been great, but the Jays need more power production from everybody in the lineup, especially Rolen, Rios, Wells and Overbay.

I was extremely excited about last night's ball game. It was great to see Gaston in the dugout. But when the game ended I was left with a foul taste in my mouth, thinking that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

A manager, whether its Gibby or Cito, and his staff can only do so much. Wake up Blue Jays hitters. Please.

*UPDATE*: Interesting column by Dave Perkins at The Star about Cito. Perkins calls him "a player's manager" who made "good players play." Perkins also gives an interesting history lesson. Cito, in his first go round in Toronto, took over a struggling Jays squad back in May 1989. The team was 12 games under .500 when Cito arrived. The 1989 Toronto Blue Jays ended up making the playoffs...