Where is all this money coming from? I thought this team was destined to mediocrity. Now they've spent over $100 million on two pitchers already.. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article.jsp?content=20051206_100700_4768">http://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article.jsp ... 00700_4768</a><!-- m -->
I dont get this Burnett deal, the guy was 12-12 and he gets $55 million bucks?
cratch:
LizardKing51 Wrote:Where is all this money coming from? I thought this team was destined to mediocrity. Now they've spent over $100 million on two pitchers already.. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article.jsp?content=20051206_100700_4768">http://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article.jsp ... 00700_4768</a><!-- m -->
I dont get this Burnett deal, the guy was 12-12 and he gets $55 million bucks? cratch:
They overpaid for both Burnett and Ryan. 5 years for Burnett??? Anyone ever hear of Chan Ho Park?? It's clear that the Jays are desperate. Who knows, maybe the signings will pay off and help the Jays win.
11 million a year? Sounds legit to me. W-L records don't mean jack, LK. AJ has electric stuff, as shown by more telling statistical indicators like ERA (3.44, very low for a starter by today's standards), and WHIP (also well below average).....
I'd be excited if I were Jays fan.....sure wish the fricking Reds would do something this offseason....
It looks as though this is do or die time for Ricciardi. The Jays just gave him three more years. He had promised when he came to Toronto that they would be a playoff team by 2005. If they don't make it by the time this contract is up, he'll be toast.
The Horrible Esthete Wrote:11 million a year? Sounds legit to me. W-L records don't mean jack, LK. AJ has electric stuff, as shown by more telling statistical indicators like ERA (3.44, very low for a starter by today's standards), and WHIP (also well below average).....
I'd be excited if I were Jays fan.....sure wish the fricking Reds would do something this offseason....
ERA's are lower in the NL though. A 3.44 ERA would be more impressive in the AL, with the DH and all. Also, Burnett breaking down at the end of the season and blasting the entire front office of the Marlins wasn't the thing legends are made of. Having good stuff isn't everything. I agree that wins can be deceiving because Millwood was by far the Indians' best pitcher last year but he got no run support, thus not many wins.
11 million is what the market dictates, but that doesn't make it legit. I remember when guys like Chan Ho Park and Darren Dreifort and Kevin Brown were signing deals from ten to 14 million a year and look at them now!!!
The Indians just signed Paul Byrd to a 2 year 14.25 million dollar deal and Byrd had an ERA of 3.74 last season IN THE AL. Going by earned run average only, Byrd and Burnett are comparable but their salaries aren't. This isn't to say Byrd will be better than Burnett. As an Indians fan, I hope Byrd does well but I'm not expecting him to be dominant. Burnett should be dominant with the salary he's making but he has only shown dominance in spurts during his career. Burnett will be making close to what Halladay makes and in my mind, Halladay is a far superior pitcher and is proven. If I were a Blue Jays' fan, I'd be very worried about Burnett earning his keep. Of course, I guess it doesn't matter what the players make, as long as the team is good. I find myself having the mentality of a GM sometimes and I have to sit back and realize that it would be great if the Indians had Manny to fill their need as a right handed power hitter, even though it's not fiscally responsible of the team.
tigerthelion Wrote:The Indians just signed Paul Byrd to a 2 year 14.25 million dollar deal and Byrd had an ERA of 3.74 last season IN THE AL. Going by earned run average only, Byrd and Burnett are comparable but their salaries aren't. This isn't to say Byrd will be better than Burnett. As an Indians fan, I hope Byrd does well but I'm not expecting him to be dominant. Burnett should be dominant with the salary he's making but he has only shown dominance in spurts during his career.
A key difference between Byrd and Burnett is that Byrd is 35 and as such, is
much more likely to decline in performance whereas Burnett is 28, which puts him in the prime of his career.
The reaction of most Jays fans I've talked to about the Ryan and Burnett deals has made me laugh. When the team was penny-pinching and not signing anyone, fans complained. When the team overpays for a couple of pitchers, fans complain. And of course the whiney, cynical, know-it-all Toronto sports media has no choice but to whine because that's all that they know.
I too am a Jays fan, and I'm just glad that JP is trying to do something to improve the team rather than going on and on about the supposed prospects. Hell, it isn't my money!
Well, he's the best FA pitcher in the market this offseason, and I fully expected him to go for about what Toronto inked him.
Pitchers are commanding more and more money with each passing year.
Everybody says that any team "overpays" with every new top -FA pitcher contract, but the reality, this is what today's market bears. Burnett isn't an "elite" #1, but he's a solid #2, and this is the money these guys earn in todays FA market, like it or not.
I say you're much better off "liking it" - because your team got him, and you aren't really the one with the burden of paying is salary. Pitching is EVERYTHING, and you simply MUST have it to play in October.
cferneyh Wrote:The reaction of most Jays fans I've talked to about the Ryan and Burnett deals has made me laugh.....I too am a Jays fan, and I'm just glad that JP is trying to do something to improve the team rather than going on and on about the supposed prospects. Hell, it isn't my money!
Ex-ACTLY. Be happy, folks. It could be sooooo much worse.
The Horrible Esthete Wrote:Well, he's the best FA pitcher in the market this offseason, and I fully expected him to go for about what Toronto inked him.
Pitchers are commanding more and more money with each passing year.
Everybody says that any team "overpays" with every new top -FA pitcher contract, but the reality, this is what today's market bears. Burnett isn't an "elite" #1, but he's a solid #2, and this is the money these guys earn in todays FA market, like it or not.
I say you're much better off "liking it" - because your team got him, and you aren't really the one with the burden of paying is salary. Pitching is EVERYTHING, and you simply MUST have it to play in October.
Yeah, you're probably right. IF the Jays ever happened to make it to October and win in the playoffs, Burnett and Ryan would be worth every penny.
The only worry might be that if Ryan and Burnett were to fail, the Jays wouldn't have money to replace them. That's a minor quibble, but anyway....The Jays are a better team now, for sure. They have a proven closer and a good 1-2 punch. Now, let's see if anyone other than Vernon Wells can hit the ball.
Yes, Byrd is 35 and only has a few years left. I agree. Burnett is an upgrade over Lilly or whoever the #2 was last season for the Jays. The Jays are a better team now. Expectations will rise now. If the Jays don't make the playoffs, or at least reasonably contend this season or next, I think it's time for J.P. to be canned.
The Horrible Esthete Wrote:cferneyh Wrote:The reaction of most Jays fans I've talked to about the Ryan and Burnett deals has made me laugh.....I too am a Jays fan, and I'm just glad that JP is trying to do something to improve the team rather than going on and on about the supposed prospects. Hell, it isn't my money!
Ex-ACTLY. Be happy, folks. It could be sooooo much worse.
No sweat off my sac, I hate the Jays.
yeah thank you mr.rogers !! they may have overpaid but at least both guys are secured for the next five seasons, burnett throws smoke 98miles per hour fastball w/ a wicked slider, brad ansberg was also his former pitching coach
now if jp can trade batista/hinske for a good bat i'm happy
but for the love of gawd keep hudson!!
kleh Wrote:yeah thank you mr.rogers !! they may have overpaid but at least both guys are secured for the next five seasons, burnett throws smoke 98miles per hour fastball w/ a wicked slider, brad ansberg was also his former pitching coach
now if jp can trade batista/hinske for a good bat i'm happy
but for the love of gawd keep hudson!!
Yeah, but who would want Hinske? He's a BUM! No ifs, ands, or buts about it! Hinske is awful. I can't see any team wanting him.
I think Batista is a good starter but not a great reliever. He had to close because the Jays didn't have anyone else, but I still think Batista is a good pitcher.
kleh Wrote:yeah thank you mr.rogers !! they may have overpaid but at least both guys are secured for the next five seasons, burnett throws smoke 98miles per hour fastball w/ a wicked slider, brad ansberg was also his former pitching coach
now if jp can trade batista/hinske for a good bat i'm happy
but for the love of gawd keep hudson!!
I agree with thanking Mr. Rogers... but he better not raise my cable fees as a result of this!
Anyway, I think it's a good deal to get Burnett... yeah they are probably overpaying him but he's a great addition to the pitching staff. Doc and AJ are a pretty good 1-2 punch in the rotation!
I'm not quite sold on Ryan yet, I don't know too much about him. Hopefully he proves to be (relatively) worth the coin they're giving him. Closing is a funny thing... except for a few guys, most have a pretty short lifespan.
The 2006 season sure should be interesting for the Jays though... they need to do something now while the Red Sox and the Yankees are relatively down. GO JAYS!
The Blue Jays sure are wheeling and dealing...
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On one hand, I'm eager to see what Prince Fielder can do full time in the majors, but I'm not sure Dave Bush is going to do anything special for the Brewers. Jackson looks like a good acquisition though.
VioletlightHeron Wrote:The Blue Jays sure are wheeling and dealing...
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On one hand, I'm eager to see what Prince Fielder can do full time in the majors, but I'm not sure Dave Bush is going to do anything special for the Brewers. Jackson looks like a good acquisition though.
Interesting. Overbay has some upside. Gross could be good for Milwaukee, but the Jays are pretty well stocked in the outfield... and Bush is OK, but nothing too amazing. Who knows, could be a deal that works out for both teams without being a real blockbuster.