According to Ken Rosenthal, the Toronto Blue Jays have added some depth to their offense by adding outfielders Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson today. Wilkerson, who had been released by the Mariners, was signed as a free agent. Mench was acquired from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations.
Mench should serve as a decent […]
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UPDATE: (4/24) 11:04pm (EST) - The Blue Jays are expected to activate Rolen on Friday. Rolen has gone 0-9 during his stint in A-ball, but the Jays seem to be desperate for his services. Rolen says he still has a “significant bone bruise”, but he wants to play.
Apr 22nd - According to Jordan Bastian at MLB.com, […]
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UPDATE: (4/24) 2:49pm (EST) - According to ESPN.com (AP), the Big Hurt is headed back to the Bay Area, signing with the Oakland A’s for about $337,000, a pro-rated protion of the major-league minimum of $390,000. At the very least, Thomas will help give a much-needed power boost to the Oakland lineup. He will also […]
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According to Sandy Burgin at MLB.com, the San Diego Padres claimed 25-year old pitcher Josh Banks off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Banks, a starting pitcher in the minors, will be sent to Triple-A Portland in the bullpen. Padres manager Bud Black had this to say about Banks, “He’s a right-handed pitcher with a […]
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UPDATE: (4/22) 12:19pm (EST) - As per the New York Daily News, Hank Steinbrenner notes that the Yankees are not interested in Frank Thomas, saying, “We’ve never even talked about it. Do I think he can still do something? Yeah. But we’ve got so many guys at DH/first base.” At least Hank has SOME brains.
Apr […]
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According to Jordan Bastian at MLB.com, the Toronto Blue Jays have released Frank Thomas, one day after the designated hitter voiced his displeasure over a decrease in playing time. The 39-year old was hitting a paltry .167 with 3 homers and 11 RBI, through 16 games.
Under the terms of the Big Hurt’s contract with the […]
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The 2008 payrolls were released earlier this month by Major League Baseball, and there were a few surprises. What isn’t much of a surprise is that the New York Yankees were once again #1 on that list, topping $209 million (yet another payroll record).
Of interest though is that both the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets have leap-froged the […]
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UPDATE: (4/13) 9:05pm (EST) - Ryan was activated from the D.L. today vs. the Texas Rangers, and picked up the save in a 5-4 victory.
Mar 26th - According to rotoworld.com, Blue Jays’ GM J.P. Ricciardi has confirmed that closer B.J. Ryan will open the 2008 season on the disabled list (recovery from Tommy John surgery). We […]
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On Wednesday, we brought you the story of how Blue Jays GM J.P. Riccardi once tried to fleece the Reds for Johnny Cueto in 2006, courtesy of Tom Verducci of SI.com. That story led one Fleece Factor reader to remind us of another J.P. Riccardi move from the past. But this move is one that the […]
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Tom Verducci of SI.com provides us with a very interesting tidbit today that confirms what many of us already believed: Professional General Managers are, in fact, always looking for ways to fleece other general managers. Check out Verducci’s story about how Toronto GM J.P. Riccardi saw a fleece opportunity open in 2006 (immediately after the Reds hired a new GM) and […]
Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays | 6 Comments »
The Toronto Blue Jays spent some serious cheddar today, agreeing to long-term contract extensions with outfielder Alex Rios and second basemen Aaron Hill, according to MLB.com.
After a long contract extension courtship that came after Rios’ name was heard in various MLB trade rumors this offseason (including one for San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum), the Jays have given Rios […]
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UPDATE: (3/31) 2:55pm (EST) - As per the Toronto Globe and Mail, Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told reporters that he is extending the team’s self-imposed deadline by a few days so that the team can complete their deal with Rios. Ricciardi said the two sides are extremely close right now.
Mar 25, 9:28am (EST) - According to […]
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We get a glimpse at the Blue Jays opening day lineup in the Toronto Sun this morning. The lineup will be without Scott Rolen until late April or early may. It stacks up as follows: SS David Eckstein, LF Shannon Stewart/Matt Stairs, RF Alex Rios, CF Vernon Wells, DH Frank Thomas, 2B Aaron Hill, 1B […]
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UPDATE: (Mar 25, 2:33pm EST) MLB.com is confirming that the Cubs and Johnson have agreed to a one-year pact.
Mar 25, 1:52pm (EST): ESPN Radio’s Bruce Levine is reporting that the Chicago Cubs have signed outfielder Reed Johnson, who cleared waivers earlier today. No financial terms have been disclosed, and we haven’t seen it print yet, […]
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UPDATE: (3/25) 9:17am (EST) - According to the NY Newsday , Mets’ GM Omar Minaya plans to meet with Johnson’s agent in the next day or so. The Mets appear to have interest here, as Reed has always hit lefties well.
Mar 24 - Recently released outfielder Reed Johnson is drawing interest from several clubs, […]
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According to John Lott of the National Post, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen suffered a non-displaced fracture of the bone on his middle fingertip, after attempting to field a ground ball during routine infield practice. The ball also tore the fingernail right off.
Rolen is expected to visit a hand specialist on Monday, and it is not […]
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UPDATE: (3/23) 12:49pm (EST) - According to the Toronto Star, the Toronto Blue Jays have released outfielder Reed Johnson. Johnson suffered from a nagging back injury in 2007 after a career year in 2006 (.319/.390/.479). It appears as though the Jays will go with Shannon Stewart, Adam Lind, and Matt Stairs in left-field along side Vernon […]
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Jayson Stark, of ESPN.com “fame,” brings us all some more juicy rumors as Opening Day rapidly approaches:
The Chicago Cubs are getting really frustrated with the whole Brian Roberts saga, as are we! After seemingly 3 months of negoitations, and with the regular season less than 2 weeks away, the Orioles supposedly have still not even told […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays | 1 Comment »
ESPN.com’s Buster Olney dishes out some dirt from the major-league landscape today:
Barry Lamar Bonds says that he is not going to retire. I could definitely see a team sign him after the season has begun, when it would be *slightly* less of a distraction. I think the Mariners remain a great fit, and the Angels seem […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays | 3 Comments »
MLB Fleece Factor has now finished team outlooks of all thirty MLB teams!
And to be fair to the A.L. East, let’s vote on the champion of that division like we have with the others. I’ve linked the individual team outlooks below for those teams, alphabetically. Check them out, and then vote in the poll below for the team you think […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, _Polls, _Team Outlooks (2008) | 3 Comments »
Monday brought a roller-coaster ride in the stock market, and arm trouble in major-league baseball. Here are some of the top ones to note:
Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan felt soreness in his pitching elbow after throwing for only 1 inning today. Ryan is coming back from Tommy John surgery, but the trainers didn’t seem too […]
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UPDATE: (3/15) 8:55am (EST) - According to Foxsports, Ryan took another step forward pitching in a game. He struck out two of the three batters to face him.
UPDATE: (3/11) 9:24pm (EST) - Accoring to Bluejays.mlb.com, B.J. Ryan reported no physical issues while throwing in a “B Game” on Tuesday. He is slated to pitch in […]
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Blue Jays pitcher Casey Janssen will the entire 2008 season due to a torn labrum, according to Sportsnet Ontario.
Janssen was forced to cut short a simulated game session yesterday when he felt the dreaded “sudden grab of pain” and will likely undergo surgery soon.
The 26-year old was a prime candidate to land the 5th starter […]
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As per Joel Sherman of the N.Y.Post, the New York Mets have called the Toronto Blue Jays to check on the availability of outfielders Shannon Stewert and Reed Johnson. According to Sherman, Stewart seems like he would not be a very good fit, as he can’t really handle rightfield, and the Mets would be looking for […]
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The Toronto Blue Jays have signed 35 year old former closer Armando Benitez to a minor league deal, as per the Toronto Star. He will not be in the closer’s role, as the Jays already jave B.J. Ryan (returning from injury) and Jeremy Accardo (who filled in nicely last year).
Benitez has always struggled to stay […]
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In his blog today, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney sheds some of his knowledge on us. Let’s break it down:
He states that with the rash of injuries the Mets have suffered, most notably to Moises Alou and Carlos Delgado, that the team should seriously consider signing Barry Lamar Bonds. Olney does note that with his perjury case, the Mets […]
Filed under: Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays | 3 Comments »
According to mlb.com, Blue Jays’ relief pitcher Jeremy Accardo will serve as the team’s set-up man this coming season, upon the return of closer B.J. Ryan. This kind of goes without saying, as we noted this in our 2008 Blue Jays’ Team Outlook.
Accardo filled in admirably last year when Ryan went down to injury. He […]
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According to Ken Fidlin at the Toronto Sun, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said that the team will go with a more consistent lineup in 2008. That’s pretty refreshing when you consider that they used a ridiculous 132 combinations to the batting order in 2007.
Said Gibbons on the topic, “When (hitters) find their slot, you […]
Filed under: Toronto Blue Jays | 8 Comments »
According to the New York Post, outfielder Shawn Green has decided to retire. Green is only 35 years old, but he has decided to walk away from baseball. He says there had been interest from 6 or 7 teams in his services for 2008, but he did not want to move too far from home at […]
Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays | 3 Comments »
Baseball America has issued it’s list of the 100 best prospects heading into the 2008 season. I’ve listed the top 25 below, but definitely check out Baseball America’s list in it’s entirety. And don’t forget to also check out MLB Fleece Factor’s very own interview with Baseball America’s Jim Callis.
Without further ado, here are the top 25 according […]
Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays | 12 Comments »
Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail is reporting that the Blue Jays recent acquisition of outfielder Shannon Stewart has “created rumours that Reed Johnson’s days with the team are numbered.”
Blair, however, goes on to note that one of his front-office sources says that the market for Johnson is “non-existent.” This is based on […]
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UPDATE: (2/24) 12:38pm (EST) - Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail states that the Jays and Stewart agreed to a minor-league deal yesterday, with an invite to Spring Training.
UPDATE: (2/23) 8:41pm (EST) - In yet another twist to this saga, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal is noting that the Jays are now close with Stewart […]
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Here is the latest from Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:
Rosenthal is impressed by how the Reds were able to land two FA pitchers for only $4M of base salary - Josh Fogg ($1M) and Jeremy Affeldt ($3M). He notes that their combined salary is only 1/12th of what the Mariners will pay Carlos Silva over the next 4 […]
Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays | 2 Comments »
UPDATE: (2/21) 10:56am (EST) - Jerry Crasnick at ESPN is reporting that Nixon has agreed to a minor league contract with the D’Backs.
UPDATE: (2/21) 9:06am (EST) - As per Steve Gilbert at MLB.com, the D-Backs want to sign Nixon as insurance in case Chad Tracy isn’t ready to begin the season after offseason knee surgery. However, the […]
Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays | 1 Comment »
As per the Toronto Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays and outfielder Alex Rios will hope to discuss a long-term contract extension prior to the start of the season. Rios’ agent, Paul Kinzer, and Jays’ GM J.P. Riccardi plan to meet this week to discuss the possible parameters of a new deal. Rios is currently […]
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