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Wow- Just read that Reyes was off vacationing some place and had not completed a physical yet, which would be the reason for the delay.Speed/ Left hand presence/ pitching and still a lot of loose ends to tie up. Looks like AA is going for the Downs.

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The Blue Jay site has John Gibbons as the new manager, to be introduced this morning early. I can live with that. It will be interesting to see what the supporting coaching staff looks like.

I wasn't thrilled this morning but after the press conference, I feel a little better about it. Once again, it's completely out of left field, par for the course this offseason. As for the staff, as long as Dwayne Murphy isn't kept on, I'll be happy.

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We will see a fair bit of roster news throughout MLB today as it's Rule 5 deadline day. There will be a lot of players designated for assignment (and quite possibly a few trades too) that are currently on the 40-man to make room for prospects that would otherwise be eligible - it's like a waiver draft of sorts. The Jays already have to remove one player for the Cabrera signing and if they want to protect any of their Rule 5 eligible players (and there is at least one that in my opinion absolutely has to be protected), they'll be designating at least one more.

If anyone's interested in the Jays' particular situation, here's a great look at who is eligible and when: http://www.bluebirdb...e-5-eligibility

Edit: That was fast. Jays DFA Mike McCoy (yay), Cory Wade (yay), and Mike McDade (boo) to make room for two players, one of which is the one I was referencing earlier (AJ Jiminez).

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I wasn't thrilled this morning but after the press conference, I feel a little better about it. Once again, it's completely out of left field, par for the course this offseason. As for the staff, as long as Dwayne Murphy isn't kept on, I'll be happy.

I listened to the Gibbons interview, and come away thinking that they might be confident in some of the coaches who were there.I think it is time for a new look. A friend of mine pointed out that this deal may not be as one sided as most people think. I love Reyes but he is 39. This has to be a what have you done for me today trade.

I noticed that some players that were put on waivers were there for about a week before somebody picked them up. Does the MLB not have a time frame for people put on waivers?

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I see at least couple of the coaches being asked to stick around. Luis Rivera is a must-keep in my books and I'd like to see Chad Mottola, who has been with Toronto the past two Septembers (in AAA the rest of the time) stay up as either the primary or secondary hitting coach. They have two spots for sure to fill (Butterfield/Lovullo) but this staff probably won't have a huge overhaul.

I'm not sure where you're getting that Reyes is 39. In fact, he's 29 and actually younger than Yunel Escobar who is 30. Reyes has 5 guaranteed years left on his deal so he'll only be in his mid-30's when all is said and done.

As for waivers, it's a 10-day period when a player is DFA'ed (waived). In that timeframe, teams are eligible to trade those players as well.

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I see at least couple of the coaches being asked to stick around. Luis Rivera is a must-keep in my books and I'd like to see Chad Mottola, who has been with Toronto the past two Septembers (in AAA the rest of the time) stay up as either the primary or secondary hitting coach. They have two spots for sure to fill (Butterfield/Lovullo) but this staff probably won't have a huge overhaul.

I'm not sure where you're getting that Reyes is 39. In fact, he's 29 and actually younger than Yunel Escobar who is 30. Reyes has 5 guaranteed years left on his deal so he'll only be in his mid-30's when all is said and done.

As for waivers, it's a 10-day period when a player is DFA'ed (waived). In that timeframe, teams are eligible to trade those players as well.

Thanx Dlbair/ thats just an adding mistake on my part/ Gee I feel better/ Isturis and Bonafacio platoon at second/ one becoming the utility guy rotating through the rest of line up/ Davis/Buck and Lind or Cooper the three other extras/ Sounds good to me/ Would like to see more consistent power from DH slot

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Well, most of the coaches will be back. Leaving are Bruce Walton (pitching) and Don Wakamatsu (bench coach). They're replaced by Pete Walker (bullpen coach to pitching coach) and DeMarlo Hale (Baltimore's 3rd base coach, he's now the bench coach). Even better is that Dwayne Murphy is no longer the hitting coach, he was demoted to 1B/OF instructor. There is one spot still to fill - bullpen coach - Pat Hentgen apparently is someone they want for that role.

Tampa Bay made an interesting decision today, extending 3B Evan Longoria. On the surface that doesn't seem too surprising but the extension kicks in after the options on his current contract expire...after the 2016 season. He is now signed through 2022 with a club option for the 2023 season. This comes after he spent more than half of last year on the DL. That's a gutsy move for the Rays but it's nice to see them be able to keep at least one of their homegrown talents for the long haul. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/11/rays-extend-evan-longoria.html

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Let me put a caveat on the Gibbons hiring. I believe he will adjust his game to his personnel. i will be the first one calling for his head if he starts handicuffing his SPEED. As for the catcher situation, which seems to be the soupe de jour, I don't move either young fellow till next year at the earliest unless somebody comes in and knocks my socks off with an offer. I anticipate that their value will only go up. Quite frankly, I think AA is sitting in the proverbial "cat-bird's" seat.

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Good old Scott Boras strikes again. Last offseason, closer Ryan Madson signed a 1 year plus an option deal with the Reds (this came after a 4 year pact fell through with Boston I think) and he promptly blew out his arm. Logically one would think coming off Tommy John surgery would have him interested in the $11 M option on his contract with Cincy. He gets advised to decline the option (receiving a $2.5 M buyout for doing so) with the expectation that he'd get a long-term deal. So today, he signs a 1 year deal with the Angels worth only a guaranteed $3.5 M plus another potential $3.5 M in performance and health bonuses. Whoops, looks like Boras over-estimated the market on that one.

Even more strange, talk around the Angels suggests that with this deal will keep them away from re-signing Zack Grienke. That would mean that pitching wise, they have lost or will lose Grienke, Ervin Santana, and Dan Haren out of their rotation and have not yet acquired anyone to replace them. I've gotta think they have some talks going either for trades or with some cheaper FA starters or else they could be in trouble.

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Yesterday was the deadline for non-tenders and it appears that another 36 players have hit the open market. Some of the more notable names include Mark Reynolds (who hits a lot of homers and is king of the strikeout), Jack Hannahan, Geovany Soto, Ryan Sweeney, plus pitchers Tom Gorzelanny, Mike Pelfrey, Jair Jurrjens, Brian Wilson (the SF closer from 2011) and John Lannan. This a half decent class of non-tenders, I must admit. There are a few interesting depth players that could help a team plus some guys coming off of injury that could be strong bounce back candidates.

The Jays non-tendered Bobby Wilson which I found a little surprising but it does open up a 40-man roster spot heading into next week's Winter Meetings. If B.J. Upton's contract (5/$75.25 M) is any indication, the spending next week is going to be nuts.

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To-day is the Rule Five Draft. AA has reportedly left the facility. It would be a good day to sneak players to the minors as many clubs have to clear roster space so they can make room for their R5 pick. I look for AA to make a move to-day in that regard (DFA) and possibily pick up more bodies which he can later designate for assignment.

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To-day is the Rule Five Draft. AA has reportedly left the facility. It would be a good day to sneak players to the minors as many clubs have to clear roster space so they can make room for their R5 pick. I look for AA to make a move to-day in that regard (DFA) and possibily pick up more bodies which he can later designate for assignment.

He admitted back when they claimed Whiteside (which filled up the 40) that they would have had to DFA someone then to participate in the Major League portion and chose not to. Toronto claimed three players in the AAA portion while losing one (also in the AAA section) and also signed former Expo Claudio Vargas to play at AAA. (It has been a good day for the farm team...)

There have been some interesting signings so far, Boston in particular has been busy. They've spent serious money on Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli ($13 million for 3 years each). Those are decent players but is that what they needed to get back into contention? They also signed Koji Uehara today, that addition I like for them.

The biggest rumour out there today is that Seattle is going after Josh Hamilton. I can't say I saw that one coming; it'd be nice for a smaller market team to land one of the 'big fish.' It appears it's between Texas and the Dodgers for Zack Grienke.

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He admitted back when they claimed Whiteside (which filled up the 40) that they would have had to DFA someone then to participate in the Major League portion and chose not to. Toronto claimed three players in the AAA portion while losing one (also in the AAA section) and also signed former Expo Claudio Vargas to play at AAA. (It has been a good day for the farm team...)

There have been some interesting signings so far, Boston in particular has been busy. They've spent serious money on Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli ($13 million for 3 years each). Those are decent players but is that what they needed to get back into contention? They also signed Koji Uehara today, that addition I like for them.

The biggest rumour out there today is that Seattle is going after Josh Hamilton. I can't say I saw that one coming; it'd be nice for a smaller market team to land one of the 'big fish.' It appears it's between Texas and the Dodgers for Zack Grienke.

My point about the R5D is that it sort of provides a smoke screen, were teams have there own issues on roster limits.
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Zack Grienke is going back to the NL it appears. He has reportedly agreed to terms on a 6 year, $145 M deal with the Dodgers. The $24.17 M AAV falls just short of the largest AAV given to a pitcher in MLB history (CC Sabathia on his current deal with the Yankees is $24.2 M per year on average) but it is the most expensive contract ever given to a right-handed pitcher in both AAV and total dollars.

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Soup de Jour-- Bonifacio available?--- I think if Toronto has any aspirations to have a presents in the post season, they need this guy. I don't think there is a club out there that will offer enough to let him go. He is the steal of the trade.

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Soup de Jour-- Bonifacio available?--- I think if Toronto has any aspirations to have a presents in the post season, they need this guy. I don't think there is a club out there that will offer enough to let him go. He is the steal of the trade.

I think they would be wise to listen to see what they could get for him. If a team is willing to part with a controllable starter with some upside (with options left), they'd be wise to consider it. There are utility IF's on the market still that could be signed to provide a similar contribution to what Bonifacio would bring (maybe not speed wise but better defensively) while the Jays would solve one of the bigger holes they have - no one available that's any good to call up when injuries strike. It wouldn't be wise to deal him for a reliever or a AA prospect or two but he certainly shouldn't be an untouchable.

In other news, Boston appears to have finally realized that they need help in the rotation. They're close to a deal with Ryan Dempster who was great with the Cubs but struggled when he moved to the AL last year. Hopefully the Sox will let him pitch in the WBC.

I was intrigued by the 3-way deal that saw Shin-Soo Choo go to the Reds. They want to convert him to CF (a bad idea in my opinion) and are giving up a decent prospect in Didi Gregorius along the way. They'll probably qualify him next year for a compensation pick but that still seems a bit steep. Cleveland did quite well in the trade, they get some decent young arms back.

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I would always entertain offers. To me he is more than a utility infielder. He is a utility infielder/outfielder who can actually play centerfield with tremendous speed and can switch hit. I see him as an everyday player that rotates throughout the line-up giving much needed rest to other everyday players in a gruelling 162 game schedule. Most utility infielders don't play field, would never be put in center field, can't hit let alone switch hit and are rarely blessed with speed. For me, I need a higher end pitcher before I think to move this guy.

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I get the sense we'll be seeing some high scoring games from the Angels this year. They have quite the potent offence (although I could see Trumbo possibly getting dealt now which would hurt a bit) but their rotation is shaky at the moment. I wonder if they'll be in on R.A. Dickey now?

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There are reports that the Cubs have agreed to terms with Anibal Sanchez on a 5 year, $75 M deal. He was the best starter left on the market with Grienke gone to LA but boy, that's expensive. The fact that it's Chicago signing him too is a bit puzzling, they've been a team looking for bargains this offseason. It's good to see them trying to turn things around, it hasn't been pretty the last few seasons for them (last, last, and last in the NL Central).

Dec. 14 Edit: The Tigers swooped in with 5 years and $80 million last second to re-sign Sanchez. For a non-ace, $16 M per year is nuts.

Boston still hasn't officially announced the Napoli signing (3/$39 M) and the team acknowledged that something is holding up the process, I wonder what that might be.

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As we await another Wow to be completed. I have pined for a knuckleballer for ever. Dickey's age isn't a concern just because he is a knuckleballer which puts limited stress on a pitcher compared to other types of throwers. My hope would be that after Dickey is done, that he is retained and put into system to mentor future knuckleballers for Toronto. The relatively young catcher makes sense, because you want to gradually introduce Arencibia into Dickey's arena. Not all catchers do well with a knuckballer. The young catcher also bats left, which could in effect keep Arencibia away from some devasting right handers. I don't know what the point was of swapping minor prospects unless AA thinks he got some value. The Dickey price was high but as i said before, AA is swing for the downs.

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As we await another Wow to be completed. I have pined for a knuckleballer for ever. Dickey's age isn't a concern just because he is a knuckleballer which puts limited stress on a pitcher compared to other types of throwers. My hope would be that after Dickey is done, that he is retained and put into system to mentor future knuckleballers for Toronto. The relatively young catcher makes sense, because you want to gradually introduce Arencibia into Dickey's arena. Not all catchers do well with a knuckballer. The young catcher also bats left, which could in effect keep Arencibia away from some devasting right handers. I don't know what the point was of swapping minor prospects unless AA thinks he got some value. The Dickey price was high but as i said before, AA is swing for the downs.

The Jays have another 27 hours or so to get the extension done or this deal will fall by the wayside. To be entirely honest, I wouldn't be that upset if it does. I can live with losing one of the top two prospects for Dickey but both is hard to swallow. Thole is Dickey's personal catcher, I hope they keep Arencibia (who has a hard enough time with regular pitches) away from him. He's also young and assuming his numbers from last year are an aberration, he's not a bad backup catcher to have around, certainly one with a bit of upside. I'm assuming the other prospect swap is in Toronto's favour, especially since it's thought that the Jays may send cash instead of the prospect. Hopefully it's a good add-on because this deal is beyond steep in overpayment - that Shields-to-KC deal appears to really have boosted the SP trade market. On the flip side, that rotation would be among the best in baseball, hands down.

I tell you, from reading some stuff today, Dickey's story of what he has overcome to get to where we are today is quite something. Here's a good read on him: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8754454/ra-dickey-38-years-old-be-bewildering-hitters-years-come

Boston made a nice signing today with Stephen Drew. The money is a bit steep ($9.5 M) but it's only a one year deal and will provide a bridge to Jose Iglesias. That said, I look at the team they blew up last year with the Dodger deal and their team today and I'm not sure one is better than the other. Considering he's the sixth player they've signed/agreed to terms with (Napoli's contract still isn't official for some reason), that's not a good thing.

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The deal is done now, Toronto also gets catcher Mike Nickeas while the Mets also get Wuilmer Becerra, an 18 year old OF prospect that got a 7 figure bonus last year. Nickeas hit .174 last year so suffice it to say, the Mets also won that part of the swap, especially when you consider Nickeas will be 30 come Spring Training. That's a bummer.

Dickey signs a 2 year, $25 M extension to bring his guaranteed dollars to 3 years and $30 M. The deal also has an option for $12 M in 2016, that much I like. He takes less money than he wanted from New York and they get an option tacked on, good news there.

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