Ricciardi Out; Anthopoulos In as Jays' GM

The curtain finally came down on the J.P. Ricciardi era as general manager this morning. The Jays issued a terse release at 10:38 a.m. announcing that Ricciardi has stepped down from his role that he had filled since November 14, 2001, eight seasons without a post-season berth.

"This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally, as I have enjoyed J.P.'s friendship and his perspective on the game," team president Paul Beeston said in a written statement. "J.P. has put an incredibe amount of effort into improving the team and he has brought along a number of great young players. However I feel that it is time for a change and accordingly we have decided to move on."

Replacing him will be 32-year-old Alex Anthopoulos, a native of Montreal. He joined the Jays in 2003 and was named an assistant GM under Ricciardi after the 2005 season. Anthopoulos attended McMaster University,  majoring in economics, getting his first job in baseball with the Expos in 2000, in  media relations. He moved into the scouting department in 2001, advancing quickly through the organization.

Ricciardi leaves with an eight-year record of 642-651, highlighted by reducing payroll in 2002, winning 86 games in his second season, 2003, winning 87 in 2006, 86 in 2008 and watching the development of draft choices Aaron  Hill, Adam Lind and Ricky Romero in 2009.

The change takes place immediately. Anthopoulos and Beeston will address the Jays in a clubhouse meeting prior to tonight's game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The trend in baseball has been towards younger GMs with no playing experience but knowledge of running a farm system and scouting department. In the AL only Mike Flanagan (O's), Kenny Williams (White Sox) and Billy Beane (A's) are former major-league players.

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Gaston Disparaged Anonymously

A Fox Sports report by Ken Rosenthal this morning claims that virtually the entire Jays' clubhouse is in agreement that manager Cito Gaston needs to go. He has lost everyone, says the source. Since Rosenthal is not around the Jays' clubhouse and has very rarely quoted any Jays' players directly in recent years, this "clubhouse insider" information has to come from someone in the Jays' front office.

Here's a clue. Needing confirmation for the column, Rosenthal claims he was unable to reach GM J.P. Ricciardi for comment. If it's true that he was unable to contact the GM that would be a first. This has the feel of a Ricciardi scud missile on his way out the door.    

A Canadian Press piece by Shi Davidi followed up on the same theme, quoting unnamed players interviewed on the final weekend as being upset with Gaston and his "lack of communication, old-school approach and negativism."

That sounds bad. Let's see, if an entire team wants a manager out of the way, the usual strategy is that a team quits playing for him and virtually mails in the results. Unfortunately for the conspirators, the Jays have won six in a row and nine of 10 and have returned to the offensive juggernaut numbers of April and May - and even beyond that production. Way to deliver a message to management boys.

No, some significant discontent is definitely there towards Gaston, but it is far from as rampant as Rosenthal insists it is. When the New York Yankees visited Toronto September 3-6, they already knew about the clubhouse anger. The links are former Jays Josh Towers, A.J. Burnett and Eric Hinske, who heard about it from friends with the Jays. The knowledge of the discontent has certainly permeated the Jays' clubhouse. They have all heard it, but for young players trying to establish themselves and fit in, stating that position and adopting it as their own would be professional suicide.

So if guys like Adam Lind, Travis Snider, Aaron Hill, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Jason Frasor, Jesse Carlson and every one of the young starting pitchers has likely listened to the leaders of this revolt without offering comment that does not mean they are among those ready to burn Cito at the stake. For the most part, they are earning close to the major-league minimum salary and have long careers to look forward to.

The leadership of the revolt likely comes from the bullpen and likely started with the treatment of B.J. Ryan as he struggled to regain his form at spring training and was subsequently released.

At spring training Gaston threw Ryan under the bus during a trip to Orlando to play the Braves. He discussed the diminishing returns issue and scratched his head over Ryan's loss of velocity, even though he was healthy. The baton of explanation was immediately passed to a distressed pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, who while trying to defend his friend B.J., inadvertently backed the bus up over Ryan and moved forward, crushing him again. That was the beginning of the end.

The soap opera moved to Minnesota in April. After a failed Ryan appearance, Arnsberg snapped on the media, saying that he was never asked positive questions about his pitchers. It was always negative. That he had to deal with his pitchers every day and didn't want to comment on failure. He was still shaken by the spring training "loss of velocity" discussion.

The major-league bullpen is a virtual social club during every one of 162 games. They have six innings to sit and chat before two of them have to get up and start getting loose. The pitching coach is the father figure. Arnsberg treats all his pitchers like sons. When one of their bullpen family is mistreated by the manager, or anyone else, they all feel the pain.

Fast forward to Yankee Stadium in July. By that time B.J. Ryan had become an afterthought in the manager's mind. Despite what Cito had protested to me earlier in the year, that he "likes his own pitchers" but doesn't like other teams' hurlers, it doesn't fly. Gaston, a hitter, loves his hitters and is loyal to them. He allowed Alex Rios and Vernon Wells to bat third and fourth in the order this year until it was impossible to leave the underproducing pair there. He does it out of loyalty. That's old school. Pitchers see that loyalty. In the Yankee clubhouse, Ryan challenged his manager. He said he needed to pitch more to be effective but he understood that to pitch more he needed to be effective. He expressed frustration. When asked about it, Gaston scoffed and the next day the Jays released Ryan and ate his remaining $15 million.

Gaston is not patient with pitchers. Scott Downs, a good friend of Ryan's and another of Arnsberg's disciples, has been the latest whipping boy for Gaston. He took over from Ryan as closer, then got hurt and was replaced by Jason Frasor, came back and got hurt again. The last time he was hurt it was in leaving the mound to cover first, and he strained a hamstring. The manager and trainer George Poulis went to the mound to check on Downs. When Cito found out his pitcher was hurt again, Gaston strode back to the dugout, leaving the trainer and injured reliever to hobble off the field. It seemed strange at the time, but seems to be part of the mutual discontent that has clearly developed.

It comes down to this. There are many villains and few heroes in this Jays' piece. In hindsight, that's exactly the way their disappointing season has gone. Many changes will be made.  

  

Mail Bag

A lot of Rios in this week’s mailbag, but also plenty of other stuff as well. I really still can’t believe that a two-time all-star has been allowed to go to another team on a waiver claim and some people are saying that it is a good deal. In any case, that’s what’s great about sports is that we all don’t have to agree in order to enjoy the same game. On to the mailbag.

Q: Dear Richard, I happened to catch the headline on the Jays website where Riccardi is quoted as saying “he likes where the Jays are headed”. I had to re-read it several times in disbelief. This is the direction we should, as fans, be excited about? All I see is a team that was once at the top of the standings this year and is now in free fall. No longer can we complain that it is because of the big bad American East division as we would be at or near the bottom in all divisions. So, is this the direction JP is referring to? The article again stated that once the Jays got past the impact of the injured pitching staff, he could see the light (I’m paraphrasing). And, he mentioned that Rios and Wells are just having a bad year and that’s it. Therefore, I can only conclude that the direction next year will be as follows, a promising rookie crew of pitchers who may not sustain their success once they have been seen by the visiting teams and a right, centre and left (when Lind isn’t playing) fielder and a couple of first baseman hitting way below what is required and no real clean up hitter. My question to you, if you suddenly found yourself in charge, what is the first and second thing you would do to bring about a new “direction” (assuming you think there needs to be one!).
PS - love the blog, Carrie from Clarkson

A: As Capt. Edward Smith said to the steward during dinner at the captain’s table on April 12, 1912, “I think we’ll be needing more ice.” Coincidentally, the Titanic’s captain also liked the direction he was heading as they steamed across the north Atlantic.

If I was to take over the Jays’ ship heading into the off-season here’s what I would do. I would sit down with Roy Halladay and ask for his help in creating the best deal possible. I would ask for his input in terms of teams that he would like to pitch for. Then I would ask the commissioner’s office for a window of opportunity to allow any of those teams — say from among the Yankees, Phillies, Dodgers, Angels or Red Sox — to negotiate with Halladay a five-year extension giving him the free-agent type money he will surely get after 2010. If that is successful, then he would be worth far more in terms of a trade and I would ask for a current, young, mid-rotation starter and a speedy young outfielder on the cusp of reaching the majors to bat at the top of the order, plus maybe a couple of young Class-A arms. Second, I would move Adam Lind to first base and allow catcher J.P. Arencibia a full shot at the major-league job. If none of that worked, my third option would be to punt.

Q: Hi, Richard.
Question: J.P. Riccardi is quoted as having made the difficult decision of having to let Rios go on waivers to the White Sox because of the change in the economy of sports in the last year and how this allows the Blue Jays to address multiple positions as opposed to just one. He mentions shortstop and catching as two positions that need to be addressed. Correct me if I am wrong, but are these not the same two positions that he has constantly tinkered with since he joined the Blue Jays and now seemingly with no permanent resolve? How is it possible that 8 years have been removed and he still has not figured out how to address what he describes as our weak spots (and I thought it was the 4th and 5th in our rotation in addition to closer)? And how is it that catching prospects in the Jays organization never pan out — Delgado and Sprague being the rare exceptions, maybe Greg Myers — in the last 20 years?
Martin Keogh, Toronto, Ontario

A: Eight years is normally enough to sign and develop your own players at certain positions. You’re right about catching and shortstop in the Ricciardi era. His first move in December 2001 was to dump incumbent shortstop Alex Gonzalez on the Cubs. Russ Adams and Aaron Hill were drafted in consecutive Junes to fill that shortstop need. Now they are waiting for Justin Jackson who is still at least two years away. In the meantime they have had Felipe Lopez, Chris Woodward, Mike Bordick, Adams, Chris Gomez, John McDonald, Royce Clayton, David Eckstein and Marco Scutaro. Behind the plate they sent J.P. Arencibia to Las Vegas so that he would be ready to catch for the Jays on Opening Day 2010. They picked up the option year on Rod Barajas as a bridge to their catching future. Now they feel they need to dump Rios to save money to spend on a catcher. What happened to Arencibia? How about Brian Jeroloman? These questions have nothing to do with the current North American economy.

Q: This club has deteriorated before our eyes this year. I am not talking about the players, but the organization. You are on the inside. Is there an upside or a plan that this organization is going to show their fans? I know that this is probably a rhetorical question and that the answer is no. No vision, no future, but at least we kept J.P.
Bob James, Calgary

A: “At least” is the exact right turn of a phrase because there is no “at most” to be seen anywhere from Jays horizon to horizon. The only ray of hope is that they actually do re-invest the saved money on some solid talent.

Q: Richard,
Can things possibly get any more asinine than this? Is there no bottom to the asinine barrel in Rogersland? Not even a draft pick for the two-time all star? Bueller? Bueller? Oh right, Bueller's in Chicago.
David McCabe, Ottawa

A: Ricciardi can’t be ripped for not getting at least a draft choice for Rios because baseball is one sport that doesn’t allow the trading of draft picks. That’s to protect bad GMs from becoming worse GMs. So we can say that at least the Jays (perhaps only because of the rules) still have all their draft choices.

Q: Richard,
I just cannot believe what I just heard. How in all that is holy do you let a two-time all-star who is under 30 go for nothing? I mean at least you could have got a bag of batting practice balls in return. This is the stupidest thing I think I have ever seen. Officially the Jays are now the Florida Marlins. What a complete joke. This is just absolute stupidness.
Will Dickinson, Rycroft

A: The Marlins would never trade an established major-leaguer for nothing. If this is a result of the current economy, then why haven’t more small market teams been forced to do the same thing? Maybe because other MLB regimes are proactive and not reactive.

Q: In the Alex Rios transaction I keep waiting for the rest of the deal to be announced but I guess what you see is what you get. Or in the case of Rios a talented player, relatively young and under contract for an extended period is sold off for nothing in return. I find it appalling that at the time Roy Halladay was being shopped similar feelers weren't out for Rios. There are teams in the midst of the pennant race that would have taken Rios in a trade where the Jays would at least get prospects or players to be named later in return. I can think of Minnesota, San Francisco, Chicago as examples. I did not hear of Rios being shopped but I may have missed it. Was this the case? Is there any chance the White Sox have committed to compensate the Jays after the season ends. A real blunder in my mind on Ricardi's part.
Don Pearson, Richmond

A: There was no planning involved in the Rios dump. Every player every year is placed on this type of recallable waivers by their major-league teams. Nobody ever hears about it because they are supposed to be confidential. I honestly believe that there is a possibility someone allowed the Rios waiver claim to leak out to the media to make an uncomfortable situation for Ricciardi and the Jays in retaliation for the way he handled the Roy Halladay trades talks, making it uncomfortable for the Phillies, Rangers and others with added daily pressure from their fans and media to get a deal done. Because, as you point out, if there was a plan, they would have been discussing a Rios trade with other teams prior to July 31. At least they would have got something back. Even White Sox GM Kenny Williams thought he was going to have to give up a player or two and was surprised when they said, “Just take him and his contract. He’s all yours.”

Q: Greetings Richard. Am I the only one who likes the Rios dump? Yes, in a perfect world, we'd have gotten something tangible in return. But frankly, players should be paid for production, not potential. While I hope to high heaven JP isn't the man for the job, the Jays now have freed about $15 million of 2010 salary obligations (Rolen vs. Encarnacion, Rios) in the last 2 weeks. If, and that's a big if, the Jays can in fact spend this money, and spend it wisely, they can easily find one impact bat, if not two, and then again rely on hope and rainbows and sunshine that everyone stays healthy and performs to "expected levels" and maybe compete. But of course if it's JP spending the money, watch out four years and $60 million for a bought out Pat Burrell. Didn't JP lust after him once before? Good riddance to Alex Rios. Give the remaining 150 RF AB's to Snider, and let's start 2010 now.
Cheers,
Josh Silver, Toronto

A: So now, let’s see. If I go out and buy a Lamborghini convertible that I can’t afford and am making payments of $1,500 per month and then find someone to take over the payments and take the car off my hands that I am now up $1,500 per month?

Players are always paid for potential. It’s up to an organization to have scouts with enough knowledge to know what production veteran players still have left and which young players are going to develop into stars.

Q: Richard,
There is obviously confusion in the hierarchy of the Jays as well as Rogers in the direction of the team and also, most importantly, rumblings if Rogers will keep the team.
When you hear rumblings like this do you envision potential local owners for the Jays? Despite the inconsistent Canadian dollar, is there someone out there who might be interested? I cannot see how this can be a bad potential deal for an investor with interest, due to the fact the current ownership received such a good deal on the stadium.
Jody Mattie, Toronto

A: The way the Rogers ownership is running the Jays certainly makes it seem like all they care about is the bottom line and are not interested in putting in the effort needed to create new revenue by creating a winner on the field. If that is indeed the case, can selling the team be far behind? And yes there is local ownership out there somewhere. I don’t believe it would ever get to the point of the Expos or Coyotes. There will always be Canadian ownership of the Jays. And yes, the stadium is a bargain and a key asset.

Q: Hi Richard, Love the mailbag, wish more baseball guys would run one weekly — I always find the best under-the-numbers info comes from here! Which comes to my question: Marco Scutaro. JP has long been obsessed with finding a reliable, consistent, and identifiable shortstop for the Jays (haunted by the ghost of Tulowitzki, perhaps?) and it seems to me that he's stumbled across one in utility-man turned SS Marco Scutaro. My question is, with Scutaro heading for free agency, why isn't there more talk of the Jays extending or pursuing his contract? I seem to recall someone even mentioning the Jays had no intention of bringing him back. He's not a defensive liability. He's hitting nearly .300 but perhaps more importantly runs a .387 OBP (as of Sunday) out of the leadoff spot, seemingly solving THAT glaring lineup problem everyone has been worried about since Reed Johnson departed. He'll likely drive in 65-70 runs this season, with enough pop to manage 12 home runs or so (almost Jeter-type power of the last few years).
Granted he's no spring chicken at 34. But it seems to me he has at least a few good years left to fill the role he fills very well, and I just can't understand JP's comments/actions (IE trying to get Aybar out of the Angels and other SS prospects in the Halladay "deal") about not having solved the SS problem.
Matt Mistele, Waterloo, Ont.

A: The question of re-signing Marco Scutaro is a good one. I think the problem lies on both sides of the equation. Since Scutaro has only been a starting shortstop for one season, how much is he worth as a 34-year-old free agent. The Jays don’t know and neither does Marco. There were some bargains available at shortstop last winter on short-term deals. The Jays will need a two-year shortstop (2010-11) at which time, hopefully Justin Jackson will have figured it out and be ready to play in the majors. Scutaro would be the perfect fit, but he may want a three- or four-year deal. The Jays and Scutaro should be able to work something out.

Q: Halladay seems so well adjusted and methodical (despite Ricciardi's attempts to distract him). I've read that Roy has consulted a sports psychiatrist for a long time and closely follows his theories. Does the Doctor have any superstitions or odd rituals? What are some of the strangest things that pitchers do to prepare?
Chris M., Collingwood

A: His long-distance guru is a guy named Dr. Harvey Dorfman. He discovered Dorfman at the time he was trying to put his career back together after being sent back to Class A back in 2001. Dorfman preaches worrying only about the things that you can control. He taught Halladay to take pitching one pitch at a time and to forget about the one that you just threw and think about the one you are about to throw. Original, huh. Anyway it works for Halladay and you can see him before every game in front of his locker reading the same Dorfman book over and over and over.

As for pitchers and their rituals, they all have them, from the same music in the clubhouse before a start, to having the same guy hand them the ball before warming up, the same seat in the dugout, a towel over the head, not watching their own hitters between innings, the same undershirt every start, etc. I believe Doc is a creature of habit and likes everything the same on the day of a start, but that’s not really a superstition.

Q: Richard,
It looks like things fell apart with Blue Jays this year, but I noticed one part which really improved; the catching. Yes, I am not talking about Rod Barajas, but Raul Chavez. Every time I saw Chavez gunning down the base-stealers, I tried to remember when was the last time we had such a solid back up catcher. He doesn't play every day, but he plays really hard. Although we didn't win the game, I liked his bunt-hit in the bottom of ninth against the Phillies on June 28th. To me, he plays the game as if it's his last. I wish Vernon Wells and Alex Rios would play the game same way. I am not sure about Chavez' contract situation, but hope he will stay.
Yosuke Abe, Vancouver

A: The Jays have done very well with Chavez as a backup catcher. He’s been better for them than Michael Barrett would have been. There are dozens of guys like Chavez on the free-agent market every year. The key is having a starter that can play 125 games.

Q: Three questions for you Richard.
1. Do you feel that Ricciardi has dropped the ball in the past at deadline time? For example, he managed to deal Rolen at his peak value and got two good young arms. However, they've not been in a pennant race the past few years and there were opportunities to trade guys and stockpile the minors with some younger players in the process. Instead the team would find a way to finish strong and you would hear Ricciardi saying in the off-season "Look how we finished, we're capable of being a good club next season" and we go around and around.
2. Who do you see getting the September call up? Other than Snider that is. I'm thinking we'll likely see Fabio Castro. Arencibia is also a possibility. I know that he hasn't had the best offensive season in Vegas, but if he's being touted as catcher of the future shouldn't he get a look at the big league level?
3. Why in the world does Kevin Millar hit clean up when he's in the line up? I mean, it's not as if anyone else would be any good...but Kevin Millar? Yikes!
Pramit Bose, Brampton

A: The Rolen deal was just his fifth in the month of July in eight years and the first he has made on deadline day. He dumped Raul Mondesi in ’02, traded Shannon Stewart for a more Moneyball-type player in Bobby Kielty in ’03, dumped Terry Adams in ’04 and dumped Shea Hillenbrand in ’06, ending up with a decent reliever in Jeremy Accardo.

The reason the Jays finish strong every year is that they are always playing for keeps in September trying to win as many games as they can so they can sell tickets in the off-season instead of using the month to see what they may have down the road.

I don’t think Fabio Castro will get the call because he’s a non-roster player. Arencibia might get called up and allowed to play, but that would go against the philosophy I outlined above. They don’t usually call up more than two or three guys, plus activating some disabled guys. It saves them money not having to pay ML salaries and meal money, plus giving unnecessary days of service that later on might contribute to arbitration eligibility.

I agree with you about Millar. He should just be happy to be here.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. **Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Mail bag

With the Jays officially done with any Roy Halladay talks and now pretty much resigned to being out of any wild-card race, look for Travis Snider to soon work his way back into the Jays’ lineup for the rest of the season. He’s a big part of sorting out the puzzle for 2010. Can he be a productive major-league hitter or has he still got huge holes that can be exploited by opposing pitchers? Another interesting follow will be the progress of Shaun Marcum back to the majors post-Tommy John and can he be counted on as a #3 starter in 2010? The Jays’ goal should be to finish at .500, which, given the strength of schedule in the final 50 games, would be a significant accomplishment. On to the mailbag.

Q: Hey Richard,
I have a question about the Cliff Lee trade. Cleveland was willing to accept Philadelphia's second-tier prospects in return for Cliff Lee. Were they on the losing end of this trade or was JP simply asking for too much for Doc? I believe Doc has been a better pitcher over a longer period of time and thus has more value on the trade market, but Cliff Lee is last year’s Cy Young winner and Cleveland didn't receive a single player that was requested in the package for Doc. I would really appreciate some insight on this topic.
Cheers,
Kyle Todt, Waterloo

A: I do believe that the Phillies got the better of the Indians in the trade. I agree that Halladay is the more valuable commodity and that the Jays were holding out for the far better package of Phillies prospects, as they should have. The Halladay contract was already budgeted for and it was not a salary dump for Doc. Meanwhile the Tribe was in a dump mode and were looking for the best offer. The fact the Indians threw in outfielder Ben Francisco stunned me. Of course, it was not chump change the Tribe received in exchange. The Baseball America prospects book rated among Philly farmhands, Carlos Carrasco #2, Lou Marson #3, Jason Donald #4 and Jason Knapp #10. That’s four pretty highly rated prospects. The Jays were reportedly after Dominic Brown #1, Kyle Drabek #5 and J.A. Happ #9. The Indians filled a need with the four young prospects, since they have been in a salary dump mode all summer and need bodies to fill the holes in their system. The Jays aren’t in that same position.

Q: Hi Richard,
Just one question for you: I understand that Randy Ruiz in Las Vegas is 30 yrs old, but he is hitting 324, with 25 HR, 101 RBIs, a 601 SLG%, and a 396 OBP. Given the Jays’ woes with offence, why did they not give him a shot?
Thanks,
Ian Faulkner, Whitby

A: Ruiz, the first-baseman/DH for the 51s in Las Vegas, is an interesting baseball story. The native of the Bronx is 31 and the Blue Jays are his 10th major-league organization since being signed by the Reds as a non-drafted free-agent in July of 1999. In all of that pro time, he has 1,083 minor-league games and just 22 in the majors, all with the Twins as a 30-year-old in 2008. What’s up with that? The fact is it took Ruiz until 2007 to even reach Triple-A at Ottawa. He played in Rochester in 2008 and now with Vegas in ’09. So it’s not just the Jays that have had that opinion of him as  simply a good minor-league hitter. Earlier in the season he recorded his 4,000th minor-league at-bat and will soon club his200th minor-league homer. Why does he not get a shot with the Jays as maybe the RH platoon at DH or at first base? Good question. I would rather have his bat right now than that of Kevin Millar. But there are some guys that seem to be perceived just as career minor-league sluggers. Examples in the Jays’ history include Chad Mottola, Howie Clark, Eric Crozier, John Hattig, Patrick Lennon, Brian Lesher, Luis Lopez, Robert Perez, Simon Pond, Dave Revering, Tony Solaita, Pedro Swann, Andy Thompson, Kevin Witt and Greg (Boomer) Wells.

Q: Hi Griff...love your reality checks on the Jays’ pulse. Nuff of Halladay nonsense. What concerns me greatly about this team are those demoralizing one run losses (9 and 20 the last I checked), worst in the majors. Two Q's here. Why weren't we shopping for a closer...seems to me this would be priority No. 1 going forward post-Ryan. Secondly, what is going on in that clubhouse to so cavalierly shrug off these one run setbacks or more often than not giveaways.
Ray Stockus, Bend, Oregon

A: You’re right about having enough of Halladay talk. Let’s move on. As far as the one-run losses, not all of them are built the same and can be considered demoralizing. I know the ones to which you’re referring, the ones with a lead late in games and the other team comes back to tie and win late. If you could walk into the Jays’ clubhouse after those games, you would see the emotions you’re looking for. These guys do take those losses hard. But it’s an every day game and, as it is everywhere and has been through the history of baseball, the club is a reflection of its manager and Cito Gaston’s philosophy is to shrug off last night and move on to tomorrow. Sometimes that’s tougher to do as a fan than as a player. As for the closer-shopping, I believe the Jays were hoping for one more year out of Scott Downs and then hoping for someone from within the organization to step up. For now, it’s Jason Frasor, but I don’t believe he has a long-term future in the organization. They are hoping that Brandon League or, now, Josh Roenicke can become the next bullpen stopper. It’s not always the best idea to go and get someone else’s well-paid closer, because there is a relatively short shelf-life in that specialty and more teams are successful in creating a closer than in trading for one.

Q: I have a question about the Blue Jays’ management's handling of the trade deadline and Halladay situation. Were they too all-consumed with trading Halladay and getting a beneficial package in return to not realize that they have other assets on the roster that could have been moved to bring some younger prospects or current roster players? I'm one to believe that some of the players on our roster would look attractive (I know some contracts are an obstacle) but seriously, I hate standing pat especially if it's become obvious you have nothing left to achieve this season.
Cam Choscinski, Toronto

A: I believe the Jays were consumed on the Halladay trade front, but I also believe that GM J.P. Ricciardi knew which teams had interest in his other assets like Marco Scutaro, Scott Rolen, Rod Barajas and even Jason Frasor. If Halladay had gone, some of those other dominoes would have fallen, but part of keeping Halladay is keeping hope, because long ago Halladay was promised that he would never be part of a rebuilding process, that the Jays, as long as he was in the uniform, would always be striving to contend. As such, with Halladay going out there every fifth day, they will not go younger to the point of looking three years down the road to contend. I also believe that in the off-season, Alex Rios is a very tradeable asset that could bring back a couple of nice pieces elsewhere. Vernon Wells, because of his contract, is a Blue Jay for life.

Q: Richard, I'll skip my questions about trading Halladay since that's been beaten to death. Instead, I'm curious if there was any trade interest in Lyle Overbay at the deadline and how much is left on his contract? Although Rolen was great, it was good that J.P. was able to unload his contract.
Michael Doko, San Francisco

A: There was not much trade interest in Overbay at the deadline, although his is an interesting discussion in the off-season. Overbay is the type of complementary hitter that isn’t going to turn your season around in the final two months after the trade deadline. He’s a 40-doubles, 70-RBIs, 15 homers, .270 type guy that fits in nicely in the 6-7 hole if you have other bangers that are producing. That’s why he looks bad in the Jays’ mix. As for his contract, he’s due for $7 million in the final year of his contract in 2010.

Q: We travelled to Seattle for Wednesday's game just in case it was Roy Halladay's last with the Jays. Little did we know it would be Scott Rolen's final game with Toronto. What a player he is and what a loss for the team. It is really difficult to figure out the Jays' strategy these days, if indeed there is one. Richard, where does the team go from here?
Ernie Armstrong, Vernon, B.C.

A: It was nice to hear the knowledge and respect shown to Halladay by the Vancouver contingent of Jays Nation. With just small pockets of fans even in the ballpark, as soon as Doc emerged from the third-base dugout and started his march across the outfield to the bullpen, the cheering started, acknowledging this could be the final time. Really nice. As for Rolen, “what a player” pretty much sums it up. This guy is the best defensive third baseman I’ve ever seen and plays all aspects of the game the right way, including being one of the smartest slow-guy baserunners I’ve had the pleasure to witness. Even in making an out on the bases, it would always be a calculated gamble that didn’t leave the Jays in a bad position. The one criticism is the “personal wishes” aspect of his wanting out, apparently, to be closer to home. One would think that for $11 million per annum that you are being paid to play wherever they ask you to play and the sacrifice of being away from home for six months is being covered by the cash. I guess not.

Q: Hello Richard, I would like to ask you if you think the Jays will dismiss J.P. at season's end and is there anybody out there that the Jays could hire to be the new GM. Also which other players do you think the Jays will trade this off season? Keep up the great work!
Gino Leone, Toronto

A: Please remember that I have been wrong before, but here is my best guess on what happens with J.P. New president comes in. He calls J.P. in the office. J.P., not wanting to be in a lame-duck position with one-year remaining on his contract, asks for an extension so that he can be dealing on an equal footing with other GMs. The Jays don’t really want to give him 3-5 more years. They agree to part ways. New prez installs either one of the current assistant GMs because it would be very difficult to get someone with success and previous experience to take this job in the current economic, philosophical climate.

Q: Richard, it's "swell" that J.P. was kind to Rolen, but this doesn't look like much more than a salary dump, nicely covered by the "personal issues" comment. You don't see it that way?
Tim Alison, Meteghan

A: The reason I don’t see it that way is because Roy Halladay is still here and Halladay is the man. The relationship between Halladay and the Jays is one of “never give up.” Their situation is like Butch and Sundance in that cabin in Bolivia planning for the future while the whole Bolivian army waits outside to blow them away. Reality is always a little skewed in the Jays’ front office. Halladay needs defence on the field. Rolen was a big part of that. Rolen asked for a deal, preferably to the Reds, and Ricciardi obliged. The fact that he got a couple of really good young arms is a bonus. The fact that he got Edwin Encarnacion and his $4.75 million commitment for ‘10 was a necessary evil and one that will be divested of in trade in the off-season.

Q: What in the Sam Hill does "whip" mean when I see it in the boxscore or on the TV screen? - and what does it signify?
Edward Uhraney, Mississauga

A: That’s what I like. Old-school ball fans like you. WHIP stands for “walks-plus-hits-over-innings-pitched”. The lower your WHIP, the better pitcher you are according to the new age statisticians. If you can hold opponents to a 1.00 WHIP that means your hits and walks add up to the same as your innings. That is good, yes, but give me good old wins and losses or team wins and losses for a starting pitcher.

Q: Richard,

Why does nobody ever comment on the rampant use of chewing tobacco in the major leagues? Closer J. P. Howell last week appeared to take his cap off to cover up a spit of chewing tobacco on the mound with no comment from the play-by-play announcers?
Alan McLean, Sarnia 

A: For the past decade, chewing tobacco has been banned from major-league clubhouses. Equipment managers used to have cans piled up for their dippers, but studies showed the damaging effects of continued chewing so MLB issued an edict officially banning it. All that meant was the product was not laid out in the clubhouse anymore. Yes, fewer young players today chew, just as fewer people are smoking cigarettes, but if you want chewing tobacco you can still get it. If anyone complains about it, commissioner Bud Selig will just point to the fact that it has been banned from all minor and major-league clubhouses. What else can they do? Even some veteran sports writers and columnists still dip.

Click here to send Richard a question, and he'll answer a selection in his mailbag Wednesdays in this space. **Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Richard. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Highlights of J.P. Ricciardi Conference Call

The Blue Jays conducted a post-trade deadline conference call this afternoon and here are some of the highlights of GM J.P. Ricciardi's comments.

It seems Scott Rolen asked to be traded for personal reasons and the Jays managed to accommodate him while at the same time making a decent deal that brings back, in addition to Edwin Encarnacion, earning $4.75 million next season in the final year of his contract, two good young arms. Righthander Josh Roenicke, 27, will report to the major-league team tomorrow, while righthander Zach Stewart, 22, will be assigned within the minor-league system. His future role as a starter or reliever will be determined.

Ricciardi indicated that he received calls from about 10 teams regarding Roy Halladay, but that only 2-3 seemed serious about meeting the Jays demands for one of the best pitchers in baseball. None of them blew him away with any "wow" factor.

He did not deny the possibility that a Halladay trade could be explored again in the off-season or that any team looking to trade for Doc might be allowed to negotiate an extension for the pitcher before the trade is finalized. That option, of course, would increase the value of the package the Jays might get back.

The Jays will pay the remainder of Rolen's salary for 2009.  

Jays' Rolen Dealt to Reds Pending his Approval

The Jays today traded third baseman Scott Rolen and his $11 million commitment for 2010 to the Reds for third bbaseman Edwin Encarnacion and two minor-league pitching prospects. The deal requires Rolen to waive his no-trade clause. It's likely the Jays will pick up the remainder of his salary for 2009. The deal was first reported by Jasyon Stark of ESPN.com.

Rolen has been the Jays' most consistent player this year, moving into the cleanup role after Vernon Wells and Adam Lind tried and failed. The key to the trade was the Jays getting the $11 million off the books for next year. They will be paying releaased closer B.J. Ryan $10 million for doing nothing and thois transaction gives them some wiggle room to sign a shortstop and catcher for next year since Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas are becoming free agents. 

The Jays' young pitching staff will really miss the often spectacular defence provided by Rolen at third base. Other than Halladay, Rolen was the most tradeable big-ticket item on the roster.     

Jays Begin P.R. Campaign against Halladay

When asked by the FAN's Mike Wilner on today's pre-game show what had changed in terms of their first thought of using 2009 as a bridge to being a contender in 2010 and now wanting to trade Roy Halladay as soon as possible, GM J.P. Ricciardi said:

"What changed is that Roy told us he was going to test the free-agent market."

The first salvo has been fired in the battle to sully Halladay's image as a loyal soldier.

What is wrong with what Halladay said? His contract is over after 2010. He has the right to test the free-agent market.

The only way Halladay was going to stay with the Jays is to give them a huge hometown discount. The Jays would have had to earn that respect by first showing Halladay that they were legitimate contenders for a World Series ring. Otherwise, with financial security already established for his family and with winning being what he wants now he has every right to test free agency.

Ricciardi promised Halladay the Jays would contend in 2008. That's why Doc extended the last time and took less money that '08 year so the Jays would have extra payroll for the necessary pieces to win. It didn't happen. It wasn't going to happen, so Halladay is set to test free agency.

Halladay watched the whole A.J. Burnett saga unfold, with Burnett never being offered an actual dollar figure by the Jays right up until the very moment he signed with the Yankees. The Jays said they had the money to keep Burnett, but never actually pulled it out of their pocket and when Burnett signed for a huge deal that the Jays would never have been able to match, he was made to look like an ungrateful, total mercenary.

Halladay will make more from some team than Burnett. The Jays will never have been able to match a Halladay offer if they could not ante up for Burnett. The campaign is now on to make Doc the bad guy as he is traded before his contract expires.

The fact is nothing but semantics has changed from what they originally said about contending in 2010, except maybe the Jays themselves don't believe it anymore. Now their fans don't either.  

Dustin McGowan: Can you have season-ending surgery -- twice?

This morning in the course of his daily briefing, Jays' manager Cito Gaston casually mentioned knee surgery to starting pitcher Dustin McGowan. There was a pause in the conversation.

The club had never announced that the already injured right-hander blew his left knee out working out in Dunedin and that July 9 surgery had been performed by Dr. Steve Mirabello.

Double jeopardy for the hard-luck McGowan. He had already been pronounced out for the season because of a slow bounceback from debridement surgery performed last July 31, so one assumes the club just didn't think it important for fans to know.

"He just blew his knee out running. It's not a setback," GM J.P. Ricciardi opined, sounding for all the world like the "dangerous-toy" president, a character on Saturday Night Live in the '80s. "Six weeks on his knee it's going to set him back."

Who's his personal trainer? Jeff Gilhooly?

"He's like John Travolta's Bubble Boy. He just can't stay healthy," Ricciardi said.

McGowan, after originally being expected to come back some time in June, had long ago been written off as a possibility for pitching any time in 2009. The best-case scenario is that he will be able to participate in some capacity at spring training next year.

Ricciardi's Attitude on Toronto

Following is a partial transcript of an interview on XM Radio with Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi that shows his attitude towards the Jays fans and the city:

Pidto: “Because you’ve obviously caused quite a stir, and is it something that you got the OK from up above?  Is ownership on board with this potential strategy as well?”

Ricciardi: “I don’t think we caused a stir in Toronto.  I think we caused a stir in all the places that these things cause stirs: Philadelphia, New York, Boston, L.A., Chicago.  I think those markets are probably having more of a stir than we are.  I think what we did was answer a question honestly: Would we entertain offers for Roy Halladay?  And we said we would at least listen.  The player knows that.  Everybody has been on board with at least listening.  I don’t think we’ve traded Roy Halladay so I don’t think we’ve done anything that’s really caused a great controversy with us. 

 

Ricciardi Trade History Clarified

There seems to be much confusion regarding the analysis in this morning's column of J.P. Ricciardi's track record as a trader. The list of 17 trades that I used was only those trades in which he was trying to maximize the return on a well-paid starting player or pitcher that had already been established in the majors.

We have always agreed in the column through the years that Ricciardi is at his best when dealing for undervalued players -- especially pitchers -- and getting the most out of them. But Halladay in no way qualifies in the same category as trading Mark Hendrickson.

The 17 trades were, in chronological order, were sending away 1-Billy Koch, 2-Alex Gonzalez, 3-Paul Quantrill, 4-Brad Fullmer, 5-Pedro Borbon (maybe a little sketchy), 6-Dan Plesac (and yes I would question that Cliff Politte was a good move), 7-Raul Mondesi, 8-Felipe Lopez, 9-Shannon  Stewart (and you can't use the commutativbe theory for Ted Lilly because Bobby Kielty does not qualify as an established player for purposes of this study), 10-Orlando Hudson and Miggy Batista, 11-Corey Koskie, 12-Shea Hillenbrand, 13-Scott Schoenweis, 14-Terry Adams (also sketchy), 15-Eric Hinske, 16-Troy Glaus, 17-Dave Eckstein.

I was not ignoring good trades, but Halladay is a big-time property and they need maximum in return. Ricciardi has not proven he's the man for the job.

R-Griff