J.P. Ricciardi - Ciao Bello!

There are roughly 11,000 reasons why J.P. must be let go first thing Monday morning. Going through the entire season with the 2nd largest attendance drop in all of baseball has much to do with J.P. When the team got off to a good start he should have, with the public's help, a campaign to get Rogers to open the purse strings and continue the wave that had begun in April and May. Ricciardi didn't do that. Did he try we'll never know. But me thinks a guy who doesn't mind telling fans that Adam Dunn doesn't like baseball, probably wouldn't mind using the media to get Rogers to make a little donation to this baseball team.

This season aside the Ricciardi regime has failed in way too many areas. The team never seems to have young athletic outfielders like a Curtis Granderson or Jacoby Ellsbury. It still doesn't have a starting shortstop produced in house. Ricciardi teams have been slow, miniature versions of the Yankees. It also consistently tried to fill holes with the Kevin Millars, Brad Wilkersons and Kevin Mench's of the world. Why didn't they ever try to build a team build around speed like the Rays which usually in the free agent market never seems to cost as much as a 20-25 home run hitter? Financially this regime has cut Frank Thomas, cut B.J. Ryan, and got bailed out with Alex Rios. Kenny Williams your Xmas present is coming early this year; hopefully you don't get fired.

The Leafs and Raptors hit rock bottom and went out and got grade A executives to rebuild their franchise. Most importantly, both Burke and Colangelo with a few bumps in the road, have sold hope. Rogers needs to realize their baseball team has hit rock bottom and right now there is no hope.

What Do The Blue Jays Have?

I've avoided blogging about the trade deadline and Doc Halladay for the last couple of weeks b/c I frankly couldn't think of something to say that wasn't being said; until now. Doc will be dealt this winter and should have been dealt this week. Why? Rogers will not keep Halladay and add another $30 million to the payroll. A necessary aspect for keeping Doc happy and in town. But the Jays have said 2010 is a contending year so let's see what they have. A blank spot will mean the team must improve in that position for the team to truly contend.

The lineup as it currently stands

SS: Scutaro
2B: Hill
DH: Lind
CF: Wells
RF: Rios
1b: ?
LF: Snider
3B: ?
C: ?

Overbay, Encarnacion and Barajas, should be replaced by Adrian Gonzalez at first, Chone Figgins at third and JP Arencibia behind the plate. Of the 3 only Barajas should see some time next season given budget restraints. Management should try and do whatever it can to move Overbay and Encarnacion. Acquiring Gonzalez and Figgins (prospects for Gonzalez and a free agent signing for Figgins) would be clear signals for Doc that the team will contend in 2010.

The Rotation.

1. Doc Halladay
2. ?
3. Ricky Romero
4. Shaun Marcum
5. Brett Cecil.

A solid #2 starter is needed and John Lackey comes to mind. Yes it will be expensive but it's necessary to be a true contender. If management decides to just move the other three names I provided all up 1 spot and fill the 5th starter roll with a Brian Tallet per say than 2010 will not be a contending year and the Jays will be exploring trade offers for Doc come July. Only then the returns for Doc will be significantly lower.

A Tale of Two Sports Teams

It has been quite a week on the Toronto sports landscape.

The Raptors are fresh off their completion of a four-team trade in which they acquired Hedo Turkoglu. He has been pegged and will receive no argument as the biggest acquisition made by the Raptors in their franchise history.

The Turkoglu signing is significant, because not only did the Raptors acquire a player coming off a potentially MVP playoff performance, but it sends a strong signal to its franchise player, Chris Bosh, that the team is serious about putting a winner on the court.

Also, if Bosh were to decide to leave anyway, the team still has a solid core to continue to build from. That core would be Turkoglu, Bargnani, Calderon, Derozan, and considerable cap space to allow for more pieces to be added.

The Raptors should be applauded for building a team this summer that not only looks to contend this upcoming season, but in future seasons ahead.

Across the street at the Rogers Centre, it appears that Roy Halladay's days are numbered. Perhaps the greatest Blue Jay of all time may be on his way out and it has stirred much debate around town.

The discontent of a Halladay departure from the fans is twofold: One, why trade your best player when he has always said that winning in Toronto has always been his first choice? Secondly, are the guys currently in charge capable of securing a healthy return for Halladay, considering they haven't been able to build a successful team around him?

Toronto fans have grown increasingly frustrated with a baseball organization that has so many built-in excuses as to why success has consistently slipped through their fingers.

Toronto is the fifth largest market in North America, yet ownership has consistently done its business as if we were one of the smallest.

Nonsense.

The television numbers are through the roof and ownership actually owns the broadcast company that airs the games.

Isn't that a similar relationship to the one that exists between the Yankees and YES?

How has that worked out for them?

I think Toronto fans would rather just be told up front that ownership simply views the team as cheap programming content and isn't interested in increasing its payroll to put a winner on the field.

Which leads us to Roy Halladay.

2009 was never going to be a winner for the team. Injuries to the starting staff made sure that wasn't going to happen.

But ownership did say it wasn't going to be a rebuilding year, but rather a transition year, looking ahead to 2010.

So what has changed? Are revenues down? Probably. But does that mean you have to trade your best player? I say, in this case, patience is a virtue.

Find a way to get guys like Alex Rios on a plane to any team that will take him and reallocate your funds that way. Instead, the team is apparently going to do the opposite: trade their best player and surround the new young players with overpaid underachievers.

It's incredible how just a kilometer apart one team is making shrewd moves to keep its superstar in town, while the other does the exact opposite.

The Team and The Good Doctor.

I've been slacking lately in my attempt to update the blog mostly because I'm so frustrated at the team and don't have much energy after a game to want to relive it again. If I were an apologist I would say that the Jays still may be doing better than expected given what was said about the team during the off season. Did anybody really believe that they would be any where close to a .500 team? Furthermore in my apology I'd say that this recent slide against mostly AL EAST opponents could easily have turned in favour of the Jays with another hit here or there and some CHEESY home run balls hit by those dreaded Yankees staying in the park. How many late inning games has this team lost recently?

While I could go on bash both of those points I won't waste my and your time. Bottom line this team has once again failed to put together a team capable of playing meaningful baseball beyond July 1 let alone September 1. My biggest beef is that the 27 and 14 record should have been an indication to management and ownership that to keep this tide rolling some additions to this lineup needed to be made. Instead they sat on their hands and cry that the fans of this team are sitting on their wallets. Tough. Give this city a reason to come out and I believe they will. Until then don't call us!

In regards to these rumours about Halladay leaving I only have this to say. Listen to offers and if the right deal comes along then make it. Halladay deserves to go to a winner we can't afford to let him walk away for nothing. BUT if you're going to trade Halladay than do what you have to do to find a team willing to take Scott Rolen, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells and Alex Rios too. The future of this team is Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, and maybe Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil. Frankly everybody else has either improved their value and therefore should be traded i.e. Scott Rolen or have proven that they're not winners, i.e. Overbay, Wells and Rios. It'll be tough to get rid of them, but you have to try.

4 - 2 ISN'T ALL THAT BAD

Six days ago if you told me the Jays would go 4 - 2 I would have said; nice and thank you. Unfortunately when you sweep the Phillies you expect and want more from a series against Washington than a series loss. It was a classic let down while at the same time facing a team with a little bit of confidence considering Washington had just taken 2 of 3 from the Yankees. Right now the Jays are 2 games out of the wild card spot. If they hope to contend they need to go out and get a bat. Yes I know, I've said before and I'll say now, GO GET A BAT. While the team averaged 8 runs in the victories on this road trip, they left way too many runners on base and that is why they lost 2 of 3 against the Nationals.

Wells Is An Anchor.

The shifting of the batting lineup has provided an instant return in the form Alex Rios. Rios has had 2 multiple hit games and may be providing a bit of a spark to the bottom part of the lineup that really hasn't done much since Travis Snider came off his hot start.

Where the news is not so good rests with our new #3 hitter Vernon Wells. Vernon continues to leave men on base, hasn't hit a home run in well over a month and frankly, looks completely lost at the plate. Given how long it took Cito to jiggle his lineup the first time this is probably it for the immediate future. Hopefully Vernon can get himself going. Another position that has become an albatross for the team is the DH position. Kevin Millar is batting below .240 so expect to see David Dellucci up here real soon. With the Jays playing the next two series in National League parks the importance of either player is reduced but the Jays can't afford to get nothing from that position the rest of the year. Here's hoping (and believe I know it's only hope) but I'd like to see the team go out and get a Nick Johnson from Washington for Jose Guillen for Kansas City to solidify either the DH or LF positions.

P.S. Thank God Halladay isn't hurt too bad.

This Is The Season.

With all the optimism surrounding the Blue Jays - though the 9 game losing streak may have dampened the optimism somewhat - and the possibility that they may play meaningful games in September this next month will decide the rest of the summer.

The Jays have never done well in Texas and after that have a slew of interleague games where they've always struggled. If the team falters in June the team becomes a seller in July and looks to move a big contract. If the team has a successful June and is with in a few games of at least a wildcard birth then the team potentially becomes a buyer and like I've always said, "that's when the fun really begins."