Jays close to acquiring R.A. Dickey

[shallowfrozenwater]

no it'll be RA for the opener. i also like making sure the lefties get split up and i like Romero in the 5 hole so that they can come back with the knuckle the next night.

RA, Morrow, Buehrle, JJ, Romero is probably what i like best but i could also see Morrow and JJ switching spots. i don't think that that would be a pecking order in the rotation though, i'd want it that way so that the lefties Buehrle and Romero don't go back to back.

[Axeman33]

I am hoping its Morrow. It should be their ace and in my opinion Morrow is still their ace until proven otherwise.

[bigbabybuda]

Whoa, how about we'll see how they play first before we start going a bit overboard? Jays fans should be happy generally at the potential growth in the short-term and opportunity for a playoff berth. But to start taking World Series is a bit much.

From most places I've checked today the Jays are now the Favorites to win the W.S. Which is exactly what I said in my post. SO HA

[VincentVega]

From most places I've checked today the Jays are now the Favorites to win the W.S. Which is exactly what I said in my post. SO HA

Yeah, Vegas has them as 7/1, which is the best odds of any team. Good times to be a Jays fan, finally. I still remember the exciting team from the early 90s.

[horrorfan]

From most places I've checked today the Jays are now the Favorites to win the W.S. Which is exactly what I said in my post. SO HA

I knew you'd come back with that. Time will tell.

[bigbabybuda]

I am hoping its Morrow. It should be their ace and in my opinion Morrow is still their ace until proven otherwise.

There Rotation should be like so imho. Morrow, Dickey, Johnson, Romaro, Buehrle. I want Romaro after Johnson for his change up and due to the fact that I fully expect him to bounce back 110% this year.

[Axeman33]

There Rotation should be like so imho. Morrow, Dickey, Johnson, Romaro, Buehrle. I want Romaro after Johnson for his change up and due to the fact that I fully expect him to bounce back 110% this year.

I agree with you re: Romaro after Johnson but I cant see them throwing back to back lefties. They will want to break them up by at least a day.

[bondon]

There Rotation should be like so imho. Morrow, Dickey, Johnson, Romaro, Buehrle. I want Romaro after Johnson for his change up and due to the fact that I fully expect him to bounce back 110% this year.

No snowball's chance in hell that Buehrle will be okay starting in the fifth spot lol. We have to remember that we have egos to deal with here.

Romero - lock for 5th starter. Has to be. Least qualified, coming off the worst season of his life. At least this way he's protected by the top 4 and there is less pressure on him and less media buzz. Good way for him to slowly build his confidence and regain his form.


Buehrle/Johnson/Morrow - This is where the complications begin and end. I have a FEELING....and that's all it is really, that what the rotation will end up being is Dickey-Buehrle-Morrow-Johnson-Romero...or Dickey-Morrow-Buehrle-Johnson-Romero.

Dickey-Morrow-Buehrle-Johnson-Romero would be fantastic IMO as it splits up the fireballers and the lefties. Adds some crazy contrast to the rotation, but Buehrle would have to be okay starting in the 3 spot which I'm not sure he will be.

I think that Johnson falls into the four spot by default. While Morrow definitely deserves to be top of the rotation, he has to give way to the vets with the egos first. Dickey I could see comfortably sitting in wherever he is called upon to pitch, but I can't see that from Buerhle.

[djkiang]

Dickey won't the be the #1 starter. Not if you believe in the fireballer/finesse combo scenario. Can't have Dickey after Ricky.

Assume it will be either Morrow or Johnson as our #1, followed by Dickey as #2.

[Axeman33]

When you have a loaded rotation, you are going to hurt someones feelings but after the rotation has gone through once, no one is the #1 starter or the #5 starter. You are simply in a rotation at that point. If someone is still considering themselves a number in the rotation, then they are simply being petty (then again, these are professional athletes so it's in their blood to be petty).

Just out of curiosity, last year in Miami, was Buerle ahead or behind Johnson in the rotation there? I didn't follow the Marlins much so I have no idea. Just wondering where he feels he is compared to Johnson already.

[horrorfan]

Just for fun, here are my early predictions for the AL East. You guys probably know more about the teams than I do, so I'm curious how it'll pan out. I'll make an (non)educated guess that the spread from top to bottom won't be as wide as recent years:

1. Tampa 94-68
2. New York 91-71
3. Toronto 86-76
4. Baltimore 80-82
5. Boston 76-86

Feel free to bash me, Jays fans.

[Axeman33]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the Yankees finish last in the AL East this year.

[TheWhale]

Just for fun, here are my early predictions for the AL East. You guys probably know more about the teams than I do, so I'm curious how it'll pan out. I'll make an (non)educated guess that the spread from top to bottom won't be as wide as recent years:

1. Tampa 94-68
2. New York 91-71
3. Toronto 86-76
4. Baltimore 80-82
5. Boston 76-86

Feel free to bash me, Jays fans.

It will be Tampa vs Toronto this year. The Yankees have way too many question marks (3rd base, Derek Eater, trade Granderson?) and don't seem to be willing to put in the money as they did in years past.

[4horsemen]

Just for fun, here are my early predictions for the AL East. You guys probably know more about the teams than I do, so I'm curious how it'll pan out. I'll make an (non)educated guess that the spread from top to bottom won't be as wide as recent years:

1. Tampa 94-68
2. New York 91-71
3. Toronto 86-76
4. Baltimore 80-82
5. Boston 76-86

Feel free to bash me, Jays fans.

If that's the way it pans out then this whole exercise will be classified as a disaster for the Jays and their fans.....so yeah, I'm going to strongly disagree with you. The Rays just gave up 300 IP from last years pitching staff! Make no mistake about it, losing Shields and Davis does not set them up well to make a run at it this year. T-bay is still a very strong club with a bright future but on paper they don't stack up with the current Jays roster so what are you basing 94 wins on? You don't give up a pitcher of Shields calibre without replacing him and somehow gain 4 wins.

[Spleentastic]

The Jays should win the AL East next year. They're flawed, yes, but less so than the rest of the division (possibly except Tampa).

NYY has gotten a year older - if they trot out the same starting lineup as they did for most of last year, there won't be a single position player on the field younger than 30. Their pitching staff is also approaching ancient status and is showing signs of wearing down (even the workhorse Sabathia missed a few starts last year). With the Yankees not interested in spending money to cover up their flaws, they are vulnerable.

The Rays have an elite pitching staff, even with the loss of Shields and Davis, but there are some glaring holes in their lineup (Pena, Molina, Jennings) that make it really hard for Longoria and Zobrist to be effective. Wil Myers could help significantly, but that remains to be seen.

The Orioles are a complete wildcard. Everyone is calling their 2012 a fluke, but when you look at the numbers individual players put up, nothing really seems out of whack. Adam Jones was great. Everyone except Nick Markakis struck out a ton. Mark Reynolds, JJ Hardy, and Chris Davis were all power and (mostly) no contact. The starting pitching was a tick above average. The only curiosity is the effectiveness of their bullpen, which may or may not have been a fluke. It's entirely possible they replicate last year's success.

The Red Sox are irrelevant.