Toronto Blue Jays

[2014olympicgold]

Other than the excuse to get drunk on a sunday afternoon at the Skydome with the roof open... does anyone actually give a **** about the Jays any more? Another pathetic Toronto franchise...

I’m a hockey fan first, then sports in general. If the Raptors are playing the same time as the Leafs, I’ll flip back and forth during commercials or if there’s a blowout. I follow the BJ just because there isn’t anything else on at the same time as a Jay’s game usually. Also, ticket prices being very low help me go more often. I will pay for the Leafs, but I don’t pay anything more than $40 for the Jays.

[Zorro]

I grew up with the Blue Jays, I stick with them every season.. I will never be accused as being a 'part-time fan'..

[Dobber]

Agreed re: Reyes. He blew it, especially that error. Though I think these one-run losses will stop soon. Just the law of averages

[Axeman33]

At this point, I'd be OK with them dealing away one of Bautista or Encarnacion to gain in the pitching department. As long as they have questionable pitching, I think they will continue to be on the losing end of those one-run games.

[2014olympicgold]

Reyes may have been needed 2 yrs ago, leadoff hitter, no SS in sight for the team, a veteran who was fun to be around. But he’s not needed anymore. Last yr I remember reading something about how he has been the worse SS for errors in the last 4yrs or something. Or it was errors relative to pay was insane. I want Goins in more, he’s a gold glover candidate for sure. His speed makes up for his lack of contact in this lineup. Also, he’s gotten some pop off the bat recently and I would want him in the back 3 of the lineup more often than not. What Reyes brings to the lineup the jays have tons of (offense) and what they need, Goins brings a lot of (defense).

If the Jays had a smart GM, they could ship Reyes off for a solid middle relief guy and try him out as a late inning thrower. They lack a guy who can come in and throw 3 quick outs. Osuna has done amazing, but they need another guy.

Lowest paid bullpen, and lowest paid pitching staff combined and it shows.

[TheWhale]

While I think the Jays do need to acquire some more pitching help, I do not think they should trade anyone at this point. They have lost a handful of one run games and have had the bullpen give some up as well (as expected). But the SP has shown some signs of turning things around and the team will eventually be healthy.

The stupidity of Bautista's injury and effect can not be understated. Him as a DH and not in the OF has a serious domino effect and takes a better bat out of the lineup every night. Not to mention he's our best outfielder and we miss what he gives in the field every night. The guys we have in the OF right now are the guys that were to make up our OF bench.

Injuries have hit this team hard too. Travis, Navarro (which means we have Thole on our bench) Bautista, Saunders, Reyes out for a month. Say what you will about his D (he's always been average) but he gives us a solid top 5 hitters every night.

All of this and the Jays are still less than 5 games out of the division lead (I think). Maybe we should all give this team a chance and see where they're at come end of June. And maybe we should all just enjoy what has been an entertaining start to the season and hope it continues, with better results of course.

[2014olympicgold]

While I think the Jays do need to acquire some more pitching help, I do not think they should trade anyone at this point. They have lost a handful of one run games and have had the bullpen give some up as well (as expected). But the SP has shown some signs of turning things around and the team will eventually be healthy.

The stupidity of Bautista's injury and effect can not be understated. Him as a DH and not in the OF has a serious domino effect and takes a better bat out of the lineup every night. Not to mention he's our best outfielder and we miss what he gives in the field every night. The guys we have in the OF right now are the guys that were to make up our OF bench.

Injuries have hit this team hard too. Travis, Navarro (which means we have Thole on our bench) Bautista, Saunders, Reyes out for a month. Say what you will about his D (he's always been average) but he gives us a solid top 5 hitters every night.

All of this and the Jays are still less than 5 games out of the division lead (I think). Maybe we should all give this team a chance and see where they're at come end of June. And maybe we should all just enjoy what has been an entertaining start to the season and hope it continues, with better results of course.

Injuries will always hit this team, either the turf or the training staff is to question for this (prolly both). But Reyes with the amount he’s paid needs to show it on both sides for 150games, not just the bat. Also with the emergence of Travis, and the additions of Martin and Donaldson, we don’t need Reyes’s bat.

Edwin and Bautista are not performing to their potential, so these 1-run games should be fewer and farther in between, and our SP have been good-ish. The bullpen is where I want to see upgrades.

I would love to see Reyes traded, but he won’t get a big return right now. No one needs an aging, band-aid boy, who commits too many errors for the pay cheque the team will have to cut. The NY Mets, or Braves need a better SS, but they won’t be messing with success right now. I’d love to see Syndergaard back tho…lol. But a RP you can toss in and have 0 second thoughts about is what the Jays need.

[Godin]

I hate to single out any one player, since it's a team game.
But Reyes basically cost them the game all by himself yesterday. I'm sick of his attitude to always put fun before focus.
He gets a lead-off single relatively late in a tie game. Key words being lead-off and tie.

WHAT IS HE THINKING TRYING TO STRETCH THAT INTO A DOUBLE IN THAT SITUATION ?!?!?!?!

Nobody out, Donaldson (your best and hottest hitter), Bautista and EE all coming up behind you and you get thrown out at 2nd on a stupid and selfish play. Of course Donaldson then smacks a solo HR instead of what should have been a 2 run homer.

Then, to make matters worse, in the bottom half, Reyes allows the lead-off hitter to reach on a routine play that he throws in the dirt. It was such a routine play, I could seriously make that out from shortstop 9 times out of 10. And he's a multi-million dollar shortstop. FFS, get your head in the game, have some focus and desire. Boom, Twins take the lead a few pitches later.

They need pitching so badly, and more players like Donaldson. Replace guys like Reyes with more like Donaldson. Easier said than done, sadly.

Thats what i've noticed about this team the last couple of years. They could be down 10-0, then hit a 2 run homer and there are high fives and smiles all around. I don't get how Gibbons puts up with this. Its a losers attitude. I'm not saying don't have fun, but pick your spots. There just seems to be a little too much 'me me' attitude.

[Godin]

Agreed 100%. Most of the players on this team play like individuals. And they accept losing way too easily.

On a tangent for a moment... wtf does their pitching staff have to do in order for Pete Walker to get canned? I'm sure he's a nice enough fellow, but aren't they overdue to try a different pitching coach? I know the personnel has been lacking - it's certainly not all Walker's fault, but maybe a new approach can get more out of some of these pitchers?

Good point. The pitching staff has been the killer the last couple of years. They had plenty of offence last year and do so again this year. They are at the top of the league in overall batting and 2nd last overall in pitching. Last year, they were 5th in overall batting and 22nd in pitching. So really, what will it take? They are paying Dickey and Buehrle $32,000,000 between them. lol Crazy!! Thats almost half of the NHL salary cap.

[2014olympicgold]

Martin (7m), Donaldson (4.2m), Estrada (3.9m), Valencia (1.675m), Smoak (1m), Loup (0.528m), Hutchinson (0.520m), Tolleson (0.517m), Hendricks (0.518m), Pillar (0.512m), Sanchez (0.507m), Travis (0.507m), and Osuna (0.507m) make a combined less than what Reyes ALONE makes.

Reyes makes the same as Miguel Cabrera (22m). Reyes is the most overpaid person in Toronto

[2014olympicgold]

Reyes again with 2 bad plays back to back. Fumbles a routine grounder that you should be expecting with Buerhle on the mound, then messes up the chance to redeem his self with a double play. However he throws Goins off the base, but luckily Goins is a great defensive player and stretches to get the one out.

[LawMan]

Crazy walk-off win for the Jays yesterday.

Kawaski gets a hit, then Reyes get on and steal second. Then Reyes makes a really smart baserunning play making sure he's on the bag for the Bautista pop-up, a double-steal and a single later and Jays pull off a highly improbable win.

[2014olympicgold]

I had a paragraph written up on how I’ll give it to Reyes on yesterday’s game. If he wasn’t playing, I’d doubt they would win that game. I was there yesterday and Kawasaki actually caught for Dickey one inning while he was warming up (when on TV it’s a commercial break) then Martin walks out and Kawasaki jumps up, tosses Martin his cage and hustles to the dugout.

To the people who say the jays NEED to trade Bautista, it’s games like yesterday you have to base it off of, he looks healthy for once this yr.

BTW, Reyes was pumped after that 9^th inning single he had. Wow I could see him yelling and stirring it up from the 500s.

[blayze]

I was at the Jay's game yesterday... it was BANANAS in the 9th.

The way they were celebrating you'd think they just won the World Series lol. I haven't seen the fans cheering like that since they won the World Series in the 90s. Fun game to be at!

[LawMan]

It's a WALK-OFF!! Another massive win for the Jays. And just like that they have 2 walkoff wins in 3 games and they're back to .500. Watch out AL East.