Baseball Guru
02-15-2005, 08:50 AM
http://www.fanball.com/bb/article.cfm/ID.3436
By Bo Mitchell, Managing Editor
February 11, 2005 9:00 PM ET
Spring Training Home: Knology Park – Dunedin, Florida
First Grapefruit League Game: March 4 vs. Twins
Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers and his company, Rogers Communication Corporation, bought the SkyDome from Sportsco International for a cool $25 million (or about $550 million less than it cost to build) this offseason and promptly changed the name of the place to Rogers Centre. What does the clearance price sale of a 16-year-old stadium mean for fantasy owners? Well, the park is being refurbished with new turf and scoreboards and other bells and whistles, and soon the roster will be augmented with more high-priced players. That's the plan, anyway. Rogers recently committed $210 million over the next three years to the team's player payroll. That breaks down to $50 million this season and $160 million over the next two. The infusion of dollars came a little too late for this winter's free agency shopping, but look for the Jays to be active in attempting to acquire expensive players from non-contending teams before the trading deadline this summer. Thus, the team they end the season with in September may look a lot different from the unit that heads to Florida next week.
Notable offseason transactions
Too bad the money didn't start flowing into the payroll coffers in time for the Blue Jays to retain first baseman Carlos Delgado or recruit some additional help out of free agency. Delgado signed for four years and $52 million with the Marlins. Meanwhile Matt Clement would have looked good pitching every five days for the Jays, but they didn't have the right deal to get 'er done and he ultimately wound up in Boston.
Replacing Delgado's offense in the middle of the lineup is probably impossible in the short term. Forget last season's injury-influenced troubles; from 1998-2003, Delgado averaged 40 homers, 124 RBI, 107 runs, and a .292 batting average. The job of replacing Delgado at first will fall to Eric Hinske, who is moving across the diamond from third thanks to the signing of former Twins third baseman, native Canadian, and former hockey goalie Corey Koskie. The initial plan is for Koskie to replace Delgado in the cleanup spot…good luck with that, eh. Backing both of them up will be Shea Hillenbrand, who was acquired in a January trade from the Diamondbacks in exchange for pitcher Adam Peterson. Hillenbrand will DH when he's not filling in for Koskie or Hinske.
In other offseason trades, the Blue Jays sent backup catcher Kevin Cash to the Devil Rays for 21-year-old pitcher Chad Gaudin, who split time between Triple-A Durham and Tampa last season. And infielder John McDonald was acquired from the Indians for a player to be named.
Other free agency acquisitions include pitchers Scott Schoeneweis, Scott Downs, and Billy Koch. Yes, Koch is a Blue Jay again; our condolences.
What to watch
Fantasy owners have to be wondering what to think of center fielder Vernon Wells. He followed up a breakout 2003 campaign with a 2004 season that, to say the least, left anyone who had him on their team quite disappointed. Wells' average dropped 45 points, his home runs dipped 10, and his RBI fell by 50. Two factors led to the collapse. First, he dropped 20 pounds before the season and didn't do his usual offseason work with weights in part because he was busy moving. Second, a right calf injury cost him a month of playing time. The good news is that Vernon finished the 2004 campaign on a high note by being named the MVP of the series between Major-League All-Stars and Japanese teams across the Pacific. Moreover, he has hit the weights again this offseason and bulked back up. That being said, he will miss having Delgado's bat behind him in the lineup. The Jays will be tempted to use Wells as their cleanup hitter, but if they bat him third (as he is penciled in to do) at least he'll have some protection in the form of Koskie.
The Jays' other fantasy stud who had a tough time in 2004 is Roy Halladay. The 2003 Cy Young award winner was limited to just 21 starts last year because of a tired shoulder. Go figure; he led the American League in innings pitched in 2002 and 2003. Roy ended the forgettable '04 season by beating the Yankees, holding them to one run in eight innings. He then cut back on what had been an arduous off-season throwing program with the hope of growing stronger as this season progresses. Get a good look at him this spring because there is nothing wrong with his arm and he could once again become one of the top hurlers in fantasy baseball.
Miguel Batista has the Jays a little flummoxed. He was a starter at the beginning of last year, but was ultimately demoted to the bullpen and wound up as their closer for the final four weeks of the season. Batista was going to stay in that closer role had the team managed to sign the aforementioned Clement. But when that deal fell through, he was slotted back into their rotation as the third starter by default. It will be interesting to get a reading on him this spring to see if his control has improved over last year when he tied for most walks in the league (96) despite the time in the pen.
Position battles
The final spot in the rotation is there for the taking for Josh Towers. Barring a horrible spring, he'll get the job. But there's always competition at the end of the rotation and the Jays will have it in the form of Gustavo Chacin, who led the minor leagues with 18 wins last year and then posted a 2.57 ERA and 1-1 mark in two starts for Toronto at the end of the season.
With Batista back in the rotation, the Blue Jays enter spring training without anyone cemented in place as their closer. The favorite right now is Justin Speier, but he will be pushed by Jason Frasor, who was their best reliever last year. A closer by committee is likely. Koch closing games again is a last resort. Keep a close eye on Brandon League, a flame-throwing right-hander who turns just 22 in March. League was lights out in his September cup of coffee in Toronto and can hit triple digits on the radar gun. Given the dearth of imposing arms in their pen, it would not surprise to see League break camp as a middle reliever. And given the state of their closer situation, it also would not be a surprise if manager John Gibbons lets him try to save some games later in the year.
Behind the dish, the Jays plan to bring Greg Myers north as the backup to starter Gregg Zaun, but that could change. Prospect Guillermo Quiroz could push for the backup gig with a huge March. They'd like to get him some more seasoning down at Triple-A Syracuse, but if age and more injuries catch up to Myers this spring they may not have a choice.
By Bo Mitchell, Managing Editor
February 11, 2005 9:00 PM ET
Spring Training Home: Knology Park – Dunedin, Florida
First Grapefruit League Game: March 4 vs. Twins
Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers and his company, Rogers Communication Corporation, bought the SkyDome from Sportsco International for a cool $25 million (or about $550 million less than it cost to build) this offseason and promptly changed the name of the place to Rogers Centre. What does the clearance price sale of a 16-year-old stadium mean for fantasy owners? Well, the park is being refurbished with new turf and scoreboards and other bells and whistles, and soon the roster will be augmented with more high-priced players. That's the plan, anyway. Rogers recently committed $210 million over the next three years to the team's player payroll. That breaks down to $50 million this season and $160 million over the next two. The infusion of dollars came a little too late for this winter's free agency shopping, but look for the Jays to be active in attempting to acquire expensive players from non-contending teams before the trading deadline this summer. Thus, the team they end the season with in September may look a lot different from the unit that heads to Florida next week.
Notable offseason transactions
Too bad the money didn't start flowing into the payroll coffers in time for the Blue Jays to retain first baseman Carlos Delgado or recruit some additional help out of free agency. Delgado signed for four years and $52 million with the Marlins. Meanwhile Matt Clement would have looked good pitching every five days for the Jays, but they didn't have the right deal to get 'er done and he ultimately wound up in Boston.
Replacing Delgado's offense in the middle of the lineup is probably impossible in the short term. Forget last season's injury-influenced troubles; from 1998-2003, Delgado averaged 40 homers, 124 RBI, 107 runs, and a .292 batting average. The job of replacing Delgado at first will fall to Eric Hinske, who is moving across the diamond from third thanks to the signing of former Twins third baseman, native Canadian, and former hockey goalie Corey Koskie. The initial plan is for Koskie to replace Delgado in the cleanup spot…good luck with that, eh. Backing both of them up will be Shea Hillenbrand, who was acquired in a January trade from the Diamondbacks in exchange for pitcher Adam Peterson. Hillenbrand will DH when he's not filling in for Koskie or Hinske.
In other offseason trades, the Blue Jays sent backup catcher Kevin Cash to the Devil Rays for 21-year-old pitcher Chad Gaudin, who split time between Triple-A Durham and Tampa last season. And infielder John McDonald was acquired from the Indians for a player to be named.
Other free agency acquisitions include pitchers Scott Schoeneweis, Scott Downs, and Billy Koch. Yes, Koch is a Blue Jay again; our condolences.
What to watch
Fantasy owners have to be wondering what to think of center fielder Vernon Wells. He followed up a breakout 2003 campaign with a 2004 season that, to say the least, left anyone who had him on their team quite disappointed. Wells' average dropped 45 points, his home runs dipped 10, and his RBI fell by 50. Two factors led to the collapse. First, he dropped 20 pounds before the season and didn't do his usual offseason work with weights in part because he was busy moving. Second, a right calf injury cost him a month of playing time. The good news is that Vernon finished the 2004 campaign on a high note by being named the MVP of the series between Major-League All-Stars and Japanese teams across the Pacific. Moreover, he has hit the weights again this offseason and bulked back up. That being said, he will miss having Delgado's bat behind him in the lineup. The Jays will be tempted to use Wells as their cleanup hitter, but if they bat him third (as he is penciled in to do) at least he'll have some protection in the form of Koskie.
The Jays' other fantasy stud who had a tough time in 2004 is Roy Halladay. The 2003 Cy Young award winner was limited to just 21 starts last year because of a tired shoulder. Go figure; he led the American League in innings pitched in 2002 and 2003. Roy ended the forgettable '04 season by beating the Yankees, holding them to one run in eight innings. He then cut back on what had been an arduous off-season throwing program with the hope of growing stronger as this season progresses. Get a good look at him this spring because there is nothing wrong with his arm and he could once again become one of the top hurlers in fantasy baseball.
Miguel Batista has the Jays a little flummoxed. He was a starter at the beginning of last year, but was ultimately demoted to the bullpen and wound up as their closer for the final four weeks of the season. Batista was going to stay in that closer role had the team managed to sign the aforementioned Clement. But when that deal fell through, he was slotted back into their rotation as the third starter by default. It will be interesting to get a reading on him this spring to see if his control has improved over last year when he tied for most walks in the league (96) despite the time in the pen.
Position battles
The final spot in the rotation is there for the taking for Josh Towers. Barring a horrible spring, he'll get the job. But there's always competition at the end of the rotation and the Jays will have it in the form of Gustavo Chacin, who led the minor leagues with 18 wins last year and then posted a 2.57 ERA and 1-1 mark in two starts for Toronto at the end of the season.
With Batista back in the rotation, the Blue Jays enter spring training without anyone cemented in place as their closer. The favorite right now is Justin Speier, but he will be pushed by Jason Frasor, who was their best reliever last year. A closer by committee is likely. Koch closing games again is a last resort. Keep a close eye on Brandon League, a flame-throwing right-hander who turns just 22 in March. League was lights out in his September cup of coffee in Toronto and can hit triple digits on the radar gun. Given the dearth of imposing arms in their pen, it would not surprise to see League break camp as a middle reliever. And given the state of their closer situation, it also would not be a surprise if manager John Gibbons lets him try to save some games later in the year.
Behind the dish, the Jays plan to bring Greg Myers north as the backup to starter Gregg Zaun, but that could change. Prospect Guillermo Quiroz could push for the backup gig with a huge March. They'd like to get him some more seasoning down at Triple-A Syracuse, but if age and more injuries catch up to Myers this spring they may not have a choice.