In addition to the acquisition of Maicer– not Macier– Izturis this morning, the Jays have made themselves a small trade with the Kansas City Royals, picking up hard-throwing right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress in exchange for cash, according to a tweet from Jeffress’ agent, Josh Kusnick.
Jeffress is a guy who really blows smoke, and knows how to bring the high heater, averaging above 95 on his fastball in limited MLB action over the last three years. But he’s a chronic minor leaguer, heading into his eighth season as a pro, with fewer than 40 innings in the Majors to show for it.
Motivation problems? If true, that’d certainly be a harsh buzz, but I can see how the Jays might have puff on what the Royals were passing, given the big arm and their habitual stashing of relievers. But I’m starting to get a bit concerned about this pattern, frankly. What if all the relievers are just a gateway toward even worse things???
Come to think of it, there was that time I was sure I smelled backup catcher coming from AA’s room. I hate to think of the day that I walk in on him, credit card in hand, cutting up and railing lines of gritty veteran infielders– or worse still, keeled over with a needle half-full of platoon outfielders sticking out his arm.
Heavens!
(Oh yeah, Jeffress has been caught three times by MLB’s drug testing program with marijuana in his system, serving a 100 game suspension in 2009 while with the Brewers, prior to moving on to Kansas City in the Zack Greinke deal. Shi Davidi tweets that Scott Maine has been D’d FA by the Jays to make room for Jeffress and Izturis on the 40-man roster, and Jeffress’ agent tweets that, because he’s now on the 40-man, he is not eligible to be suspended if he’s caught again for a “drug of abuse.” Because apparently that’s how MLB rolls.)
Here’s a rather succinct scouting report, via Matt Klaassen:
@goldandorsmithStoner who throws hard and doesn’t know where it’s going.
— MJK (@devil_fingers) November 8, 2012
Yep.
Photoshoppery by @thescottlewis.
Once again, we realize its better to drink and drive as a MLB or MiLB player then to get blazed.
haha, so sad how this is so true eh.
What exactly is “performance enhancing” about weed? Unless the manager tells him he will get a bag of Doritos if he strikes out the side, I dont see the stigma there.
Drugs are bad, especially for people who are in the public eye, I get that. But its a sad precedent to say its okay to drink and drive as long as you can give a “heartfelt apology” but must sit for 50 or 100 games if you smoke a joint.
Baseball is the most american sport.
USA is still officially at war with drugs. The War on Drugs is ongoing.
MLB has an anti-trust exemption.
Do the math.
The War on Drugs is now over in Colorado and Washington State, dude!
Wars aren’t conducted at the state level genius, it’s a federal prosecution and so is the anti-trust. Baseball won’t do anything to motivate congress to remove their exception.
Players are punished by the LAW for drinking and driving. MLB doesn’t need to punish them twice. It’d be like a player getting a speeding ticket and MLB suspending him for 3 games.
No, it wouldn’t at all.
What I am trying to say is that MLB does not need to intervene with actual justice.
I can do that too!
Players are punished by the LAW for using substances of abuse. MLB doesn’t need to punish them twice. It’d be like a player getting a speeding ticket and MLB suspending him for 3 games.
Jeffress wasn’t punished by the LAW for possession of weed…
MLB has an obligation to punish those who commit terrible offenses and put others in danger. Its not just a punishment issue, its a league image issue and code of conduct issue. Pacman Jones is basically out of Football for that kind of jackassery and its the same road that MLB should take with criminals.
That said, I don’t see having a drug like weed in your system as a code of conduct issue unless it reflects poorly on the league. How would fans find out about pot smoking players other than THROUGH the league.
Michael Vick is still in football after running a large dog fighting ring….. Which by far worse than drugs or dui.
Yeah, FUNDING a dog fighting business is totally worse then getting behind a wheel drunk and endangering the lives of innocents.
DJF Trolls strike again.
He went to jail, did his time and worked his way back. Not excusable for what he did but he served his sentence. What good in a judicial system if you can’t be rehabilitated. You are a tool.
Dgapa you’re missing my point. I am saying since Michael Vick was sentenced through the judicial system he should not be punished through the NFL.
Such as someone who is punished through the judicial system for drinking and driving.
@Steve yes I am saying someone who enjoys watching two dogs kill themselves for entertainment is worse than the guy who had a few beers at happy hour and drives home.
I do not condone drinking and driving at all!!
Mike vick went to prison for 2 years and served his time though.
@AA’s Tie. Yeah I know. If you read the whole thread it’ll make more sense.
But my point was Michael Vick was sentenced through the judicial system he should not be punished through the NFL.
Such as someone who is punished through the judicial system for drinking and driving.
Vick was also punished by the NFL though; he was suspended and had to be reinstated in order to play for the Eagles when he got out of prison.
Adam “Pacman” Jones is back in football, although he missed a few years due to his legal troubles. He has a full-time gig with the Bengals. I think he dropped the Pacman as part of his image change.
sad but true…
Super.
Duper!
I think you mean stashing of relievers
I do now!
you can pass out at the wheel, drunk, on your way home from spring training and they’ll put you in the hall of fame, if you smoke some weed you’re a juicer who’s numbers are all inflated and dont mean anything
Who is this player you speak of?
manager actually,
mr. larussa
lol kind of crossed a few references,
it’s snowing here today and im kind of losing my mind…
i think i’ve logged onto this blog 30x today
Really? Did not know that.
Marginal releivers and ex-Angel backup catchers that can’t hit are the new inefficiency, dont’cha know.
Funny man, Stoeten.
He’s really going to light it up north
This is a clubhouse addition. Since Farrell wasn’t able to do it last season, we need something to mellow out Brett Lawrie and his monster truck intensity of zooming by third base signs, diving into crowds, fucking up batting helmets and blowing up hi fives.
Brett Lawrie is from BC…I am going to jump out on a big limb here and hazard a guess that he has experimented.
It clearly didn’t take.
this is true….wasnt for him, he prefers speed or blow
seriously, who chooses Red Bull over weed? Pure nonsense…
+1 to bkblades. That’s a great idea! Just gave Lawrie a little brown to soften life up and he’ll be fine!
Interesting. Lets try some math. Lawrie + Redbull + joint = tatted up Kelly Gruber?
this guy is going to be extra motivated to stay in Toronto. Cheap,eccentric gamble on AA’s part. If nothing else, he can be cannon fodder for the dog days.
Now, what can the Jays trade to get R.A Dickey?
give him #55 and anoint him toronto’s lincecum.
don’t let know about the new mandatory minimum sentences for growing the sweet leaf tho.
Just keep it to 5 plants or less.
I hadn’t heard about mandatory minimums. bullllllllllllshit if you ask me
I thought his number is going to be 420
I bet Jeffress is wishing he was traded to the Mariners or Rockies.
+1
He would still have to comply with MLB rules.
Oh you’re just no fun at all.
+ Billions and Billions
Bravo
Happens in bunches, don’t ya know.
That Buffalo exec who was all cheesed with the Mets for not making them competitive must be loving these moves.
I mean, uhm.. it’s a TOKEn of appreciation to Buffalo?
Ill get my coat.
Jays Haul in Another Turd–instead of a clubhouse, it is turning into a half-way house. Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2013 Toronto Re-Habs!!
What? Jeffress could be a stud. He was a former first round draft pick, he throws hard and it’s just more depth for the jays. Don’t get to worked up.
Yeah, so was this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brien_Taylor
He’s in prison now…
that’s kind of sad..
on a lighter note, it says on the wikipedia page that he once got in a fist fight in 1993 with a guy named Ron Wilson
That same spring training commercial where there all standing in a row with bats and shit, expect they’re all in a circle talking about their problems
maybe there is more to this AA business than we think?
Dumb.
Rehab? Weed is proven to have zero addictive qualities.
He isnt banging heroin man. Stop stereotyping please.
no people just keep smoking weed for the fun of it, just like every other addiction.
Like alcoholism?
A weed smoker that tokes daily can stop and not feel any adverse side effects.
The same can not be said for addicts of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, crack….fuck, you name thestarv. get your head out of your ass.
I can possibly concur that the psychological aspect of being a daily weed toker may lead to addictive qualities, but the day that weed smoker runs out, he will not go into cold sweats and withdrawals.
and start looking for more weed.. ya I know how it works, I am not dumb. Come back to me when you are being honest with yourself, and say your sorry because until then you are just blowing smoke… pun intended.
Unfortunately there are some other truly nasty side-effects of smoking a lot of weed. It increases your chances of getting chest and throat cancer by huge amounts. I’ve lost a couple of friends that way who were both major stoners back in the day.
No, he will holdup the Doritos factory
Dumb conversation. Being honest here.
Zero addictive qualities???? Honestly man, grow up.
I’ve been a heavy pot smoker for more than 10 years now. The last 2-3 years I’ve really cut down, including stopping completely on more than one occasion for a month or two here and there to ‘reset my tolerance’ so I don’t have to smoke so fuckin much to get a buzz. I’ve also quit smoking cigarettes a few times (haven’t smoked a cigarette for 10 months now) and been involved in some heavier drugs when I was a lot younger. I can say with 100% confidence and plenty of first hand experience that when you smoke pot every day for an extended period of time there is a small amount of addiction there, but after 2 or 3 days of not smoking weed you’re good. With cigarettes and other harder drugs, it takes weeks, or even months or years to be completely over it. So, while I don’t agree that there is ‘zero addictive qualities’, there is certainly no where near the amount of addictive qualities you may find with other stuff.
buzzkill.
“I’ve been a heavy pot smoker for more than 10 years now”
Strong argument there, I guess you guys are right. Weed isn’t addictive at all.
Anyone that thinks marijuana is addictive hasn’t smoked weed before.
I give him 1 month before he’s caught again. I mean, just imagine if he gets his hands of some of that sweet BC Bud
+1
Oh we’ll that’s Hamilton out of the mix as suspect would not be a good combo in the clubhouse
Easily my favourite DJF article to date.
The levity is definitely welcome. Keeps things in perspective.
You ever throw a 100 mph fastball?
You ever throw a 100 mph fastball….on weeeeed?
HAHAH
Awesome. Just awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4GneX1jj94
fuckin awesome hahaha
great blog post hillarious comment
Haymo for the win!
Woah that was crazy cruchy dude!
He’ll probably be excited to see the Northern Lights, and he’ll be happy to see we have a large population of Afghans.
Depth move Jeffress sucks hard
AA is paving the way to bring in The Freak next year….Make the clubhouse 420 friendly
Great, now if Toronto can make something out of Jefferies well they did something worth while. If not, big deal.
Yep. Three of these ‘meh’ type deals over the last few years netted the Jays’ their three best players.
uh who is the third one?
Bautista, Edwin, Morrow
Morrow wasn’t a ‘meh’ move. They knew he was going to start.
Carlos Villanueva
Well, it looks like Collllllllbay, now has someone to get fried with.
This could be good for team chemistry, ahhh no pun.
This has to be the funniest post I have read from you Stoeten.
Literally pun after pun rolled up into one giant dobbie, errr….I mean post.
Thanks for the laugh fella.
*Doobie, not dobbie.
Harry Potter time..
Sweet Cheeba
Who cares if he smokes pot. I smoke all the time and i’m a good guy. Let’s give the guy a chance and welcome him to TO with a big Costco bag of Cheetos.
So… we got Kenny Powers’ black cousin. I’m ok with that.
Can you feel the tension? I know I can. I can feel it down in my plums.
The MiLB drug policy being different from the MLB drug policy is very strange. Does anybody have a link to the MiLB drug policy? It’s tougher to find than I would have expected.
Here’s the MLB policy confirming that pot doesn’t result in a suspension if a player is on the 40 man roster: http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/pdf/jda.pdf
not sure why but it’s unpublished.
Q. How can I obtain documentation for the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program?
A. This policy is implemented and enforced by Major League Baseball, as all Minor League Baseball players (except for those in the Mexican League and the Mexican Academy League) are under contract with a Major League club. To obtain this information, please contact the MLB PR office at 212-931-7878.
As far as I can tell though the only difference is recreational drugs are included for all players not on the 40 man roster. My only issue with Jeffress is that he has no options…which means that he has to be DFA’d to be sent down (and then be subjected to both waivers and the recreational drug tests). I’m guessing that he gets DFA’d in March if he doesn’t show much in Spring.
Thanks for the info. I had a quick look in the FAQ part of MiLB, but I missed the section you found it in. MiLB could really do with a website update, at least to make it a bit easier to search.
I’m surprised that nobody seems to have requested it and published it somewhere online (or that you aren’t allowed to publish it).
From this (http://minorleagueuniversity.blogspot.ca/2011/01/milb-life-drug-testing.html) entertaining description of a player’s experience with MiLB drug testing it looks like the ‘whereabouts’ rules are more strict than the MLB policy as well.
Hey what happens if he was traded to Colorado? Weed is legal there.
same thing that happens here
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/1284673–sports-leagues-keep-marijuana-bans-despite-relaxation-of-laws
Looks like a cash gamble that they can fix him this winter or sneak him through on waivers because I don’t think he’s got any options left.
finally some steps in the right direction.
now: 2 starters and a monstrous M.F. LF bat please.
feel free to interpret monstrous as either power or the ability to actually get on base….the jays could use either amirite?
+1
In light of our latest acquisition, you may want to change your handle to “Toker”.
I hope the next signing/trade is for a starter not another fucking reliever
I know eh! What a terrible fucking thing it is to have depth at a position where players are known for having volatile careers, where injuries occur frequently, and where turnover is a regular thing throughout a long season! FUCKING AWFUL!
someone get this guy a joint, stat.
maybe AA will just have a pitching staff of relievers. use 5-6 pitchers every day, but carry a 12 man bullpen.
Can the Raps get Keon Clarke back too? He didn’t seem to play to badly after a blunt or two.
Perhaps this is an angle we should be taking with prospective FAs: the taxes are higher, but you can be too.
good one, man.might work
weed doesn’t grow on trees and is $$$$$$$+++++ in the us compared to canada
i think he’s hoping that these guys can act as protection for the pieces he wants to actually hang on to. ie:
AA: ‘we want upton. we will give you A & B’
other team: ‘hmm we don’t want A&B, but we want X, Y, Z (where Z is a prospect/desired arm, reliever)’
AA: ‘alright, but I can’t do Z. How about one of these other relievers? (take your pick off the scrap heap pile)’
other team: deal.
so maybe in that way he doesn’t have to part with something quite as good. if he didn’t have pieces to spare then we’d end up having to throw in something a bit too good.
I know I’d smoke a joint with him
+420
Nothing new has happened for hours. What’s AA’s problem?
All around top drawer work here.
All these fucking relievers, and rumours of Jim Tracy being in the mix as the manager?
Please AA, don’t do it.
Are we all done with the pot/weed/doobies/blunts/Cheetos talk yet?
Remember kids, only dopes use dope. (today’s pop culture lesson….who said that?)
How’s the man going to fit in? Will he be a Buffalo guy? Can we get him to breathe through his eyelids enough to harness that Nuke Laloosh fastball?
Best post ever! lol
Anyone else getting irrationally worried that GM AA is going to get one pitcher and leave the last spot just open for competition?
Lucky for him middle relief is a pretty kushy job.
I would love to smoke a joint with him, and Colby, and probably Lawrie would be down too. Half the San Francisco Giants would probably also be up for it.
95MPH? Man, he can really light it up.
this is an awful pun if that’s what you’re after
The Jays are like the Bad News Bears of the MLB
Did the Bad News Bears win anything? I mean, besides respect or sommat shitty like that?
And you guys need to pipe down on these weed references
I’ve read he’s had his bag of dope clocked at 100mph.
(Am I doing this right?)
Im going to be Mr. Optimism here for a minute. Lets imagine that everything breaks right with the bullpen.
1) Janssen continues his dominace.
2) Santos recovers fully from his injury and returns to 2011 where he K’d 13.1/9 IP
3) Delabar continues to be the guy he was at the end of 2012 (maybe with less walks)
4) Lincoln figures out the AL and puts up numbers similar to 2012 in Pittsburgh
5) Loup proves he just didnt have beginners luck and keeps his numbers consistant from 2012
6) Rogers is the same guy he was in Cleveland
7) Oliver sees the Jays have improved enough to come back for one more go. (and his age doesn’t finally catch up to him)
8) Jeffress reigns in his control enough to be usefull
Thats one hell of a group!
Even if half of these things break right the pen looks to be in pretty good shape.
But there is alway the other side of things where everying falls to shit.