It’s probably not as newsworthy as a lot of people really want to believe– but maybe it isn’t!– but maybe it is– but maybe it isn’t!– but I still figure that it’s been a slow enough day to pass along some Knoblin’ from the Knobler, who late this afternoon laid this one on us:
Eli Whiteside on the move again. Now claimed on waivers by Rangers from Blue Jays.
— DKnobler (@DKnobler) December 12, 2012
The move frees up a spot on the Jays’ 40-man roster– “but to what end?” we all wonder.
I dunno. Most likely absolutely nothing. But maybe something is in the works!
But most likely not.
But maybe!
We’ll never forget the Eli Whiteside era. It was almost as glorious as the Bobby Wilson era.
It’s sad I’ve always wanted another Jays Player with the peppered grey look ever since Mike Bordick left town.
Whiteside has become a human bong for getting passed around so much.
And i just got my fucking Whiteside jersey printed…..
OMG we’re getting Dickey!!!!
Atleast that’s what I got out of this…… But I could be interpreting this all wrong
Don’t need a roster spot for Dickey… We’re getting Anibal Sanchez!
To get Dickey the Jays would have to move someone on their 40-man roster (probably 2): d’Arnaud or Arencibia, Gose or Rasmus. So it’s probably for a free-agent…
WTF is that on his chin?
I believe that is a Goliath Bird Eating Spider……
Sadly, (like the Ikea monkey & Pit Bulls), yet one more pet banned in Ontario. No soup for Whiteside!
Clearly a move like this could any mean the Jays are freeing up space to trade for Ian Kinsler.
JPA + John Buck + Fernado Tatis should get it done
good thing we put a depth catcher on waivers then.
Julio Tehran for boneface straight up?
pretty sure ATL says “no” to that.
how about bon face for tehran then? its the ol switcheroo that gets them every time.
How can he be claimed if he wasn’t already taken off the 40 man?The jays exposed him opening up a spot? For why?
I must know this, for I am a curious fellow.
i claimed him from the rangers now!! he will prune my hedges, clean my eaves troughs, and wash my turbin every third wednesday
julio tIRAN!
Why isn’t MLBTR working? damn. Maybe the trade is going to be so awesome it destroyed all rumors.
I thought this likely….
But then MLBTR came back up with news of the Dodgers acquisition of Skip Schumacher.
Certainly not the rumor destroying transaction I was anticipating.
So does anyone have an idea why he would be placed on waivers at this point in time, if there was no move coming in the future ?
No clue. if he was working on a trade, he could have just DFA’d or passed him through waivers after the trade…
Might be nothing but I think something is up.
yeah but if its nothing whats the point of placing him on waivers at this point in time.
master batter – agreed, that’s why I say I think something is up…and it might be more than one guy coming back…AA likes multiple trading partners and now it seems he likes one stop shopping…again, if it is actually something, which I think it is…
Trying to catch other GMs napping and slip him through waivers.
I think that’s basically it.
They obviously wanted him to pass through waivers at some point (besides the very small chance JPA or Buck were to be moved) so they probably thought they had a good chance to do so.
Judging by the timeline, they may have actually tried to waive him immediately after claiming him to see if they could get him through.
Im not buying the idea that they need to open a spot because of a potential trade. If they did finalize a trade or did sign a free agent, they could at that time put him on waivers. It’s not like you need the spot before you make a trade. they probably just decided he was not a fit or maybe just isnt very good.
obviously he isn’t the greatest, he was picked up as a depth move, still no reason to place him on waivers at this point …
or there is any number of reasons we just have no idea about, with some kind of trade not being the only possibility
but I hope this is wrong!
I’m spitballing here, I’m thinking they need a spot for the 6th reliever/long man AA is about to sign. Villanauva, PLEEZ!
Needing catchers for depth for the Jays AAA is approaching legend.
Wrong.
Make no deal, let TDA get a couple hundred PA’s down there. If the TDA star makes the big club out of Spring Training, the way I read the scouting reports and all, Nessy is up to the AAA move.
First year in the Bigs for Travis, he plays with JP. Carry Buck anyway, it’snot like everything else isn’t covered. Which is why Alex should tell the Braves to fuck right off and stop jerking of whilst thinking of BoneFace.
Not gonna happen you sad sack of crackers.
my head hurts.
Seriously??
Relax guys. He may have someone else he wants to pick up off waivers.
Maybe just wants the spit open in case there is a signing.
Jays world is getting crazy when trade soeculation swirls because a AAAA Catcher goes on waivers.
why not have JPA begin his journey to 1B / DH heh it’s coming.
JPA’s bat doesn’t play at first or DH.
Is his OBP going to begin its journey from .280 first?
Um…Nessy has never played above low-A. He ain’t going to AAA. The next guy on the depth chart after D’Arnaud is AJ Jimenez, but he’s coming off surgery.
And that’s only 6 games in Low-A. The rest in rookie ball.
(humms the theme from the littlest hobo)
Man, I loved that show when I was a kid, poor dog just wanted a home!
Hobo’s don’t have homes do they? Isn’t that why they’re hobo’s
I suppose this is true. But dogs are more lovable than mediocre back up catchers are they not? Probably more likely to find a good home lol
ditches are the hobo’s home. many a time a i saw a naked hobo trying to shower in the rain, or poop in an old dutch box, its the way of the world my friend
For some reason I just picture Eli Whiteside pooping in an old dutch box… in the rain with the littlest hobo theme playing…
There’s a quote for the books… jeez.
i bet london the dog brought ol eli some leaves or a cheeseburger wrapper to wipe with, he was helpful that way
The littlest hobo was awesome!
Could be a free agent singing coming. Most likely another minor sp signing who has options but to get him he needed to be assured he would be on the 40 man roster. Most likely in my opinion Bobby Wilson has seen his options and has decided to sign with the Jays who wanted him more than Whitside. Let the Bobby Wilson second coming begin.
Christmas is saved!
Festivus for the rest of us…
This is the second AAAA catcher picked up on waivers and released in 2 weeks. (Think Igot that right) So Jays need catching, and that would be an indicator that JPA ( or anther catcher) is being pimped for a trade.
They were not released. They were claimed on waivers.
And it’s not an indicator of that at all. It’s an indicator that they want another catcher with MLB experience playing in Buffalo.
Yeah. . . Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is the Jays trying to pass an experienced guy with no options left through waivers to have a decent 2nd catcher on the AAA team (who can reliably sub in when/if Travis D gets called up to DH or catch).
They might have done it this early just to see if he’d make it through.. And now that he hasn’t, they have time to just pick up a similar guy and try again.
delmon ‘i didnt choke in plsyoffs’ young! wtf why not? all dude does is hit lhp
Teach him how to occasionally fill in at first and Im down with that.
AA was just trying to sneak him through waivers and it didn’t work. No big deal.
You dont sneak Eli,,, Eli sneaks you!
Maybe he was picked up as a depth move in case the JPA for Dickey trade discussions started moving… And maybe the fact that the Jays have simply let Whiteside go on waivers is an indication that the team now thinks that there is not a likelihood of trading one of our other Catchers in the near term.
This makes sense to me. JPA and Buck in the majors to start the season, TDA in Buffalo, assess again late May seems more and more likely in my opinion which means nothing.
Except you want your #1 catcher selected at the start of the season. Great starting rotations shouldn’t lose their #1 cause management couldn’t pull the trigger in the off-season
Brandon Snyder re-signed on a minor league deal with Texas. He hit .277/.309/.446 with 3HR and 9 RBI in 40 games this past year. Was hoping AA would sign him to a similar deal ’cause he’s only 26, is a former first rounder, has never had much of a chance in Texas, can play both corners and is a right handed bat who may have made a good platoon partner for Lind. At worst, he’d have been a right handed bat in Buffalo. Might have missed the boat on this one.
Maybe Texas was his dream job
So the djf folk hate demon young with a passion eh?
Not me dude,, but you know what I would rather see? A bullpen depth chart that doesnt involve the name Brett Cecil. That would perfect this awesome off season for me.
HIs lefty splits are pretty good. I mean, we had Yunel Escobar! How much worse PR wise is Delmon?
I think young would bet a great fit at dh
I have a feeling that our fanbase has been spoiled and that we are waiting for something that isn’t going to happen. It might be a loooooooooooong off season. It’s like when you give a kid a $20 to buy something and then he continues to bug you for $5s.
I guess the reason to believe that AA has one more move to make is that this team looks so close that it might be a mistake to not acquire the last piece of the puzzle to put them over the top. We also know he is always looking to improve the team. I am not going to hold my breath for that last move, but I know in the back of my mind something significant might still happen.
If anything else is going to happen this offseason. Other than Minor league free agents; a trade is more likely
I agree, I guess it isn’t necessarily greedy to hope for a trade, rather than to indulge in a free agent signing, although the loss of prospect capital will cost $$$ in the end. But still, the fans are hoping for a lot from AA, and he has given it to us so far.
No it’s not like that at all. It’s like giving your incredibly smart child $20 to INVEST, with a fairly certain guarantee that down the road, you’ll be getting $40 back. However, if you give him an extra $5 he may be able to turn your $25 investment into $150.
I think the reason Whitside was exposed to waivers is because AA now believes a Dickey trade is not possible. AA intially signed Wilson and actually offered him a contract before non tendering him. The Dickey trade was a possibility so AA wanted to hang on to him. So he then picked up Whiteside, thinking we may him him if we trade JP Arencibia in the Dickey trade. I think AA thinks that the Dickey possibilities are slim so he doesn’t need the Whiteside stiff any more so he created a space on the 40 man roster which is more valuable. I think it’s time to put this Dickey shit to bed. It’s not going to happen. It’s like a shitty porn. It’s time to cut our losses and move on. I’m actually happy to keep JP Arencibia. I wouldn’t be happy with Buck as our starter and I don’t want to move Rasmus or Gose. So let’s move on from the Dickey shit. I’m tired of writing about this fucker who we will never get. By the way, on a different topic, I’m just wondering if I’m completely nuts for wanting to fuck Ann Coulter
Or, you know, maybe AA just tried to sneak him through waivers.
AA can always find another AAAA catcher.
Bobby Wilson & Eli Whiteside on the 40 man were never indications that a trade was close.
As such, the fact that they are off the 40 man doesn’t mean moving JPA or Buck is off the table either.
topic a: I secretly will always believe there is a shot at Dickey until some kind of end is reached, but you’re probably right in that it is pretty much not worth discussing at this point. I often talk about it just to defend the notion that it is a good idea to even try and get the guy, or to put an end to the countless myths about how he was only good for a year or that the Mets secretly know that he is going to suck and that is why they are low-balling him.
topic b: yeah I feel bad for you if you want to fuck Ann Coulter. : (
yes that would make you nuts, but then she is a fruitcake
(1) Naahhh, thr Whiteside thing isn’t related to Dickey. It just shows that AA has a pretty good eye for talent, but so does the Texas organization, and catchers don’t grow on trees. (2) I actually saw her in person once several years ago at an event in Sacramento, and yeah, I would have boned her.
Yes , you are. That anorexic cunt.
I know this is Jays forum, but fuck does it suck to be a Raps fan. Colangelo reminds me so much of Riccardi and his tenure – just years of mediocrity, horrible scouting, drafting, big contracts to shitty players – definitely makes me thankful for AA and all he has accomplished in 3 short years. Hopefully the Raps can do the same thing, although I just cant picture them rebuilding as quickly as AA was able to
What’s a Rap and who is this Colangelo guy?
well hopefully its a wRap on CoLOLangelo’s tenure as GM!
Now thats funny.
John Ferguson Jr. possibly one of the worst GMs in Toronto sports history. Im not a basketball fan but the raptors really seem to be a bleak situation right now.
yeah I just can’t give a shit about the NBA. when Bosh left I pretty much decided to stop following the league altogether. not even because the raptors took a hit, I followed other teams a little bit too, but mostly because the league seems like the most predictable in all of sports.
I actually quite like basketball as sport, but the NBA is unbearable to follow.
Bosh is a poser ask Durant. ‘ fake tuff guys’
Colangelo is a joke. Their drafting has been a joke. Their major plays in the off-season couldn’t sign either a 39 year old has-been or a 23 year old might-never-be. At least Riccardi’s teams were almost competitive, BCs haven’t been in a league where 60% of the teams make the post-season.
Can’t blame him for Bosh. Remember, he didn’t trade him because after the All-Star break in 2010 they were a half-game behind Boston for the division lead, and just collapsed. Like plummeted.
But shit man…I’m a Raptors fans since 1995, I’ll never cheer for another team, but this is as bleak as I’ve ever seen it. I feel myself losing interest in this team, something I never thought I’d say, and I watched every game during those Rob Babcock years. Sigh…how long until pitchers and catchers report again?
Is it so tough to type Bonifacio that everyone just says Boneface instead? Or did I miss a joke?
Wilner calls him Boneface.
rufff rufff!
*saves your life*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxj4ml0jkzk&feature=youtu.be
Interesting, Norris was only baptized four or so years ago. Come on late and come on strong I guess…
That was a cool link.
So he’s a late convert? Those are often the most zealous.
Unwatchably boring
Agreed, I turned it off after I saw “before baseball there was family and faith” and it cut to a church.
Does that make me an asshole?
no really.
*not
I somewhat wish the Jays would conduct a trade once every four days, not because it would be useful in any way to the team, but rather so we could have something to talk about instead of waiting for spring training.
What, no puns? How about ‘Always look on the Whiteside of life’?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97du1N7Znb0
know when to holdem know when to foldem revolving door regarding guys like Bw n Whiteside. Who knows what AA had up his onion with these guys.
ps im on mountain time n im wasted
Did he hold these guys in the wake of a possible JPA move that never transpired? Ive been a big move JPA activist for that 5th starter but he aint goin anywhere
I’m excited – it clears a roster spot for another reliever
My huge crush on DJ Davis has been justified by BP. #5 oh yeah
Jays need s list on a priority basis IMO
1. #1 Catcher
2 #4 starter (Romero is #5 due to last seasons performance)
3. Determine who is starting 2nd baseman
4 Determine Who is starting CF?
Strength up the middle wins and the BJ’s have a lot a work ahead to fix this problem
That list is just stupid. Every one of those is done well enough (JPA or Buck, Romero, Izturis, and Rasmus). Is there a chance for upgrading those positions? Of course, but the Jays real priority now is building depth, especially minor league depth. And really, that is the whole point to this move, trying to get a veteran backup catcher in Buffalo.
And for the 25-man roster, their biggest need right now is a utility infielder or a right handed platoon bat for the bench. Getting a better 2B would solve that problem, moving Izturis onto the bench, but again, it isn’t really a top priority as the position is already filled with an adequate option.
Seems we have a lot of above level utillity grade, but lower than top 12 in the league starting grade infielders. Adding more guys with less skill than we have now is not how you win. BJ’s are too weak down the middle – you can disagree with the priorities but not the need
Need to replace that Reyes chump.
Yeah that was the point exactly – replace Reyes. I think our surplus at 2nd and CF will help in part to solve some of the issues with catching and pitching. Anyway Max if you wanna trade Reyes that would be difficult to defend
Sarcasm must not be your strong suit.
Actually, it is exactly how you win. You build up depth behind the current group so you can recover from injuries when they occur. Focusing all efforts on the starting 9 is stupid because eventually one of those 9 is going to get injured, and if you don’t have depth, you’re fucked. Every team has below average to average starters. The problem comes in when you start having replacement to below average starters, which is something the Jays only have at DH if Lind is playing full-time (thus the need for a right handed bat). Aside from that, having better than replacement level depth available to fill in for injuries is really where the team is lacking (though Bonifacio, Gose, d’Arnaud, Cooper, and some of the young relievers make up some of that).
@ No…you win with strength down the middle. Must haves are Starting Pitching, 2nd, Catcher, and then CF.
Depth is a lower priority (yes you gotta have it) . It seems that winning and being competitive are deemed to be synonymous here, and they arn’t. The Jays can’t win with this team. So if you are happy making the playoffs then by all means focus on depth. It won’t WIN for you though
Been done.
1. JPA
2. Romero, Happ is 5th
3. Izturis
4. Cletus Swaggersleeve.
Could they be better? Sure. But they’re hardly priority.
Disagree with every reply so far
Jays are going to the DANCE!!!
Yeah baby.
Jason Parks’ Blue Jays top 10 is up at Baseball Prospectus:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=19151
I don’t have a subscription but for those too lazy to hit the link:
1. C Travis d’Arnaud
2. RHP Noah Syndergaard
3. RHP Aaron Sanchez
4. LHP Sean Nolin
5. CF D.J. Davis
6. RHP Roberto Osuna
7. LHP Daniel Norris
8. RHP Marcus Stroman
9. LHP Matt Smoral
10. RHP Alberto Tirado
DJ Davis at 5 seems higher than other reports on the farm. Dunno if that means he’s bullish on Davis or more reserved on Osuna and Norris.
nm, not too different from fangraphs
1. TDA
2. Sanchez
3. Syndengaaaard
4. Osuna
5. DJ Davis
6. Norris
7. Nolin
8. Jimenez
9. Stroman
10. Nessy
11. Smoral
12. Tirado
13. Stilson
14. Pillar
15. Lopes
This shows why we can’t trade Gose. Davis is several years away, and Pillar is a 4th outfielder at best.
Amazing to have three catchers in the top-10 of a great system, that’s going to be very useful for future trades.
So………many…….. pitchers….
Dempster close with Red Sox; is that good new for the jays if he becomes a Red Sox?
I would say yes.
Boston has a shit-ton of money and no one out there is worthy of taking it, so they are just throwing it at people whether they deserve it or not. They seem to be trying to tread water for a few years using overpaid free agents, let Papi have his swan song and reach a few milestones to sell tickets, while hoping the bits that are left on the farm pan out. What a mess over there.
Couldnt happen to a better bunch of assholes.
Apparently the Napoli deal is delayed because the Sox are working out language in the contract to protect them should his hip and leg issues return. Reports suggest that Napoli will not back out because no other team offered him anything like this much money. But it’s possible the Sox may be having Buyers’ Remorse and are coat-trailing to try to get him to walk away from the deal.
Meh
Napoli,victorino,and now dempster?How is the dream going farrell.haaaa
Dempster signing is great – one less taker for Dickey. One less pitcher off the market and one less team looking to bolster their rotation.
I think this is what it’ll be like for a while – one decent pitcher signing per week – I just dont see any movement on the Dickey front anytime soon
I’m thinking Hamilton signs sometime shortly before Christmas and then Swisher within a week later
Probably no more crazy trades until January, if then, maybe none at all. Still waiting on the small market teams like Brewers, Mariners, etc to make a few moves
Does Dempster really rule them out for Dickey? I’d be surprised if Dickey ended up in Boston but the ratation still has room to improve so I don’t think this makes a difference.
Also Giants bring back Torres – 4th OF’er, so pretty much no chance of Swisher signing with the Giants – Philly could still make a play, otherwise, Cleveland, Seattle and Baltimore have yet to make any major signings – Cleveland could be less interested with getting Stubbs from Cincy now
Swish still waiting for Hammy to sign somewhere first I imagine
Mike Adams to replace Oliver?
So, Alford has been granted a release from school…
https://twitter.com/MikeCormack/status/279270293644640257
Is it bad form as a Blue Jays fan to be somewhat happy about that?
He’s goin to Ole Miss.
Yeah but if he transfers he can’t play football until 2014. So he focuses on baseball, perhaps excels and then drops Ole Miss?
No. He has more money than you and I combined.
What does that mean? I s he gonna play baseball or go to jail?
What do you guys make out of those fuckers from Boston? The front office looks like a bunch of whores on a slow night. What the fuck are they doing? I think Cherington is clueless. If you’re old and you’re coming off a shit year and looking to get your last big contract which you don’t deserve, go to Boston. What do you make of these fuckers. They look like a team that will have trouble winning 70 games but who knows, maybe they fluke it and challenge us. I hope not. What do you guys think?
They are a team thats throwing money around because they have to in order to appease their dickhead fans. Its pretty clear thats whats going on. I think its dumb but they can do whatever they want. As long as theyre worse than the jays.
Also, the angels are planning to spend some money according to olney. Say what you want, but that team has a damn good owner even if all the big moves dont work out.
The rumours right now say Hamilton.
But I would think Sanchez or Loshe would probably make more sense.
Lots of Hamilton to the Angles buzz. And then maybe trade Bourjos and Trumbo for Dickey. And Vernon Wells gets $42 million to be a 4th outfielder for 2 seasons. Arte Moreno is a rich mother fucker.
Jays are interested in mike adams. He would be a decent pick up for the pen but i worry he will get too expensive with all the teams interested.
In other unimportant ex jay catcher news, Bobby Wilson signed a minor league deal with the Yankees.
Wow Angels close to signing Josh Hamilton! Started thinking of Wells coming back assuming he was released and platooning him with Lind vs lefties as he wouldn’t cost anything, but then I looked up his splits the last few years and the dude can’t even hit left handers anymore.
Rafael Soriano remains unsigned…
I wouldn’t hate it if he came here. And his price may have come down considerably in the past few weeks.
Even if the price has come way down, I don’t think it’s worth surrendering a 2nd round pick for a reliever. I know the Jays are showing they’re ready to win now, but keeping the farm system stocked is the best way to ensure that any success is sustainable. I would be shocked if they’re even considering him.
He turned down 13.3 from the yanks and collected a 2m buyout. He thinks he can get 15m for each of 4 years-he and Boras are nucking futz. He would have to come down to the 6-7 range for AA to even talk to him. I suspect he goes back to NYY with his calf stapled to his ass
not happening
Red Sox sign Dempster, and Hamilton stays in the AL West. Another good day to be a Jays fan.
yeah if LLA get Hamilton they just pay him the Greinke dollars AND weaken their major competitor, Texas, at the same time-who said LAA was dumb?
They might not be dumb now but in 5 yrs they are going to be paying like 50 million to a battered Josh Hamilton and who knows how really old he is Albert Pujols.
Not only that, for the next 2 years they’ll have about $70 – $75 million (per season) tied up in just three players: Pujols, Hamilton and Wells.
Angels – Hamilton
Texas – Whiteside
winner – Angels (at least short-term)
The bostoLoL red sox
If I’m the Rangers, I’d have to really consider Loshe, or Anibal Sanchez their rotation wasn’t that great last year. It’s going to be an interesting baseball season in 2013. Texas, Angels fighting for the divison and wild cards. Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays fighting for the divison and wild cards. Detroit, Kansas,Whitesox fighting for the Central. Oakland, Baltimore, Red Sox as teams that could surprise. Scott Boras clients aren’t looking to good now of days, he fucked Johnny Damon over a few years ago could have been with the Yankees up to this year but thought they could get more money. In my opinion he might have fucked Rafeal Soriano over thinking he could get more…. fucked Bourn over by asking for the moon and clouds in contract discussions. Of course Boras could once again convince Ilitch to spend boat loads of money on a closer.
Cant fuckin believe Hamilton goes to Anaheim
Fuck Colangelo
Mad props to Christine Sinclair
Somebody get Vernon Wells a drum to bang so he has something to fuckin do while he warms thye bench for 125 games chewin spits twiddling with his thumbs counting his Benjamins