Update, 10:25 am: And now, the Globe and Mail is reporting that Gil Meche has informed the Blue Jays that he will not be joining the team. Plan 1a and 1b are now off the table, it's off to see if Suppan and Redman are interested.
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As suspected, Ted Lilly has flown the coop. He probably never even wanted to return to Toronto in the first place, but knowing that the Jays were keen to re-sign him his agent smartly leveraged the Jays offer to get a good deal elsewhere. Theodore never seemed to find a comfort zone in Toronto, and it was wishful thinking to hope he would get past his dust up with John Gibbons and his testy relationship with pitching coach Brad Arnsberg. You have to suspect that if recent trends continue, he'll light it up in the National League with the Cubbies, and by August fickle Jays fans will be screaming bloody murder as a 20-game winner was allowed to "escape".
Bonus Coverage: Jason Schmidt leaving the Giants to go to the Dodgers reminds me of Sol Campbell going from Tottenham to Arsenal or Johnny Damon's voyage down I-95. Both players were labelled Judas for their perceived treachery, with Tottenham fans going as far as hanging an effigy of Campbell from the gates of White Hart Lane (their stadium). There is just as much rancour between both the Dodgers and Giants, so don't be surprisedwhen Schmidt get a less than embracing welcome when he returns to San Francisco.
3. Jeffrey Scot SuppanAge on opening day 2007: 31
2006/Career E.R.A.: 4.12/ 4.60 2006
Win/Loss: 12-7
Career Starts per Win: 2.8
2006 K's per start: 3.3
Analysis: More likely to pick his spots than to blow you away (sounds like I'm talking about an ex-girlfriend), Suppan will consistently give you a question mark when he takes the mound: will it be the good Suppan or the bad Suppan (ladies and gentlemen: Ted Lilly!). He's a .500 pitcher who fills in nicely at the no. 4 spot.
4. Mark Allen RedmanAge on opening day 2007: 33
2006/Career E.R.A.: 5.71/ 4.65
2006 Win/Loss: 11-10
Career Starts per Win: 2.9
2006 K's per start: 2.6
Analysis: Can't wrinkle your nose too much at a guy with a winning record with the Royals. However, I wonder about a guy who's never spent more than one season with the same team (although he had two stints with the Twins). Under Godfrey's master plan (and since when does the President talk about the game plan? Who does this guy think he is, Larry Luchino?), Redman would be a fifth starter at best. That's not too bad.
Even if the Jays end up getting just one of these guys, they'll enter the 2007 season with four solid starters. Here's hoping that J.P. can execute Godfrey's plan.
1 comments:
No surprise the Jays lost out on Lilly. They should have cut bait with him and focus solely on Meche to begin with.
Suppan would be a decent #4, and JP hinted he's looking at a few others as well. Tony Armas?
Anyway, gotta give them credit for bringing in Matt Stairs. Solid character guy on the bench, and a Canuck to boot! How'boot that, eh?
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