A word for the Class of 2006. ... No, this isn't a commencement address but, if the Blue Jays are in your future, start prepping for your big test now. They have a plan.
Quite naturally, the plan was in question. The Blue Jays were the lightning rod at this year's winter meetings, throwing around the most money with their signing of pitcher A.J. Burnett, which came on the heels of the big-money addition of B.J. Ryan. OK, so it wasn't the type of money spent on Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez the last time the meetings were held in Dallas, but the one predictable response to any free agent season is, "They spent how much on whom?"
Since the Blue Jays have spent the most — $102 million for 10 years of pitching — they get to hear the most. It took mere hours for other organizations to start mumbling about the impact. Not so much on the free agent market — it played out that teams were reluctant to toss around too much cash for remaining closer candidates, and Kevin Millwood was left to set the prices for what was left of the starting pitching shopping.
As Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi and a few of his aides walked through the Anatole Hotel after the announcement of the Burnett signing — or was it the GM's three-year contract extension? — one of the front office types joked about the practicality of the two giant ceramic elephants in the lobby.
Look again, guys. You might have seen rival GMs hiding — or was it cringing? — behind potted palms. If there was an oversized pachyderm walking these halls, it came from Toronto. And those other GMs already had come to the conclusion that this year's arbitration process had been stampeded by the Burnett and Ryan contracts.
Know what? The Jays were laughing all the way to the bank, withdrawal slip in hand. They'd already made their deposit — a time deposit. The key to the Toronto signings is not so much the money. Honest, it isn't. It's about the Blue Jays being right.
If they're right that Ryan is about to be the next great closer, then the Jays are ahead of the curve. This year's market underlines how scarce and valuable the sure-thing ninth-inning guys are. If you have one locked up for half a decade — one in what should be the prime years of his career — you have a huge advantage.
If they're right.
Same for Burnett. If he's more than the bundle of electric-stuff potential the Marlins were waiting to light up the league, then what a coup for the guys in blue.
Ah, but remember that the Blue Jays have a plan, and it's not one they came up with while watching the playoffs on TV. As a matter of fact, it's been in place for more than a year. That's when the Blue Jays looked at this winter's potential free agents and identified some targets.
Tony LaCava, Toronto's player personnel director and one of the better scouting talents around, explained that a Blue Jays scout and often two of them were in attendance for every Burnett start last season. Toronto paid similar attention to some others, but they'll remain unnamed since they didn't become Blue Jays. Now, that's due diligence.
"Well, it certainly shows they have a plan," a player personnel type from another club said, adding that the depth of Toronto's preparation might not be unprecedented but certainly is out of the ordinary.
And it proves they have a plan.
Sure do. They have A.J. and B.J. This is the organization that once boasted D.J. Boston as a top prospect, J.J. Cannon as a minor league manager and B.J. Birdie as the mascot. But the plan is all about now, isn't it? So, as for the rest of the pitching staff, maybe they'll try to pry C.J. Nitkowski off Pittsburgh's Triple-A roster, talk D.J. Carrasco out of moving to Japan or get the Dodgers to trade D.J. Houlton. And next winter, they can get catcher A.J. Pierzynski to catch all these guys.
We could go on. There were 43 guys in the majors and minors last season who go by something-J. but not one of them played in the Toronto system — though pitcher D.J. Hanson is on Class A Dunedin's roster despite missing two seasons with injuries.
Oh, those Jays.
The real plan, though, is to get good, to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, to revive a franchise 12 years removed from World Series glory. Cue the Joe Carter video. Give us a chorus of "OK, Blue Jays." Roll back the roof. Showtime.
Indeed, it's a made-for-TV event — in Canada, at least. The news conference announcing the Burnett signing was held at 5 p.m. Toronto time, perfect for live airing on Canada's two all-sports cable networks, including the one owned by Ted Rogers, who also happens to own the Jays and the stadium formerly known as SkyDome (it's Rogers Centre, now, you know).
In case the would-be ticket-buyers at home had forgotten or missed it completely while obsessing over the hockey lockout last year, club president and CEO Paul Godfrey took them all the way back to square one. How buying the ballpark would improve the revenue situation. How the Jays could spend again. How they were sticking to the plan Ricciardi outlined when he convinced Godfrey he was the man for the job.
They were all on the dais, from Godfrey and Ricciardi, to Burnett and three agents, to manager John Gibbons and even pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.
Overkill? Maybe not, when you consider Arnsberg might have as much to do with this deal as anyone else sitting there. He was the Florida pitching coach when Burnett began to blossom in 2002. That's Burnett's opinion, anyway, and what's more important to a player-coach relationship than the player's perception that this guy helps him?
Now, if only all these guys are right. We won't know for sure for a while but, in the meantime, keep an eye out for where Blue Jays scouts are this season.
LEGAL RHUBARB: Lawyers in the ongoing legal battle between five umpires and Major League Baseball were notified last week that the case has been turned over to U.S. District Court Judge Edmund V. Ludwig.
No longer handling the case is Judge Harvey Bartle III, whose son was hired last year by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the law firm handling the case for MLB and the firm with which MLB vice president Rob Manfred was affiliated before he went to work for baseball.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/columnist/white/2005-12-14-leading-off_x.htm
Quite naturally, the plan was in question. The Blue Jays were the lightning rod at this year's winter meetings, throwing around the most money with their signing of pitcher A.J. Burnett, which came on the heels of the big-money addition of B.J. Ryan. OK, so it wasn't the type of money spent on Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez the last time the meetings were held in Dallas, but the one predictable response to any free agent season is, "They spent how much on whom?"
Since the Blue Jays have spent the most — $102 million for 10 years of pitching — they get to hear the most. It took mere hours for other organizations to start mumbling about the impact. Not so much on the free agent market — it played out that teams were reluctant to toss around too much cash for remaining closer candidates, and Kevin Millwood was left to set the prices for what was left of the starting pitching shopping.
As Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi and a few of his aides walked through the Anatole Hotel after the announcement of the Burnett signing — or was it the GM's three-year contract extension? — one of the front office types joked about the practicality of the two giant ceramic elephants in the lobby.
Look again, guys. You might have seen rival GMs hiding — or was it cringing? — behind potted palms. If there was an oversized pachyderm walking these halls, it came from Toronto. And those other GMs already had come to the conclusion that this year's arbitration process had been stampeded by the Burnett and Ryan contracts.
Know what? The Jays were laughing all the way to the bank, withdrawal slip in hand. They'd already made their deposit — a time deposit. The key to the Toronto signings is not so much the money. Honest, it isn't. It's about the Blue Jays being right.
If they're right that Ryan is about to be the next great closer, then the Jays are ahead of the curve. This year's market underlines how scarce and valuable the sure-thing ninth-inning guys are. If you have one locked up for half a decade — one in what should be the prime years of his career — you have a huge advantage.
If they're right.
Same for Burnett. If he's more than the bundle of electric-stuff potential the Marlins were waiting to light up the league, then what a coup for the guys in blue.
Ah, but remember that the Blue Jays have a plan, and it's not one they came up with while watching the playoffs on TV. As a matter of fact, it's been in place for more than a year. That's when the Blue Jays looked at this winter's potential free agents and identified some targets.
Tony LaCava, Toronto's player personnel director and one of the better scouting talents around, explained that a Blue Jays scout and often two of them were in attendance for every Burnett start last season. Toronto paid similar attention to some others, but they'll remain unnamed since they didn't become Blue Jays. Now, that's due diligence.
"Well, it certainly shows they have a plan," a player personnel type from another club said, adding that the depth of Toronto's preparation might not be unprecedented but certainly is out of the ordinary.
And it proves they have a plan.
Sure do. They have A.J. and B.J. This is the organization that once boasted D.J. Boston as a top prospect, J.J. Cannon as a minor league manager and B.J. Birdie as the mascot. But the plan is all about now, isn't it? So, as for the rest of the pitching staff, maybe they'll try to pry C.J. Nitkowski off Pittsburgh's Triple-A roster, talk D.J. Carrasco out of moving to Japan or get the Dodgers to trade D.J. Houlton. And next winter, they can get catcher A.J. Pierzynski to catch all these guys.
We could go on. There were 43 guys in the majors and minors last season who go by something-J. but not one of them played in the Toronto system — though pitcher D.J. Hanson is on Class A Dunedin's roster despite missing two seasons with injuries.
Oh, those Jays.
The real plan, though, is to get good, to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, to revive a franchise 12 years removed from World Series glory. Cue the Joe Carter video. Give us a chorus of "OK, Blue Jays." Roll back the roof. Showtime.
Indeed, it's a made-for-TV event — in Canada, at least. The news conference announcing the Burnett signing was held at 5 p.m. Toronto time, perfect for live airing on Canada's two all-sports cable networks, including the one owned by Ted Rogers, who also happens to own the Jays and the stadium formerly known as SkyDome (it's Rogers Centre, now, you know).
In case the would-be ticket-buyers at home had forgotten or missed it completely while obsessing over the hockey lockout last year, club president and CEO Paul Godfrey took them all the way back to square one. How buying the ballpark would improve the revenue situation. How the Jays could spend again. How they were sticking to the plan Ricciardi outlined when he convinced Godfrey he was the man for the job.
They were all on the dais, from Godfrey and Ricciardi, to Burnett and three agents, to manager John Gibbons and even pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.
Overkill? Maybe not, when you consider Arnsberg might have as much to do with this deal as anyone else sitting there. He was the Florida pitching coach when Burnett began to blossom in 2002. That's Burnett's opinion, anyway, and what's more important to a player-coach relationship than the player's perception that this guy helps him?
Now, if only all these guys are right. We won't know for sure for a while but, in the meantime, keep an eye out for where Blue Jays scouts are this season.
LEGAL RHUBARB: Lawyers in the ongoing legal battle between five umpires and Major League Baseball were notified last week that the case has been turned over to U.S. District Court Judge Edmund V. Ludwig.
No longer handling the case is Judge Harvey Bartle III, whose son was hired last year by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the law firm handling the case for MLB and the firm with which MLB vice president Rob Manfred was affiliated before he went to work for baseball.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/columnist/white/2005-12-14-leading-off_x.htm
