2013 Toronto Blue Jays

[Grinch]

It will be a fun year to be a Blue Jays fan.

I guess..........not really.....

[Don Quixote]

I guess..........not really.....

It all depends on how you define "fun".

Years ago, I had a boss who loved to recall the ancient Chinese blessing/curse, "May you live in interesting times." It seems applicable to the Jays' season.

[virgonomic]

Man, The Jays have turned into a pathetic, punchless lineup. Starting such luminaries as Kawasaki, Gose, Pillar, and Sierra. Not to mention Goins and DeRosa. WTF is AA going to do with this mess for next season?

Hit the reset button. Healthy Reyes and Lawrie, close the black hole at 2B and get consistent pitching, and this team wins 20 more games. They are better than this. The team has a 3-year window. It was not do or die in 2013.

[Hornsby]

So how do they win 20 more games? Bad pitching, both starting and bullpen, injuries, caused by age and ??? Lind actually outperforming what was expected of him, probably will regress next year, I just don't see it...

[Grinch]

So how do they win 20 more games? Bad pitching, both starting and bullpen, injuries, caused by age and ??? Lind actually outperforming what was expected of him, probably will regress next year, I just don't see it...

Healthy Reyes and the Brandon Morrow his owners were hoping for finally arrives............

Nah................I don't see it either.....

[cavebird]

Hit the reset button. Healthy Reyes and Lawrie, close the black hole at 2B and get consistent pitching, and this team wins 20 more games. They are better than this. The team has a 3-year window. It was not do or die in 2013.

There's plenty of talent in the lineup, and when healthy the worries about running out the no-names are not a concern. The pitching is a much bigger concern. The rotation has to have major improvement to make this team work.

[Bodhizefa]

It's interesting how quickly a GM's perceived job security (and ability) rides on any given season's performance. Anthopoulos has been hailed as a veritable genius the past few years (by me included). He's amassed a good amount of talent in Toronto, so I think their chances in 2014 are still pretty solid. And I wouldn't put it past A.A. to make a savvy move or two this off-season to put them in a better place than they are at present.

[Don Quixote]

It's interesting how quickly a GM's perceived job security (and ability) rides on any given season's performance. Anthopoulos has been hailed as a veritable genius the past few years (by me included). He's amassed a good amount of talent in Toronto, so I think their chances in 2014 are still pretty solid. And I wouldn't put it past A.A. to make a savvy move or two this off-season to put them in a better place than they are at present.

Many GMs and managers can get years of mileage out of a year or two of success. Some can even get years out of no particular success. I'm not saying that Anthopoulos is by any means a bad GM, but he's yet to achieve the success his press clippings would indicate.

[TranaGreg]

This year's story is all about starting pitching.

RADickey (9-12, 4.49) - mediocre at best
Josh Johnson (2-8, 6.20) - simply brutal
Brandon Morrow (2-3, 5.63) - injured most of the year
Mark Buehrle (10-7, 4.08) - the only one who performed to expectations
JA Happ (3-3, 5.10) - injured most of the year

those are some pathetic numbers.

[joncarlos]

This year's story is all about starting pitching.

RADickey (9-12, 4.49) - mediocre at best
Josh Johnson (2-8, 6.20) - simply brutal
Brandon Morrow (2-3, 5.63) - injured most of the year
Mark Buehrle (10-7, 4.08) - the only one who performed to expectations
JA Happ (3-3, 5.10) - injured most of the year

those are some pathetic numbers.

Dickey and Buehrle will be a year older, JJ will be gone, and Morrow can't stay on the field. Syndergaard and Nicolino are elsewhere. Who's going to be the savior? Ricky Romero?

[Moonlight J]

"injured most of the year" -- a recurring theme in Toronto. Seriously, they need to review their training procedures because their rates of injury are nuts

[Don Quixote]

"injured most of the year" -- a recurring theme in Toronto. Seriously, they need to review their training procedures because their rates of injury are nuts

While I agree with you for the most part, you can't attribute Happ's injuries to poor training procedures. He hurt his knee when he got clipped by a line drive to the head.

I think that some of the SP problems are a problem of expectations. If each of those five had performed at their peak levels, it would have been a good rotation--but how often does a starting five all stay healthy and at their best?

[Hornsby]

Well, looks like you can write off 2014 as well. Sorry for you Jays fans...BTW, has anyone else noticed how well Bonifacio is playing now that he's not getting jerked around? Remarkable...

Despite their disappointing season, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos confirmed to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com that manager John Gibbons will return to the team in 2014. "Yes, there has never been any thought on that respect at all," said the GM.

Gibbons, 51, has led the team to a 59-73 record in the first year of his second tour of duty with the team. Toronto went 305-305 under his watch from 2004-08. The Jays were widely expected to contend this year following their splashy offseason, but it simply hasn't happened

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/23350240/blue-jays-gm-confirms-manager-john-gibbons-will-be-back-in-2014

[TranaGreg]

Well, looks like you can write off 2014 as well. Sorry for you Jays fans...BTW, has anyone else noticed how well Bonifacio is playing now that he's not getting jerked around? Remarkable...



http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...e-back-in-2014

yeah, I don't understand this at all - even if you're considering this, why go on record now, in August. Makes no sense to me.

having said that I was really hoping he wouldn't be back - fundamentals have been so poor on this team that it's only logical that the manager is held accountable.

[Don Quixote]

yeah, I don't understand this at all - even if you're considering this, why go on record now, in August. Makes no sense to me.

having said that I was really hoping he wouldn't be back - fundamentals have been so poor on this team that it's only logical that the manager is held accountable.

If the GM likes the manager, the lack of fundamentals gets blamed on the players themselves, or the minor league managers, or the player development staff, or...or...or...

And frankly, while the major league manager is responsible on one level, he shouldn't have to be the one to teach the players how to play the game. They're in the major leagues, and by the time they arrive, they should have been taught along the way and should know how.