Could Jo-Jo Reyes Be The Answer?
by Kyle Lobner on Mar 22, 2011 7:55 AM CDT
in Rumors and Speculation
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PrintHere's something to think about/discuss this morning while I work on the Mug.
The Brewers and Blue Jays are running out of time to resolve the PTBNL in the Carlos Villanueva trade. If I recall correctly, the player the Brewers are receiving needs to be named by Opening Day. Obviously this is pure speculation, but the timing has me wondering if the Brewers are hoping to acquire someone the Jays cut from major league camp in the final stages.
Tom Dakers runs Bluebird Banter, the Blue Jays blog on the SBN network. Over the weekend I emailed him to ask if the Jays had any players that meet the following criteria:
1) Out of options.
2) Possible candidate to not make the team.
3) Candidate to open the season as a starting pitcher.
Here's Tom's response:
The one Jay pitching name that is out of options and is on the bubble to make the team is Jo-Jo Reyes. Reyes has a 3.46 ERA so far this spring and still is in the battle for the forth or fifth starter job with the Jays, but I gotta think that Kyle Drabek and Jesse Litsch have a step up on him. Reyes, if he doesn't make the Jays rotation does have a shot at being a situational lefty in the bullpen, but he has competition there too. I don't think he would make it through waivers if the Jays tried to send him down to the minors.
Reyes is not a bad pitcher, he was the Braves second round draft pick in 2003 and he didn't do well when the Braves called him up. The Jays think he would be a decent 5th starter and are giving him every chance this spring, but we are up to our armpits in possible starters. Reyes might win out, if the Jays decide they would like to put off starting the arbitration clock for Drabek. Maybe they will want to see what Reyes can do before they get get rid of him.
As a side note, here are Tom's thoughts on Carlos Villanueva:
As for how Carlos is doing, a couple of weeks ago I figured Villanueva's chances of making the team were slim and none but Frank Francisco is on his way to Alabama to have his shoulder looked at by Dr. He Who Shouldn't Be Named and Octavo Dotel has been having his own problems too. Going into camp Carlos looked to be at the back end of a list of about 10 possible right handed relievers. But a couple of injuries later and some very good pitching, he has a good shot to be on the team. He has an 0.93 ERA in 9.2 spring innings. I just got back from Florida and saw him pitch a couple of times, he looked very good. The team is trying to stretch him out a bit so that he could pitch 2 or 3 innings in a game if needed. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make the team out of spring.
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Reyes would actually be a better year long term #5
Than Narveson, imo.
If the Brewers were able to pick up Reyes for Villanueva, that would be a mini hooray. Simply use Narveson as the stop gap #5 until Greinke comes back.
By the same right, the Jays got an Opening Day roster guy
They’re going to have to expose Jo-Jo to waivers and if the Brewers do actually inquire about him as the PTBNL, then there’s also reason to believe the Brewers will put a claim in on him. At that point, they put the Jays in the tough situation of either sending down one of the pitchers they really want on their Opening Day roster or they have to work out a different trade altogether with the Brewers. Worse yet for them, he could be claimed by another team and they’d still owe the Brewers that PTBNL.
Any team that has a player claimed off the waiver wire isn’t in a particularly strong bargaining position and this could be a way to get 75 cents on the dollar instead of 50 cents.
I don’t mean to say it’s likely, but it’s not completely irrational given the specifics of the circumstances.
I like it
I watched a couple of Braves games when Reyes was pitching, and it looked like he had good stuff, but just some control issues, I think he would be a great addition and candidate for the #5, although that does push Rogers back a bit. Overall I like it.
His minor league stats were very good
Until he got hit in the majors. The last couple years they’ve gotten worse. Smells of injury issues to me.
But, that being said, I think he would slot into the rotation pretty darn well as a temporary replacement for Greinke.
I suppose I could quantify that statement
What I meant to say was “even” if he were to avoid any douche bag type of behavior.
Given his nice Spring, and Marcum’s shoulder tightness (which was the thing that shut him down last September) I still think the Jays got the better of the deal. But that all goes back again to my belief in building for the long term.
Nashville maybe
But I think that commodity makes up about 85% of Milwaukee’s GDP. No way that ever happens.
only in the ghetto – the rest of us drink 12 ouncers (maybe 16 oz if we like Sprecher)
by Saberilliterate on Mar 22, 2011 9:29 AM CDT up reply actions
who the hell doesn't like Sprecher?
okay…I’m not a fan of Black Bavarian, but everyone else on the planet appears to be
by PagsBrewCrew on Mar 22, 2011 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions
indeed
their Ginger Ale is unique and quite good too
by PagsBrewCrew on Mar 22, 2011 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions
it is the best.
Too close for missiles, I’m switching to Ueck.
That still doesn't solve the Greinke replacement issue if he's not stretched out yet.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
According to the blogites
Reyes is pretty much out of their rotation
66% of the BBB folks think that Drabek and Litsch are in with 25% for Litsch and Reyes. Only 8% for Reyes and Drabek.
http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2011/3/21/2063382/bluebird-links-who-will-be-the-5th-starter#storyjump
Great job on this, Kyle.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
by tcyoung on Mar 22, 2011 9:19 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Rec'd
Agree, very nice read first thing into the office today. It’s exactly the sort of thing that I like to think about.
...and rec'd
somehow, even though I do agree with you sometimes (maybe 35-50% of the time) I still get all giddy like a schoolboy when I see minor errors on your part:P
by PagsBrewCrew on Mar 22, 2011 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions
There is no opening day deadline for the PTBNL
Its 6 months from the trade, so would be early June.
Get a ife broseph
Letter vs. Intent
Even if it wasn’t spelled out completely by the letter of the agreement, I would assume there was an understanding that this would be worked out by opening day. That doesn’t mean that the Jays won’t hold off as is their right, but if the GM ever wants to make a PTBNL deal ever again, he’ll abide by whatever agreement was made. I suspect trades are as much about politics as they are about improving the team.
Why would you assume opening day?
We have no indication at all that there is an opening day deadline. If the June deadline wasn’t going to work for both teams, they probably worked out another date but we have no idea what it was.
Get a ife broseph
Otherwise it doesn't make sense for the Brewers
At that point, that means the Brewers are trading a major-league pitcher for the entire season for a Jays player for only 3 months? That would be a pretty terrible trade for the Brewers and it’s hard to see why they would’ve made it in the first place.
Because they were going to non-tender him in December
Anything of value, even a short-season catcher for the Montana team, would have been more than they would have gotten by non-tendering him. I wrote this below – but my guess is that it’s cash, but it could be minor league filler as well.
Get a ife broseph
I'm probably being pessimistic
But the timing of it all suggests the Brewers were right up against the non-tender deadline and were trying to get anything they could for Villy.
The Jays came through with something that would be better than just letting him go, and the Brewers took it.
Maybe the Jays will give him to the Brewers just to keep him out of the AL.
Get a ife broseph
Opening Day has been treated as the deadline all along.
I think it was in the original terms of the trade.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Mar 22, 2011 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
What about SS?
Just about anyone who can play SS defensively and hit AA-AAA pitching regardless of age would be nice to have in the organization.
2 guys the Jays have:
<a href=“http:// ”http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=mccoy-001mic" target="_blank">http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=mccoy-001mic" target="new">Mike McCoy played some of SS/3B/CF as a 27-28 yr old minor leaguer and debuted last year. Listed as 3rd SS on depth chart, no other position, is fast, stole 40 bases caught 6 times in 2009.
Jon McDonald is a career utility guy and looks to be the primary utility player for the Jays. Not a good bat, but the glove and depth would be appreciated.
I don't see any point
In acquiring a SS that is all glove and no bat seeing as we already have that exact player in Luis Cruz. Now getting a decent glove, decent bat guy would make sense, however I don’t believe there is anyway any team would give up such a player for a MR.
BCB, the preferred above replacement level sarcasm supplier.
by MadJimiBrewha on Mar 22, 2011 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Have you seen Luiz Cruz play SS?
Saw him hop back and let a liner/grounder go by his foot the other day. Not what we want in a SS.
You're basing his defensive capabilities on one bad play?
In 2009, Baseball America had Luis Cruz as the top defensive infielder in the Pirates organization.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
To be fair
Basing them off of a 2009 Baseball America report is better, but has a lot of faults on its own.
Get a ife broseph
True
You may not agree with how they rank players, but my point is that he’s far from being a bad defender.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
He has very good minor league TotalZone numbers as well.
I don’t think his defense is the problem.
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
Its not
But no one really knows if its good enough to make up for his terrible offense.
Get a ife broseph
Glad to see CV is going to make the team
He had his rough moments over the past few years, but he was always one of my favorites and generally was an effective and reliable guy out of the pen. Plus he had a way of getting under the Card’s skin.
BCB, the preferred above replacement level sarcasm supplier.
PTBNL
I’ve always assumed it was a small cash payment that depended on whether or not Villy made the 25 man, which is why it hasn’t been announced yet.
I don’t know why the Jays would give up a player (much less a MLB player) for a guy that the Brewers were going to non-tender.
Get a ife broseph
Can they get someone better than Villy in a waiver trade?
If you’re right that it’s only a cash payment, then they can definitely get something better in a waiver trade and I suppose it’s a no-brainer for the Jays.
They wouldn't
that’s why these are the first two criteria: 1) Out of options.
2) Possible candidate to not make the team.
by mladwig0 on Mar 22, 2011 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
26 | 20 | .565 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 22 | .531 | 1.5 | Lost 3 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Lost 1 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Won 2 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 27 | .413 | 7 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 31 | .326 | 11 | Lost 11 |
(updated 5.27.2012 at 12:11 PM CDT)
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