Jays Journal Poll Review: Zack Greinke is Expected to Become a Jay

After a few weeks up and a good amount fo votes with 165 total, Jays fans have overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Jays making a move to bring Zack Greinke to Toronto. The question and results were as follows:

Q: Who Will The Jays Acquire Through Trade Before Christmas, if Anyone?

Total Voters: 165

There are so many surprising things about this poll that I’m not even sure where to begin. I’ll list my observations in no order of importance as follows:

• Jays fans, 29% of those who voted, seem to believe that Alex Anthopolous will either meet the price KC is asking for – reportedly Travis Snider, Kyle Drabek and 2 prospects – or that he will talk KC down to the return he is willing to provide. In any case, expecting the Jays to outbid all other teams before Christmas in order to get their hands on KC’s ace is an example of just how highly Jays fans view Alex Anthopolous and his ability to get a deal done. Great stuff!
• Another good amount, 28% of the voters, are either expecting the Jays to complete deals later on this off season or are expecting them to land other players altogether in their search for bench support. It’s not surprising to see this since there is always an expectation that everyone will have differing opinions on who should be added to the squad and when that should occur. I’d be curious to find out the other options fans have in their minds, a list that undoubtedly includes Magglio Ordonez.
• Prince Fielder received a ton of support with 12% of the vote, and why wouldn’t he? The Jays have already completed 2 deals with the Brewers and are therefore on very good terms with the Brewers. If the Brewers can’t get a better return from other squads, I could definitely forsee them asking the Jays what they could provide as a return – that is, if they haven’t asked already!
• Alex Gordon – whether in a package for Zack Greinke or not – also got some good support with 10% of the votes. He fits the Jays in terms of position and high-level potential and could be much easier to land than any other player on this list. Still, KC will want to retain Gordon if possible since he has shown glimpses of what could be in 2010 and may heighten his stock quickly as a result. If the Jays can provide what the Royals want, however, there’s no foreseeable reason for a deal not being likely.
• The most surprising aspect of this poll was the fact that a good amount of voters, 10%, believe that the Jays and Alex Anthopolous will land 2 players from the list above. Unless it is Zack Greinke and Alex Gordon, this is a heavy task to expect from Alex “The Great” and could be a little optomistic. If the deals are right, however, the Jays could very well make 2-3 moves by then, it just depends on the fit and returns. I guess what we can take from this is that Jays fans expect changes to be made and expect Alex to make them quickly – as he has done thus far.
• Justin Upton and Heath Bell each got a little support with 4% and 3% respectively, but the fact that their teams will expect so much in return really dampened the votes for these players. Bell also stated he is happy in San Diego and the team added he is off the market, making voting for such a player more than optomistic in nature.
• Another big surprise, in my view, is that players such as Jose Reyes, Matt Kemp, and Colby Rasmus got so little support. Reyes in particular would be a viable addition since the Mets are in dire straits – reportedly – financially and Reyes is fast approaching Free Agency. Maybe it was the timeline or mediocre 2010 seasons that made these options unattractive, but I thought Reyes would at the very least get some of the votes.

In review, it seems likely that if such a move is made, it will be after the Cliff Lee deal is done and Adrian Beltre lands somewhere. At that time, the bidding for Zack Greinke and the rest of the FAs will heat up and signings and trades will likely take place quickly. Whether or not the Jays and Alex Anthopolous are successful in obtaining one of the players listed above before Christmas is unknown right now, but I know I’ve got a few of them on my wish list and hope that Alex can pull off at least 1 major addition. A review post will be made after Christmas to see whether or not there’s a new player to cheer for.

I wan to thank to all who voted and encourage everyone to vote on the next poll which will be up ASAP.

– MG

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