Blue Jays Morning Brew: Duquette, Beeston, Shields & More!

Well, the drama that has been captivating the attention of Blue Jays fans has ended. Apparently, the club has decided to stop the madness and walk away from the Dan Duquette pursuit. OK. Now what?

Well, if you‘re interested, The Baltimore Sun gives us a timeline of the Duquette story. They start their examination at the Winter Meetings. But, who knows when it actually started with the way Rogers has approached this. Regardless, the Baltimore Sun is quick to remind us that this is not the first time the Blue Jays have left these discussion. So, who knows what that means.

Next: What Do Blue Jays Do With Daniel Norris in 2015?

UnionGazette.com gives us a description of what could be hard times for Canadian sports franchises, including the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadian Dollar has dropped significantly lately. Given that the major sports leagues pay in US Dollars, but revenue is in Canadian, these teams stand to lose money. Anyone feel bad? This may actually hurt fans, though when it comes to paying for free agents, etc. It certainly may cause teams’ ownership to try and recoup costs. Just saying. 

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

The folks at Bleacher Report have ranked the Top 5 Blue Jays pitchers of all time. It is no surprise to see Dave Stieb and Roy Halladay go number 1 and 2, but for some reason, I am surprised to see Duane Ward at #3.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe points out the thinning market for free agent James Shields. (h/t to Hayden Kane of FanSided.com) In fact, he says that teams are fleeing from “Big Game” James while Toronto (who would need ownership approval) may still be in the hunt. While this may not be all that exciting, you may still enjoy the piece as it profiles Jose Bautista and his comments on the outlook for the Blue Jays. 

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Steve Ewen of TheProvince.com caught up with Marcus Stroman on the Winter Tour. Of note is the comments form Stroman about using Twitter. He says he uses it so often because he would have loved to see his favorite athletes tweeting when he was growing up. Usually, Stroman is asked about his size. An interesting comment from #StroShow’s new catcher, Russell Martin came in this piece. Martin says, “No, he isn’t big. But, neither was Pedro Martinez”. He was quick to say he isn’t comparing the two, but still…

Stroman and others were in Vancouver to support the Vancouver Canadians (their short season A team) Baseball Foundation, which CJ Pentland of MLB.com tells us has helped over 1000 children learn about and participate in baseball. Of note from that luncheon is that Paul Beeston received a standing ovation for his role in promoting baseball across Canada.