Jays Journal » Oakland Athletics

Trade Target: Brandon McCarthy

Jared Macdonald — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:11:02 +0000

Given that Gio Gonzalez, who I touched on yesterday, is under club control for four more seasons and is only 26 years old, Billy Beane would be able to demand a king’s ransom in return for the left-hander.

There is, however, an intriguing A’s right-hander that would cost a lot less, one who reported to spring training as a reclamation project but finished the year with the fifth-lowest FIP in baseball.

That would be former Rangers hurler Brandon McCarthy, who was a completely different pitcher in 2011.

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Going Over Oakland’s Gio Gonzalez

Jared Macdonald — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:13:43 +0000

When Ken Rosenthal mentioned on Friday that the Oakland A’s will listen to offers for practically everyone on their roster, left-hander Gio Gonzalez was a name that probably came to the minds of all 30 Major League GMs, and with good reason.

He’s young, controllable, and entering the prime of his career; the type of player Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos would love to get his hands on. But would it make sense?

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Kevin Kouzmanoff to the Blue Jays? or Chone Figgins?

Jared Macdonald — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:22:29 +0000

ESPN’s Buster Olney sparked a slew of discussion on Twitter just under an hour ago where, after saying a third team could be involved in the rumored Chone Figgins/Kevin Kouzmanoff swap between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, he speculated that the Jays could be that team and be the recipient of Kouzmanoff’s services.

This could also get people thinking about something else:

Could Anthopoulos be trying to trump the Athletics’ offer and grab Chone Figgins himself? (more…)

Jays Avoid Arbitration With 7 Players

Jared Macdonald — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:40:14 +0000

The Blue Jays entered the month with the most arbitration-eligible players in the Majors with nine, and were ultimately able to come to agreements with seven of those nine players.

Yunel Escobar, who managed a .275 average and .696 OPS in 60 games since coming over to the Jays in a mid-season trade, received a 1-year, $2.9M contract in his first arbitration eligible season, which was a $2.465M raise over his 2010 salary. Out of the players that were able to avoid arbitration, Escobar received the highest salary, and the Jays are likely hoping for him to return to his 2009 form, when he hit .299/.377/.436 in 141 games for the Atlanta Braves.

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Eric Chavez Works Out For the Blue Jays

Jared Macdonald — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:15:14 +0000

There’s nothing like coming home after a long day and seeing some Jays rumors to chime in on. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported this afternoon that 33-year-old former Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez recently worked out for the Blue Jays.

Chavez signed a 6-year-$66M contract extension with the A’s in 2004, the largest in team history, which prevented him from being able to test free agency after the 2004 season. He is now a free agent after the A’s decided to cut ties with him back in November when they declined his $12.5M 2011 club option and opted to buy him out for $3M instead. The talent could still be there with Chavez, but he comes with his fair share of questions. (more…)

Today In Jays History: Billy Koch

Jared Macdonald — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:02:02 +0000

Six years ago today, the Blue Jays brought back a familiar face in Billy Koch, when they signed him to a one-year, $950,000 contract on January 10th, 2005. The experiment of bringing back Koch for another stint with the Jays didn’t even last until the end of Spring Training, as the Jays released him after [...]

Today In Jays History: Billy Koch - Jays Journal - Jays Journal - A Toronto Blue Jays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Today in Jays History: Alfredo Griffin

Jared Macdonald — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:33:57 +0000

After playing for the Blue Jays from 1979 to 1984, Alfredo Griffin returned to the team for the 1992 World Series Championship season, with lackluster results. Nevertheless, the Blue Jays decided to re-sign Griffin to a one-year contract, 18 years ago today on January 8th, 1993. Acquired by the Jays from the Cleveland Indians in [...]

Today in Jays History: Alfredo Griffin - Jays Journal - Jays Journal - A Toronto Blue Jays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Jays Acquire Rajai Davis From A’s For Trystan Magnuson & Daniel Farquhar

Jared Macdonald — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:57:40 +0000

(6:57pm EST) The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired speedy outfielder Rajai Davis from the Oakland Athletics for Double-A relief pitchers Daniel Farquhar and Trystan Magnuson according to new Jays MLB.com reporter Gregor Chisholm (via Twitter). The announcement was also confirmed via a team press release on the official Jays website.

Davis, whose only knock would be his age (30), is a career .281/.330/.383 hitter in stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics. He is entering his 2nd year of arbitration eligibility and will surely receive a raise from the $1.35M he made in 2010, but he is under team control until the end of the 2013 season. Rajai Davis isn’t the type of name that screams blockbuster trade, but after a more in depth look, he should help the Jays in 2011 and beyond. (more…)