Payroll Efficiency and Suicide Invoices

Positivity and happiness are a fleeting whorish mistress. No sooner was I basking in the glory of Cabrera stealing someone else's money, keeping my summer unruined and Cecil's good outing, the next I was considering slitting my wrists. The geniuses at Baseball Analysts examined payroll data for the past three years against each team's average wins in the same time frame. Exciting news! The Jays 85.33 wins is the eighth best total in all of baseball, while their average salary sits right in the middle at 15th in baseball. Not a bad relationship, one might think.

As the piece rolls on, so do the cringe-worthy Blue Jays mentions. All stuff we all know, moral victory type shit that generally points to JP doing a reasonable job and the task at hand being daunting as fuck. A sampling, from the post and an excellent comment:

Six clubs have averaged more than 81 wins with payrolls under the league mean of $89.86M. The best of the best was Minnesota (winner of the "doing the most with the least" award), followed by Cleveland, Toronto, Arizona, Milwaukee, and Oakland. All but the Blue Jays made the playoffs once, which probably says as much about Toronto's competition as anything else.

(comment) I'd argue that almost every team in baseball has an innate advantage every year over the Blue Jays, so they need an handicap.

The Jays do as good as job of spending their money wisely as any team in baseball, with nothing to show for it. The Red Sox and their massive payroll are credited by Lederer and gang as the most efficient team in baseball by virtue of their huge payroll and division they call home. The Rays, who's success last year shouldn't obscure their true crappiness for the better part of a decade, are below the regression line too, indicating the shrewdness that should cause you to hate baseball owners for being the autocratic pricks they are.

Great. The Jays are in with the two biggest spenders, one of which spends money better than any other team in baseball. And you wonder why I pine for the simple pleasures of Scott Rolen's defense every day. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK????

Good For What Ails You

After the Tao pointed out my agitated, nearly apoplectic state on Friday; I experienced a strange calm similar to the one the Tao himself spoke of. A long weekend, a solid-to-excellent Halladay start, a shrimp sighting, and an all-ages hardcore show have that effect. The roster is going to get pretty crowded in the next few weeks, with Vernon Wells scheduled to return soon while Shannon Stewart & Jeremy Accardo run through their rehab stints. Kevin "Warning Track Power" Mench and one of the Tampa Two figure to be the odd men out, though Shannon Stewart should heed Hale's advice and retire with dignity.

I'll quickly give JP some credit; people love to disparage his decision to bring in Zambrano, Ohka and/or Mench as quick, cheap fixes that go nowhere. But consider John Parrish, Shawn Camp and Jesse Carlson. No account journeymen who have all stepped in and made positive contributions. Low ceiling guys all, they've eaten innings and provided effective relief/spot-starting when called upon.

The plummeting A's seem to have brought their Blue Jay-brand futility bats to Canada. Canadian wonderstory Scott Richmond takes to the hill tonight, facing Greg Smith. Smith makes his third start of the year against the Jays, which makes as little sense as his success in each of those starts. The ever-dangerous soft-tossing lefty has only given up 2 earned runs in 12.2 innings against the Blue Jays. Let's hope Scott Rolen's two days off yield a big day against a lesser foe.

The ins....and of course the outs...

In this seemingly neverending off-season the Jays have actually added more talent
to the roster other than this Rolen Kid.

Late last year they added an "Everyday" shortstop in the likes of 2006 World Series MVP, David Eckstein. He's a career .289 hitter who rarely strikes out and carries with him a fairly steady glove. Although he doesn't hit for much power (30 career home runs), he did hit grand slams in back to back games two seasons ago. An FYI to JAY fans, don't mistake David Eckstein from Adam Kennedy because of the picture on your 2004 Topps Baseball Card. Fear not Johnny Mac fans, this pesky addition will prove to be an upgrade, and I'm sure Gibbons will get MacDonald into games as much as he can.

Here are some other guys you've never heard of the Jays picked up this off-season:

• RHP Shawn Camp who has a career ERA of 5.27 in parts of four seasons with
  Tampa Bay and Kansas City. He's got an invite to Spring Training and
  has a great middle reliever name in my opinion.
  
• LHP John Parrish (No relation to Lance or Larry) was signed to a minor league
  deal. Parrish, 30, was 2-2 with a 5.71 ERA last season in 53 appearances with
  Baltimore and Seattle. Could give Brian Tallet some competition for his spot
  in the bullpen.

RHP Lance Carter and LHP Ryan Ketchner were also signed to minor league deals
and are expected to start the season in AAA Syracuse.

Evidently BJ Ryan is coming along after undergoing Ligament Transfer Surgery.
Who knows what the fate of BJ will be, though I imagine he'll be used cautiously
to begin the season.

The Jays lost 54,302 man games to injury last seaon and had Vernon Wells in the
lineup most days though he was playing sans use of his shoulder from what I understand. With the Yankees go down the toilet with little hope at all this season, 90 wins should and will get the Jays into the post-season.