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Burnett's trade talk another symptom of a team in crisis

JEFF BLAIR

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 2:50 PM EST 17/06/08

If he's dealt, the only question will be whether it's to add a bat for a stretch run or part of a rebuilding process ...Read the full article

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  1. Ryan Hickman from Canada writes: I heard about Burnett's Cubs comment though having read the rest of what he said, I don't really see anything wrong with it. He's out of here at the end of the year (if not sooner) and his departure will be of no real loss.

    How J.P. and Gibby are still employed with the Jays is beyond me. I've said this before, and I'll say it again...there is no accountability within this franchise. If the players know that the GM and coach aren't being held accountable then why should they be worrying about their performances??

    This organization needs a change in culture. Would someone please light a fire under these guys?? It's getting pretty embarassing now...
  2. L. W. from Greener Pastures, Canada writes: WOW!!
    Talk about blowing rumours out of proportion. Gotta love those sports writers. They sure know how to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Blair can do it with the best of em.
  3. D G from Canada writes: I see the Blue Jays are now last in their division. Listening to Blue Jays radio, JPR thinks he's the greastest thing since sliced bread. Where are the results JP? You are paying Burnett and Wells like superstars but they are only slightly above-average players. You are paying big bucks to Frank Thomas and he is playing for another team. Reed Johnston is making keeping Shannon Stewart look like an idiotic move---and the list goes on...geez, only 1 hit against Ted Lilly, a former Blue Jays pitcher.
  4. Wasabi Jones from Canada writes: I enjoyed listening to Rance Mullinicks and Jesse Barfield tactfully tear apart JP, moneyball, the concept of "grinding out at bats" and all the other ridiculous and completely ineffective offensive strategies the Jays have employed over the past seven years. I totally miss watching those guys. The Jays of 1983-1987 tried their asses off and played with fire. They were too young and inexperienced to win a title, but they were exciting as hell to watch. The boys of 2000-2008 are merely going through the motions as a prelude to their golf seasons. Just painful and joyless.
  5. Ryan Hickman from Canada writes: Wasabi,

    You've hit the nail on the head. This team is just coasting. They've got no real incentive to go out and win ball games. They play in a Canadian market that's away from the spotlight and attention. They're all making mega bucks and at the end of the day there is no accountability so they just coast. This wouldn't be the case if they were playing in a major American market like NY or Boston.

    Being in the basement is shameful with the team these guys have on paper. No accountability = no results
  6. brent mclean from town, Canada writes: I don't know why in the middle of the season Burnett would be talking about playing for another team? Of course his focus is in question. I've never saw such an inconsistent pitcher, looking brilliant one start and ordinary the next. The blue jays should welcome him opting out after this season. Can you say overpaid? Ricciardi and GIbbons need to be given the heave-ho. How long can Godfrey accept an average team? A smart GM would sign Barry Bonds because your instantly going to raise your ticket sales. Besides, at his age Bonds really wants to win a world series. I wouldn't worry about messing with team chemistry, it doesn't seem like they have any anyways. I get the feeling after 2011 the jays will be hoping Vernon opts out as well.
  7. Clear Thinker from Canada writes: So the media asks Burnett a question which he answers and now the media is taking that answer and manufacturing a 'crisis' from it. Had he said no comment or laughed it off, the media still would have made something of it because the question was asked. Only the headline would have read "Does Burnett want to pitch for a winner" followed by 'when asked Burnett refused to speculate' followed by 500 word diatribe where the writer would blast Burnett for not answering his question. Take everything these people write with a large grain of salt.
  8. Eric S from Canada writes: “Everybody's talking about me opting out and nobody's talking about me staying. There's a one hundred per cent chance of both.&8221;

    This is statistically impossible! :P
  9. Link Hogbrow from Canada writes: I don't know what all the hubub is about ... this is at best a .500 ballclub. They need one or two bats that can drive in runs, and the pitching needs to start throwing strikes. Unless they start doing both of the above consistently, don't lose any sleep over the Jays being a contender.

    They're not.
  10. Don Most from The Hammer, Canada writes: In my opinion, the reason Burnett's leaving can be seen as "no big loss" is because the Jays have some strong young pitchers on the rise, and the reason the jays have these young pitchers is because of Ricciardi and hence, why he still has his job.

    I'm also of the opinion that he has his job because he has so far managed to renew interest in the Blue Jays, especially important after the Gord Ash-Interbrew years, and the years of $50 million payrolls. As far as I can tell, the current club motto is along the lines of "This year could be the year if we get the breaks". This is far better than the Gord Ash era "We'll field a competitive team" motto. But it is a far cry from the "We've got a long term plan to build a World Series winner and we're going to work continually to build one" motto of Beeston and Gillick.

    Playing in the Toronto baseball market now is really not different from how it has always been; Toronto has never really been a baseball town. Back in the 1980s the Leafs sucked, and the Leafs suck now. The difference is that Beeston and Gillick offered a unique opportunity to Toronto sports fans, the chance to see a young club grow and compete, with obvious milestones of success: .500 record, finishing in 3rd place, fighting to - and sometimes - winning the AL East, and overcoming the Athletics, and finally winning the Series. After accomplishing the goal it was apparent that the development cupboard was bare, the club lost any sense of motivational rudder. Then, Labatts' open wallet funding of the team disappeared and it was even harder to compete, especially with a GM who was in over his head. Bringing in Ricciardi brought the team an actual baseball guy as GM,and one who had a plan to build a winner, and in the beginning this plan was for low budget teams. I think the Rogers plan is for a moderately priced product that sells fans "the chance" every year, without actually going all-in to build a winner, and fans are growing tired of it.
  11. Bob Goldin from Sarnia ON, Canada writes: Its the organization that's critical. Burnett is only the poster boy for the failures of ownership & mamagement. What did JP really expect when he signed an inconsistent, injury prone pitcher? This is yet another example of gross overestimation of value; like Vernon, Rios, Hill, Overbay not to mention the now departed Glaus and Big Frank.

    The Jays sparse talent is found in its pitching staff and utility players. The farm system is still a work in progress with lttle talent emerging.
    Poor Ted Rogers;lots of expense and little to show for it. As for the fans-what you see is what you got; a fourth place team.
  12. Fred Draper from Kingston, Canada writes: I'm disgusted with JP. This man's a flim flam man through and through. Did we not check references? What did he actually do in Oakland, fetch Billy Beane's coffee and muffins?

    It all stems from the unproductive farm system. JP fired the scouts, thinking he could draft from the centralized bureau's computer reports. Problem is, stats can't really tell you about speed, range and arm strength.

    No surprise, he drafted horribly. When he saw what was happening he tried to jumpstart the rebuilding by buying a winner. Some pretty poor selections there too.

    With certain obvious exceptions, JP has had the reverse Midas touch. Everything he's touched has turned to liquified crud.

    Yet he's been rewarded with extension after extension. Why reward him with a firing so he can stay home permanently in Mass and get paid for it?

    Make him report to Toronto 9-5 monday to friday or he's fired for cause. Maybe his ego will allow him to think he'll get another GM job and he'll quit.

    Wake me up when this reign of error is over.
  13. M Spiker from Ottawa, Canada writes: Is there a worse management team in the majors than Godfrey, Riccardi, and Gibbons?

    Burnett has stolen money in his time in Toronto but hey JP signed the guy knowing the 1st year would be a write off and then he might pitch 500 until he opted out.

    Good riddance to all of them (and throw Wells into this crap pile as well).
  14. A Realist from Canada writes: I wonder if some of you guys watch the Blue Jays or baseball in general. Granted, the Jays are frustrating and have lost some games they should have won, but geesh. Their pitching is among the best in the league (evidently a lucky move by JP), yet the offense is among the worst (JP's fault) - but that would not be expected if you looked at every player's career averages.

    The Jays are 6 games out of a playoff spot - before the first day of summer, with over 90 games to go, and are in a division where the last place team is one game below .500.

    Get real people - this is not the Leafs where firing a manager/coach and GM solves all your problems... oh wait
  15. M Spiker from Ottawa, Canada writes: This is the best pitching they have had since the championship years (which JP can't take credit for) and they are still a sub-500 team that needs to pass 3 teams for the Wild Card...I don't consider BAL a team. This is assuming MIN, CLE, or DET don't wake up.

    Given their payroll, the position players JP has assembled are at best under performing but realistically all have big question marks about their real ability.

    Their farm system isn't very good and they are playing in a Division with 3 of the best sets of prospects in the Majors (BOS, NYY, and TAM).

    True Jays fans are realistic and fed up.

    The only hope is a move back to the Central with our natural rivals.
  16. The Seeker from Toronto, Canada writes: M Spiker from Ottawa, Canada writes: Is there a worse management team in the majors than Godfrey, Riccardi, and Gibbons?

    Burnett has stolen money in his time in Toronto but hey JP signed the guy knowing the 1st year would be a write off and then he might pitch 500 until he opted out.

    Good riddance to all of them (and throw Wells into this crap pile as well).

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    M Spiker, do you mean in Toronto or just MLB? Because as a Leaf and Jay fan, I'd say the Leafs management makes the Jays management look good...

    I hope the new GM tries to trade Burnett...

    Fire Gibby and JP Riccardi...
  17. dave houston from toronto, writes: I would expect a trade for some batting power very soon. Everyone knows they need a solid hitter to spark this offense. Unfortunately they will have to trade one of their pitchers. Expect this trade to happen very soon.
  18. bagoverhead guy from South Delta, B.C., Canada writes: Don Most must have forgotten the Jays drew over 4 million fans/year for two consecutive years...sold out every game, back in the 90's, and yes, that was before the Raptors and Toronto FC.

    I see they rank 21st out of 30 averaging just under 27,000, with a last place team, not great, but with over 40,000 there Sunday to watch them stink out the joint, you have to feel baseball is still a pretty decent draw in Toronto.

    I totally agree with many posters suggesting that JP, and Gibby have not produced...move them out, and let the malcontents like Burnett move on...he's an expensive .500 pitcher.

    To compare the Jays and the price to attend their games against the perennial doormat Leafs, and being gouged at every turn at ACC is a non-starter.
  19. John Spafford from Canada writes: Burnett only stated that he wouldn't hate to be traded to a winning club. Chicago is a great place for lots of reasons. Certainly nicer then Toronto.
    If towns could trade civilians I wouldn't mind being traded to Chicago, New York City or Charleston, SC. Where I live is fine but it's an opportunity.
    Where do you find out about this stuff. Must phone up my mayor this afternoon.
  20. A Realist from Canada writes: M Spiker from Ottawa, Canada writes:
    The only hope is a move back to the Central with our natural rivals.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Who would that be? Detroit? They are the only team in the AL Central the Jays had any kind of rivalry with and it was during the late 1980s - even then, 1987 was the only year it was it close. Boston & NY was, and is, the Jays "natural" rivals.

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