A pathetic cast
Toronto Blue Jays’ management must go, columnist says
I’ve never been a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays’ management team of president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins and after watching these two dismantle the pennant-contending Jays of four years ago and turn the club into a sad-sack, 100-loss club like Kansas City, Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit, I’m convinced both have to be removed.
The most recent move of trading reliable starter Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets for two long-range prospects in Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson has baseball fans in Canada crying. The two prospects were fourth and sixth in the Mets organization, considered one of the poorest farm systems in all of baseball, so they’re unlikely to appear on the major league scene anytime soon, if ever.
Considering the fact that since 2003, only 20 per cent of prospects traded at the deadline made it to the major leagues, the return for a starter like Stroman is shameful. In a market crying for proven starters, the Jays were in a great position to help themselves immediately, or with prospects of much greater value than what they received.
The Cleveland Indians traded pitcher Trevor Bauer and received 27-home run hitter Franmil Reyes (San Diego Padres), 20 home run, 60-RBI guy Yasiel Puig and Scott Moss from the Reds, plus Logan Allen and Victor Nova from the loaded farm system of the Padres in a threeteam deal.
The Padres got Taylor Trammell, one of the sport’s top outfield prospects, from the Reds.
The Jays next sent health-plagued Aaron Sanchez and reliever Joe Biagini to Houston for a light-hitting outfielder with a fair arm and then packaged standout reliever Daniel Hudson to Washington for questionable prospects. If you can’t get value in return, why move the players at all?
Atkins and Shapiro’s employment with the Jays must end now.
The Stroman deal is the clincher for me and it should be for you, too. If you need more proof, keep reading.
Last year, the Jays traded J.A. Happ to the Yankees, got nothing in return and tossed money in as well to clinch the deal. The Jays gave World Series MVP Steve Pearce to the Boston Red Sox and paid out half his salary for the deal to happen, lost Edwin Encarnacion via free agency and he’s now got 30 home runs in 2019 for the Yankees. The Jays’ duo of Shapiro and Atkins thought Kendrys Morales would replace Edwin, and they kept Jose Bautista and Russell Martin when it was obvious both were at the end of their careers.
Neither the baseball Jays, nor hockey’s Maple Leafs, have distinguished itself, and it looks like each will be wandering in the playoff desert for quite some time. So sad.
BIG EVENTS
The national women’s rugby playoffs are in the spotlight as we speak with the Charlottetown Rugby Football Club in Ontario while on Sunday the P.E.I. Little Caesars Islanders entertain Saint John in the first round of the New Brunswick junior baseball playoffs at Memorial Field, beginning at 1 p.m. The Islanders will be without key middle infielder Ryne MacIsaac, which is a huge loss for the locals.
The Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders play a doubleheader today at 2 p.m. at Memorial Field against Chatham and it’s a chance to see the much-improved senior club.
On the hockey front, the Friends of UPEI Men’s Hockey are hosting a Hot Stove session Tuesday on campus with guests Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly of the Vegas Golden Knights; Shane Turner, Dallas Stars’ scout, and guest Dave Shellington, the leading scorer in UPEI hockey history. “Shelly” and wife Cathy are class people, so it should be a terrific night.
The salary cap crunch hit the Golden Knights as they sent talented Russian Nikita Gusev, maybe the best player outside the NHL, to the New Jersey Devils for a second- and thirdround pick. Gusev is expected to play on a Devils’ line that could include Taylor Hall, top pick Jack Hughes and valuable Wayne Simmonds.
Add newly-acquired defenceman P.K. Subban and goaltender Cory Schneider, who was great in the final months of last season, and the Devils are as good as any in the Eastern Conference.
Also on the local hockey front, tomorrow at Beaconsville from 6-8 p.m., it’s the inaugural presentation of the Forbes Kennedy Volunteer Award with members of city council on hand. Guest speaker is Bill MacMillan. Should be a fun event.
HARNESS RACING
A great card of harness racing is on the menu tonight at 6 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
There’s a $3,000 top class featuring the best in the region like Sock It Away, Rose Run Quest, Half Cut, Down on My Luck, Burn Out Hanover and Do Over Hanover. There’s also two divisions of open mares at $2,700 with Sodwana Bay and Jordies Hope drawing away from each other.
The greatest trot race in North America, the $1-million Hambletonian, goes this afternoon at The Meadowlands with two divisions of eight and the top five coming back for the final. The heavy favourite is Greenshoe in the second elimination while Swandre the Giant, Gimpanzee and Green Manalishi look the best in the first test.
The $257,000 Battle of Waterloo goes Monday afternoon at Grand River and there’s no dominant horse in this group. James MacDonald won his elimination from off the pace at 8-1 with Beach Blanket Book and he has Post 4 while Aneto, the other elimination winner, has Post 9. Reg MacPherson’s Carlisimo, who took a new mark of 1:51 and change last week, leaves from Post 5 in a $22,800 grassroots event.