With the trade deadline come and gone and the Blue Jays inactivity, I thought we could have a poll to gauge out level of 'disappointment'.
I'm at about at the Bautista level 'slightly disappointed'.
I really would have liked a starting pitcher, I think we are pretty thin at the position. If we were to decide that say Drew Hutchison needs a couple of weeks off in Buffalo to fine himself again or if J.A. Happ turns back into Happ or if, God forbid, someone were to get injured, who fills in? Not Esmil Rogers, we lost him because we needed someone to sit in the bullpen and not pitch for a few days. Liam Hendriks is gone too, not that I wanted to see him again. Right now, I'd guess, the next in line is Sean Nolin, unless the Jays would prefer to turn Aaron Sanchez back into a starter.
I mean they didn't need to get David Price. I'm amazed at the low return that Rays got for him. But as much as Zaun thinks they could have easily outbid the Tigers, but I understand that they wouldn't have given him to the Jays for such a low return. Nor were we likely to get Lester or Lackey from the Red Sox, but I'd like to think we could have found someone that would make a deal with us. I didn't have any illusions that we were going to grab someone that would fit at the top of the rotation, I would have liked someone that could fit in our rotation.
I think the one that stung was the Yankees getting Brandon McCarthy. I think that if we had picked him up, and let's face it, the Yankees didn't exactly break the bank for him, for one, the Yankees would be much further back in our rear view mirror and we'd have some depth. Perhaps Happ could be the long man in the pen, keeping ready to jump back into the rotation if needed and keeping us from running Rob Rasmussen and Chad Jenkins up and down the highway between Toronto and Buffalo.
If not Brandon, then someone of that level would have been a nice get.
I wasn't that worried about middle infielders, I don't see Asdrubal Cabrera as a huge upgrade. Martin Prado doesn't excite me and I'm long past my desire to add Stephen Drew on the team. I think we have enough infielders and Gibby seems like he is up to the task of mixing and matching and riding the hot hand.
A middle reliever would have been nice and if Aaron Sanchez didn't look so good it would have been very important to get someone. Even if it isn't the burning need that it was a couple of weeks back, it really doesn't cost all that much to get a reliever, I don't see that it would have been all that hard to add someone.
Mostly, I'm disappointed (if only slightly) because I think that making a big trade would have sent a message to the team that 'hey we believe we can win this thing'. I tend to discredit those thoughts, but the players don't discredit those ideas. Listening to Janssen and Bautista, it does sound like the players were looking for a sign from management. Now, I think if we win some games, the guys will start thinking 'it is us against the world'.
Alex keeps saying that there would be money to add to payroll if there was the right piece out there, but it rings pretty hollow after months of very carefully not adding to payroll. I don't buy the 'cheap Rogers' stuff, when you are in the top 10 in payroll, it is tough to see them Rogers as cheap, every team has a budget. And the idea that there is someone else out there with deep pockets who would buy the team and give them a no limit Platinum MasterCard is living a fantasy.
I am glad that Alex didn't give in, sent off Stroman or Sanchez to 'make a statement'. I'd rather keep those two than make any trade that I heard out there.