Recession or no recession, many NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball players have a penchant for losing most or all of their money. It doesn’t matter how much they make. And the ways they blow it are strikingly similar.

The surest way to guarantee a poor performance from a baseball player is to give them a guaranteed contract. They should be paid on a performance basis and sign to be with a team for so many years on an across the board performance contract. Then every pitch and swing will be meaningful. Which one of you is going to guarantee your mechanic a $1000 to fix your car and then not complain when the car dies on you on the highway?

Your $1 comparison is moronic. First off it’s not “a dollar”, it’s going to end up at 100 million times that ($100 million). So if you ask your same question, would I rather have a 50% (good) chance at doubling it or a 2% (awful, highly unlikely) chance on $1 billion), I’ll take the 50% chance every time, and I would think almost everyone else would too.

Look up any MLB pitchers stats from when they pitched in Japan. Compare them to their MLB stats. Stars in Japan are just regular old 3rd or 4th starting pitchers here.

By the way, I have an used car I want to sell you, it could be the greatest thing ever or it might not even work at all, all I want for it is twice the retail asking price. I’m gonna assume you want it, right?

But if in the end, these guys aren’t kept, it will make Texas look foolish.

There is no such thing as too much starting pitching.

Besides, Texas’ hitting is awesome. If you look at the WS, you had a bunch of tired relievers from too many innings in the regular season. Get yourself enough starting pitching to eat those extra innings.

Jays do have tond og actual prospects to trade for the available starters, though.

This is just a rumor site. Matthew is the only one that actually puts DD time in.

It should be “130 runs fewer than the Sox” NOT 30 as my fingers typed.

Sorry about that.

BTW, in that case MLB can and would probably make available to the Japanese team that holds the players rights the next highest bid. If the Japanese team accepts the next highest bid they start the negotiations all over again with the player and that ML team.

While it certainly is possible for the ML team to “low ball” the player with a contract. I think in practical terms it’s highly unlikely that they would make it so obvious that it is apparent to everyone.

Does anyone know if they lose any percent of that? If not, why would some team not just bid $100 million for the posting fee, and then just not offer a reasonable contract, knowing the player won’t take it? That would keep that player from going to your competitors, yet you would get your money back. Kind of a sleazy way to do business, but I have to believe some team will do that in the next few years. Is there anything to stop that?

And he earned it.

But otherwise, spot on.

Looking at their teams numbers from 2011 they were a negative 18 in run differential. They allowed over 100 more runs than the Yankees, nearly 150 more than the Rays and 25 more than the Sox. In runs scored, they scored nearly 125 runs fewer than the Yankees, and 30 runs fewer than the Sox.

So yes if the Jays hope to compete in the AL East and make a run at the traditional leaders of the division they will need to sign both a pitcher and a bat. If it’s Prince Fielder and Gio they are looking at adding about $25MM per year to their payroll. If it’s Fielder and Garza they are probably looking at about $30MM per year to their payroll. That’s not including what they would have to give up to either the A’s or the Cubs in prospects for either of those pitchers. They have the money, but is that something they are will to take on?