1. Avoiding Arbitration. As Friday came and went the Blue Jays announced that they were able to avoid arbitration with Josh Thole, Emilio Bonifacio and JA Happ. Both Bonifacio and Happ signed one year deals, but Thole singed himself a nice 2 year deal that included an option for a 3rd. These three deals along with the deal with the one with Colby Rasmus earlier take care of all arbitration cases. I would have really liked to have Bonifacio sign a multi year contract, I really think having him a part of this team for the next few years would be a great thing for the Jays.
2. Winter Tour wrap up: The Jays finished up there Winter Tour last week! I've said it before and i'll say it again next year when they do it again, but I absolutely love that they do this for their fans across the country. What better way can you make an entire country care about your team? Rogers has found a great way to ensure that their TV numbers cross country will be great for a long time, by bringing their stars to places that they may have never seen before. Sure other teams do community stuff in the off-season, but what the Jays do is really a step above everyone else. Nice Boots Colby
3. Buffalo Bison's Unveil New Uniforms and hold their annual Lunchon: What I really love about the Jays partnering with the Bison's is that the Jays have taken an active role in ensuring that the relationship is going to thrive. The Jays themselves made the way out to Buffalo for this event and even brought some stars along with them to help make the event the best it has ever seen. I think having the Jays in Vegas for the past few years really made them realize how important it is to have a AAA club so close to home and they are going to do everything they can to ensure they don't move again anytime soon. BTW the jersey's looked really cool!
4. The Super Deal that never was - After the Reyes press conference this past week, AA did a media scrum where he let out that there was another trade that was very close to being completed before the Marlins trade. The deal was said to be about the same financial commitment as the Marlins trade but fell through at the last minute. The deal was almost done, it was so close that the Jays team actually went to the board to approve the $$$ for the deal. This deal falling through actually led to the Marlins trade going through that much quicker because the team already went through the exercise of asking for the $$$. Who could the mystery team have been? I have no clue. What other team would have been willing to move that amount of $$$? I still have no clue, but the rumors on the interwebs say it could have been the White Sox or Maybe the Indians......Will we ever know? I don't know, but I almost would rather not know only so I'm not always wondering what could have been.
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/01/17/blue-jays-trade-that-collapsed-paved-way-for-the-one-that-didnt/
5. Gose was supposed to be in the Marlins Trade: Apparently Gose was being pushed hard to be included as a part of the Marlins trade. AA let his cat out of the bag at the Buffalo Luncheon, but he mentioned that he couldn't include him as Gose carries the same type of excitement of a player as Jose Reyes does. AA loves his speed in players. This makes me really excited for the type of baseball that we will see in years to come.
6. Darren Oliver is Coming Back: Good news out of Texas this week as Darren Oliver confirms that he's going to be coming back to the Jays after he clearing everything with his family. The road to this agreement was rocky, as Oliver's Agent made some claims on Oliver's behalf that weren't factual, but in the end our Lefty specialist is back and our bullpen is better because of it. Bigger question is if AA thinks his Bullpen is good enough to take into the year. It would be a shame if they don't ensure their bullpen is rock solid in a year where the rest of the team is killer.
7. Reyes Press Conference: The Reyes press conference was short, but it did exactly what it meant to. It gave the Jays the chance to show the Fans the type of personality that they just brought into the team. He's not as interesting as Dickey, but he his playing style coupled with a winning personality will make him a fan favorite for years to come.
Just some thoughts! Go Jays Go!
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