Money is not a concern for the Toronto Blue Jays as long as its not on the field

Photo courtesy of CBC.ca

 

By Eduardo Harari

 

TORONTO. - As long as fans keep attending the Rogers Centre, the misuse of funds will continue to be happening for both the management of the Blue Jays and their ownership at Rogers Communications. This days the payroll to players not currently with the team is almost as high as the one of the one playing. No wonder the team is lacking potential in all areas and the frustration of the fan base keeps increasing.

 

So lets look closer at the numbers and you be the judge of who needs to be traded, released or outright sent away.

 

Active players payroll account for 50. 7 million, Injured players account for 13.6 million and the number that no one gets to see because the books are well hidden is the 48.86 Million that are being payed to players either sitting at home watching baseball or those in active rosters of other teams.

 

So my question is and by no sense I am a financial mind but if you are paying almost as much to non roster players than those who are struggling on the field, how can you get angry when both fans and players in your organization lash out at you complaining at the lack of support to make the team a winning club?

 

Toronto has a at least two well recognized starters that don't get adequate run support that could at this time could be amongst the pitching leaders in both leagues. You have a starting core that is hitting for an average of .220 and has 321 hits combined. 

 

Why can't put their heads around the idea that if it didn't work for them for almost 10 years previously, its going to work now in a more economically challenged global economy. 

 

People look for ways to escape from the daily burden of their routine to experience great and relaxing entertainment with family, friends and coworkers. Do you really think that what it's currently in the field of play can be defined as any of the previous terms. Relaxing is definitely not because the pure notion of not knowing who is going to be playing for your team on a given night is frustrating enough. Great entertainment would be a stretch when some times the catches made by the fans are more amusing than those in the field of play.

 

Its not to say that the great prospects of the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Brandon Drury, Billy McKenney, Eric Sogard and others haven't picked the attention of everyone but this city has always expected a competing team with a mix of youth and veterans that will provide a fighting chance of truly making the post season. 

 

Since the arrival of this current administration, it has been a systematic deteriorating colapse in the emotional state of not just the clubhouse but the fans in general. No one is sure where they stand from one day to the next. 

 

The fan base was elated when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrived 17 games ago but the pressure being exerted on this young prospect whether he is the ranked #1 or #100  is not natural. Instead of doing the right thing and bringing him up last season and giving him a chance to adapt to the game in less stressful manner, the decision taken was strictly monetarily for the benefit of the books which don't show any kind of great management. 

 

Management opted for trading to valuable pieces of the team in Kendrys Morales and Kevin Pillar, who not only brought good playing abilities but brought leadership in many respects. Now they find themselves scrambling to see where to find someone to fill at the DH role and how to make the outfield work.

 

So what's next maybe trading the last of the veterans in the team Justin Smoke, Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman so that officially the Alex Anthopoulos era is out of the minds of every fan in the city. 

 

What's a no show ownership group to do with an organization they cant run this team due to lack of knowledge. Theyhad a great business mind in Paul Beeston and a young creative thinker and baseball strategist that had brought this team to respectability and now sits running a great success story in Atlanta where some of the greatest Blue jays sports minds seem to end up.

 

So when does Rogers say enough is enough and actually sit down and look at the numbers and successes in order to make the changes that need to be made?