Looking towards the next Jays GM

It is getting very close to the time where we need to start looking at this year’s jays team as one that will not accomplish anything but possibly get 3^rd in the East. The team has underachieved and been what every jay’s team has been since Joe “touched them all”. Moves should be made before the trade deadline, but it should not be JP making them. If JP is still the general manager by the first of December I will be completely shocked. This was the year he was suppose to deliver, and frankly it’s not happening. It’s not the 41-46 record, it’s the amount of teams we need to pass that I think is becoming more and more impossible. I also think that JP should be let go soon, so we can make moves in the next month that are for the future. A lame duck gm will make moves to help him that could be detrimental to the team going forward. It happened last year when the pirates picked up the grossly inflated contract of Matt Morris. He pitched poorly and was released early this year. That gm is long gone, and a new one was the one who released Morris. So here are a list of candidates we should consider going forward becoming our gm. None of these people are rumored to come here, just people I think Godfrey and Uncle Ted should consider.

Tony LaCava- Jays Assistant general Manager- Highly regarded around the Majors and rumored to be one of the candidates for the Seattle Mariners GM opening and was also one of the final candidates for the Pirates GM opening. Lacava has worked throughout the majors, mostly in scouting and player development. He’s worked with the Angels, Expos, Indians and the Braves before coming to Toronto. All those organizations have had much success while he has been involved with them. You could say the development side of amateurs for Toronto hasn’t been great, but at the end of the day JP is making the picks. LaCava has been with the jays for 6 years now, and many of the guys we’ve drafted since then, are looking good. He is definitely somebody to seriously consider.

Peter Woodfork- Assistant GM Diamondbacks- Woodfork is joining a long list of the new generation of baseball men. More and more we are seeing teams turning to Ivy League grads who aren’t old baseball players but stat geniuses who go more by a system then gut feeling. This is Woodfork, a Harvard grad of 1999. Woodfork previously worked for the Red Sox for three years in player development. He is now with the Diamondbacks, who anybody can see, have the best young talent of the national league, and the Diamondbacks haven’t had to have losing seasons like the Rays in order to gain that young talent. He is somebody the Jays should seriously consider, a young mind who will bring new ideas to the organization.

Kim Ng- Assistant General Manager- LA Dodgers- this would be a huge and extremely bold move by the Jays. Ng would become the first female general manager in baseball. It’s been said that she is one of the most qualified people to become a general manager, but truly needs the right environment in order to have a chance of succeeding. Toronto I think could be that place, it’s an accepting city that I think could accept a female in a male dominated place. Her track record is proven working in two of the biggest markets in baseball being the New York Yankees and the LA Dodgers. She has overseen player development and scouting. Although I find it highly unlikely that the Jays will make this move or even that Ng would accept. Regardless of gender, she is extremely qualified for the position.

Gord Ash- Assistant General Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers- Sound Familiar. Ash was the GM before JP took over. You may think that would be a bad move considering the teams we had in the late 90’s, but he developed talent here with a below average payroll. He had to deal with ownership change that would often make him cut salary before the seasons started. He’s done a great job in Milwaukee of developing talent and that’s somebody we need, because we have a payroll around average, we need somebody who will develop young talent first and foremost. Ash fits the bill but it could be possible that his previous stint here makes it unlikely that he will be given a second chance.

These are just four people to consider, many more out there. The Jays need to build a front office staff that is looking to build young talent and not go the free agent route; quite simply, the jays cannot compete in the free agent market. Although I think JP has not done a great job for the Jays, the Cupboard is not bare. He has made some great draft picks that are looking like they can contribute. Guys like Brett Cecil, Travis Snider, Kevin Ahrens, JP Arencibia, are all looking good in the minors right now. David Purcey is someone who can also succeed at the major league level I believe, but needs time to make the mistakes any young player will. Whoever comes in will have a good base to work from.

Ozel

One more thing to right about. Rumors are out there that the Jays have been contacted concerning the availability of David Eckstein. The Orioles have been that team. Still hoping he goes to a team not in our division, but I will say this. I will be very surprised if Eckstein is still on the roster August first. Unless the jays go on to win 90% of there games until then, He's gone. Burnett I am not so sure