2008 Toronto Blue Jays - Brining a Winner Back to Canada!

ryan008 · 03-03-2009, 09:36 AM

I started a new game using real rosters that starts in 2008. I thought it would be fun to attempt to bring a winning team back to Toronto where they haven't seen the Playoffs since 1993 when they won there last World Series.

The Game will start in March of 2008 and it uses the Major League Baseball QUick Start that comes with OOTP 9. I have added the NCAA College Feeder League as well as a Highschool feeder league for the Amature Draft which will be 25 rounds with enough players created for 30 Rounds.

canadiancreed · 03-03-2009, 09:40 AM

Well you've already removed one of the issues in the GM so the future is looking better already. Good luck.

ryan008 · 03-03-2009, 10:59 AM

Blue Jays Fire GM J.P. Richardi. Ryan Stewart Hired to Be New GM.

March 3rd, 2008

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced that they have fired GM J.P. Richardi and replaced him with 28 yearold Ryan Stewart. Toronto is coming off of a 2007 Season that saw them finish with a record of 87-75 and finishing in 4th Place in the American League East Division.

The Jays have not made a post season appearance since 1993 the last time they won the world series. The Jays have a tough task ahead of them with the likes of the Red Sox, Yankees and American League Champion Tampa Bar Rays all playing in the same division.

GM Ryan Stewart "The Jays don't have the payroll of the Yankees or Red Sox or the track record in the Amature Draft that the Rays have, if we are going to compete we are going to have to make smart baseball decisions and draft well. The Draft will be where we focus most of our energy as well as bringing in players that we think will give us the best chance of winning. We won't be a contender over night but this team should play some exciting baseball"

Toronto heads into Spring Training with their new GM and will open the 2008 Season at home against the New York Yankees at the Rogers Center in Toronto on April 4th.

ryan008 · 03-03-2009, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Well you've already removed one of the issues in the GM so the future is looking better already. Good luck.

Agreed. Now if we could just get rid of him in real life!

Thanks for the message!

Ryan

ryan008 · 03-03-2009, 01:24 PM

Blue Jays Spring Training Report - 2008

March 30th, 2008

The Toronto Blue Jays have spent the past month at the Bobby Mattick Training Center in Dunedin Florida to prepare for the 2008 season. Toronto fresh off of a 4th Place finish in 2007 and hireing a new general manager in the offseason were suprisingly quiet interms of player movement during Spring Training. GM Ryan Stewart "We didn't want to make any knee jerking reactions and just start moving players for the sake of making trades. The spring was a chance for us to sit down and really have a look at what we have on this team and what we need. There are a lot of players that I was not familiar with that got a good look for spots on the roster in the future and I think we have a lot to work with"

There was a lot of competition in Jays camp this year as there were a number of open spots in the rotation and in the lineup that could be filled by players in the Jays farm system looking to push there way onto the roster.

Starting Pitchers

SP Roy Halladay
Age: 30 Height: 6'5" Weight: 225 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 92-94 MPH
Contract: $8,080,000/1 year
2007 Stats: 16-7 3.71 ERA 48 BB 139 K
GM's Comments: Halladay is the heart and soul of the Jays and is easily our best pitcher. His contract is up at the end of this year and it is my #1 priority to get him signed to a long term deal. If I get my way Halladay will be a Jay for life.

SP A.J. Burnett
Age: 31 Height: 6'5" Weight: 205 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 96-98 MPH
Contract: $4,370,000/1 year
2007 Stats: 10-8 3.75 ERA 66 BB 176 K
GM's Comments: Burnett is a very good pitcher but is prone to injuries and was limited to only 20 starts in 2007. He is also in a contract year and if he cannot be resigned will likely be delt at the deadline for prospects. He does give me a very potent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.

SP Dustin McGowan
Age: 26 Height: 6'3" Weight: 220 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 91-93 MPH
Contract: $390,000/auto renewal
2007 Stats: 12-10 4.08 ERA 61 BB 39 144 K
GM's Comments: McGowan really came into his own in 2007 winning 12 games. We have high hopes for him and if A.J. leaves he may be looked to, to fill the #2 spot in the rotation. At 26 he is still not fully developed and has the stuff to be a top of the rotation pitcher for the Jays.

SP Shaun Marcum
Age: 26 Height: 6'0" Weight: 180 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 90-92 MPH
Contract: $390,000/auto renewal
2007 Stats: 12-6 4.13 ERA 47 BB 122 K
GM's Comments: Marcum, like McGowan is another promising young arm. He doesn't quite have the stuff that McGowan does but he had a terriffic 2007 season. He will be the #4 starter for the Jays and at only league minimum is still a very cheep option for Toronto.

SP Gustavo Chacin
Age: 27 Height: 5'10" Weight: 193 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 86-88 MPH
Contract: $390,000/auto renewal
2007 Stats: 2-1 5.60 ERA 7 BB 11 K
GM's Comments: Chacin missed most of 2007 with an injury and it is penciled in as the clubs 5th starter, but he has a couple of players who are right on his heels trying to force their way into the starting rotation.

GM's Overall thoughts: We have a fairly strong rotation 1 through 4, but the 5th starter spots worries me as CHacin had a serious arm injury last year and only appeared in 4 games. We do have some depth at AAA Syracuse in SP David Purcy a young lefty who is a former 1st Round Pick of the Jays as well as SP Jesse Litsch who has some major league experience. We also have SP Casey Jansen who is currently hurt and will be out for most of the 2008 season.

In terms of prospects the Jays have really only one name that jumps off the depth charts and that is SP Brett Cecil. Cecil is a 21 yearold lefty who was drafted in 2007 by the Jays. He spent all of last year in the Gulf Coast league and is likely headed to AA New Hampshire for 2008. He is still 2-3 years away from making an impact with Toronto.

The Bullpen

MR Brian Tallet
Age: 30 Height: 6'7" Weight: 205 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 91-93 MPH
Contract: $1,198,000/1 year
2007 Stats: 2-4 3.47 ERA 28 BB 54 K
GM's Comments: Tallet emerged as a very strong left handed option for the Jays in 2007 and can fill two roles as a lefty specialist and can also be used as a long man out of the pen.

MR Brandon League
Age: 25 Height: 6'3" Weight: 192 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 96-98 MPH
Contract: $865,536/1 year Arbitration Eligiable
2007 Stats: 0-0 6.17 ERA 7 BB 7 K
GM's Comments: League has the best arm on the Jays in terms of velocity and can even tough 100 MPH on the radar gun. He has been a little inconsistent in throwing strikes. If he can ever harnass his stuff he could be a closer some day.

MR Jason Frasor
Age: 30 Height: 5'10" Weight: 170 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 93-95 MPH
Contract: $1,000,272/1 year Arbitration Eligiable
2007 Stats: 1-5 3 SV 4.58 ERA 23 BB 59 K
GM's Comments: Frasor is another very good arm down in the pen. He can serve as a righ handed setup man or any other role that we can ask of him.

MR Jeremy Accardo
Age: 26 Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 93-95 MPH
Contract: $390,000/auto renewal
2007 Stats: 4-4 30 SV 2.14 ERA 24 BB 57 K
GM's Comments: Accardo served as the closer for the Jays last year as B.J Ryan was injured. Ryan is back healthy and Accardo will slot back into the setup man role. Ryan could be availiable and if he is traded Accardo could step back into the closers role.

MR Scott Downs
Age: 32 Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 95-97 MPH
Contract: $3,427,500/1 year Arbitration Eligiable
2007 Stats: 4-2 1 SV 2.17 ERA 24 BB 57 K
GM's Comments: Downs is the lefty setup man in the pen and had a terrific season last year. He will be back in the same role this year and just solidifies a strong bullpen even more.

CL B.J. Ryan
Age: 32 Height: 6'5" Weight: 230 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 85-87 MPH
Contract: $4,151,400/2 years
2007 Stats: 0-2 3 SV 12.46 ERA 4 BB 3 K
GM's Comments: Ryan was hurt for most of last season and is looking to bounce back this year. He is one of the best closers in the league when he is healthy and that is the big question surrounding him this year. There are pleanty of other options for the Jays should he falter but we are hoping that he can regain his 2006 form.

GM's Overall thoughts: The bullpen is the strong point for this team. There are a number of good arms already slated to start the year with the Jays. We also have a group of arms in AAA that could see time with the Jays in 2008. This group includes MR Brian Wolfe, SP Casey Jansen (When he gets healthy) and MR Jesse Carlson. Our depth in the bullpen may allow us to make some moves down the road and not have to worry about their performance suffer.

Position Players

C Rod Barajas
Age: 32 Height: 6'2" Weight: 229 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $430,000/1 year
2007 Stats: .230 4 HR 10 RBI (with Philedelphia)
GM's Comments: Barajas comes over from the Phillies after having a down season. He is likely to take over the starting catchers role this year with Gregg Zaun serving as his backup.

C Gregg Zaun
Age: 36 Height: 5'10" Weight: 170 lbs Throws: R Bats: S
Contract: $840,000/1 year
2007 Stats: .242 10 HR 52 RBI
GM's Comments: Zaun served as Toronto's primary catcher last year but will likely be relegated to the bench with the addition of Barajas in the offseason. Zaun is a switch hitter and is a valuable bat off the bench.

1B Lyle Overbay
Age: 31 Height: 6'2" Weight: 215 lbs Throws: L Bats: L
Contract: $2,968,000/3 year
2007 Stats: .240 10 HR 44 RBI
GM's Comments: Overbay had a down year in 2007 but most of that was due to a hand injury. He is looking to bounce back in 2008 and will be look to as a big part of the Jays offence.

1B/DH Matt Stairs
Age: 40 Height: 5'8" Weight: 177 lbs Throws: R Bats: L
Contract: $1,500,000/1 year
2007 Stats: .289 21 HR 64 RBI
GM's Comments: Stairs was terrific last year and we are hoping that he can repeat his performace. He is getting a little older so he won't play everyday but he is a dangerous option off the bench.

2B Aaron Hill
Age: 26 Height: 5'10" Weight: 195 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $390,000/auto renewal
2007 Stats: .291 17 HR 78 RBI
GM's Comments: Hill had a breakout season in 2007 and will look to continue his success in 2007. At 26 and a minimum contract he is a very valuable cheep piece of the Jays offence.

3B Scott Rolen
Age: 33 Height: 6'3" Weight: 240 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $6,468,000/3 years
2007 Stats: .265 8 HR 58 RBI (with St. Louis)
GM's Comments: Rolen came over in an offseason trade that sent 3B Troy Glaus to St. Louis. Rolen had a down year offensively and will be looking to bounce back with the Jays. He has had some injury troubles over the past few seasons but when he is healthy is an offensive force.

SS David Eckstein
Age: 33 Height: 5'6" Weight: 229 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $770,000/1 year
2007 Stats: .309 3 HR 31 RBI (with St. Louis)
GM's Comments: Eckstein will join Rolen on the left side of the Jays infield and the pair will form a strong defensive tandem. Offensively he will not provide very much pop but should get on base quite a bit.

LF Adam Lind
Age: 24 Height: 6'2" Weight: 195 lbs Throws: L Bats: L
Contract: $390,000/Auto Renewal
2007 Stats: ..385 0 HR 20 RBI
GM's Comments: Lind is one of the better hitting prospects in the Jays system and did well in a breif September audition in 2007. He will likely platoon in the outfield with Shannon Stewart for this season.

LF Shannon Stewart
Age: 34 Height: 6'0" Weight: 175 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $1,165,000/2 year
2007 Stats: .290 12 HR 48 RBI (with Oakland)
GM's Comments: Stewart came over as a free agent in the offseason from Oakland where he had a good bounce back year. He will form the right handed portion of the platoon in left field with youngster Adam Lind.

CF Vernon Wells
Age: 29 Height: 6'0" Weight: 175 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $1,120,000/1 year
2007 Stats: .245 16 HR 80 RBI
GM's Comments: Wells is in a contract year and will be looking for a significant raise. He will have to significantly increase his offensive production if he is to garner the type of salary from the Jays that he is looking for.

RF Alex Rios
Age: 27 Height: 6'5" Weight: 194 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $7,268,700/1 year
2007 Stats: .297 24 HR 85 RBI
GM's Comments: Rios is the brightest young hitting star on the Jays. He is also in a contract year and it is going to be a priority of mine to get him resighned.

DH Frank Thomas
Age: 39 Height: 6'5" Weight: 257 lbs Throws: R Bats: R
Contract: $418,000/2 years
2007 Stats: .277 26 HR 75 RBI
GM's Comments: Thomas was very good last year for the Jays and still has some pop in his bat even for a 39 yearold. He is penciled in as the everyday DH and will likely share time there with Matt Stairs.

GM's Comments: Well the offence is where this team is lasking. There are a lot of question marks surrounding who can stay healthy for the entire season. In terms of prospects the Jays have a number of kids who are on there way through the system. Most have been drafted recently and are still a few seasons from the big leagues. At the top of the list is LF Travis Snider who has rocketed through the system and will likely start in AA New Hampshire. Other players to watch include C J.P. Arencibia, SS Justin Jackson and SS Kevin Ahrens.

ryan008 · 03-03-2009, 01:39 PM

Blue Jays Higher New Scouting Director and Announce Expanded Scouting Budget.

April 2nd, 2008

GM Ryan Stewart announced today that they have signed 45 yearold Ric Polk to be the teams new scouting director. Polk hails from Flint Michigan and the new Jays Director of Scouting will be working with an expanded scouting buget as the Jays have increased it from $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 annually.

Gm Ryan Stewart "We are not exactally where we want to be interms of our total buget but ownership did give us an additional $2 million dollars to spend this year. It will be focused on International Scouting as well as Scouting the Amature ranks for the Smature Draft. We want to make the most of our limited resources and drafting well is the best way to do it. It is much more economical to draft and develop players within the Organization than to have to sign them as free agents or trade for them later"

League News & Notes for March

Free agent SP Roger Clemons agreed to a 1 year $2,550,000 contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
Free agent LF Barry Bonds signed a 1 year $8,990,000 contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Free agent LF Kenny Lofton signed a 1 year $4,520,000 contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

canadiancreed · 03-03-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan008

Agreed. Now if we could just get rid of him in real life!

Thanks for the message!

Ryan

No kidding. I mean Toronto has been able to shed two incompetant GM's, why not in baseball?

ryan008 · 03-03-2009, 01:56 PM

Blue Jays Scouting Paying Dividends & Claim SP From Baltimore

The Jays announced today that they have signed 18 yearold Puerto Rican catcher C Pepe Chavez to a minor league contract. The youngster was discovered on a recent scouting excersion to Puerto Rico and the Jays signed him to a minor league contract. He has the potential to be a very good catcher in the majors with an above average bat and great arm. He is very young and very raw at the moment and was assigned to the Jays Rookie League Team the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in the Gulf Coast league to await the start of the Rookie League season in June.

The Jays also announced that the have claimed 26 yearold SP Daniel Cabrera off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Cabrera was 9-18 with a 5.55 ERA 108 BB and 1066 K's for the Orioles last season. He was made expendable by the addition of SP Roger Clemons in the offseason. GM Ryan Stewart "We really like Cabrera's stuff and think he could be a good middle of the rotation starter for us. He needs to cut down on his walks and work on his control but he could be a very good low risk/high reward for us"

ryan008 · 03-09-2009, 11:09 AM

Blue Jays Linger in 4th Place in the American League East at the Draft

June 5th, 2008

The Toronto Blue Jays and their new GM Ryan Stewart have struggled so far in the first season with the new GM at the helm. Toronto's record currently stands at 27-34 and they trail the 1st Place New York Yankees (41-20) by 14.0 games. Only the Baltimore Orioles (22-38) have a worse record than Toronto in the Division. The Philidelphia Philles continue to be the class of the Majors with a Major League Best record of 44-17 and are running away with the National League East.

The Jays have struggled largely due to injuries as they have lost 4 regulars out of the starting lineup as well as the starting rotation. CL B.J. Ryan is out for 3 months with a strained elbow ligament and is not expected back until after the trade deadline. 3B Scott Rolen injured his back and has missed more than a month, SP Daniel Cabrerra missed 3 starts due to dead arm syndrom and 1B Lyle Overbay has missed time with groin problems. Even with all of the injuries GM Ryan Stewart is staying positive "We have had a tough year but I was not expecting this team to go out and win 100 games this season. We are on track to hopefully win around 85 games and getting some of these players back healthy should give our lineup a boost"

News & Notes from the League

San Diego's SP Greg Maddux earned his 300th career victory in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ryan008 · 03-09-2009, 11:49 AM

Blue Jays Select Highschool SS 17th Overall

June 5th, 2008

GM Ryan Stewart was at the Rogers Center this morning even though his team was headed to Boston for a 3 game series agains their division rivals the Red Sox. The Jays GM was preparing for the 2008 First Year Player Draft with Director of Scouting Rick Polk and his team. The Jays hold the 17th Overall Pick and with their minor league system boasting few top prospects they will be looking to restock it over the next few drafts.

With the 17th overall selection the Jays took a 19 yearold shortstop out of Lincolnshire Highschool SS Ivan Arroyo. Arroyo is a 5 tool prospect with a ton of upside. He appeared in only 7 games with his highscool team in 2008. He hit .667 with 1 HR and 1 RBI. He injured his back and missed the remainder of the season. He is completely healed and will be ready for the Rookie League season with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays.

GM Ryan Stewart "It was a good draft for us. We were able to grab the player we were looking at with the 17th overall selection. Arroyo is a big kid at 6'4" and 210 lbs and we think he has the postential to hit 30 HRs at the Major League Level. We were also able to grab some very good arm with some of our later picks that we think could move quickly through the system"

ryan008 · 03-09-2009, 11:56 AM

Blue Jays Unhappy? Demanding Trade?

June 10th, 2008

With the Jays slipping further and further out of the playoff race (they are currently 15 games back of the Yankees) it seems a number of players have become unhappy with the direction that the franchise is taking and are demanding a trade out of town.

Reports have surfaced that DH Frank Thomas, C Rod Barajas and SP A.J. Burnett have approached GM Ryan Stewart and demanded to be moved to a contending team. GM Ryan Stewart was asked about the validity of these reports "We have had some discussions with a number of players on our team and where they fit in the future. No one has demmanded to be moved but that doesn't rule out the possibility of them being moved before the deadline in about a month from now"

The trade deadline is about a month and a half from now and the Jays project to be significant sellers come deadline day.

ryan008 · 03-10-2009, 07:52 AM

Blue Jays Ace Signs 5 Year Extension

June 12th, 2008

The Toronto Blue Jays and General Manager Ryan Stewart announced today that they have come to terms on a 5 year $77,050,000 extension with SP Roy Halladay. The 31 yearold Halladay has been in the Blue Jays organization his entire career. In 2008 the big righty is 10-8 with a 3.48 ERA in 20 starts. In his career Halladay is 123-68 with a 3.63 ERA.

GM Ryan Stewart "Doc is the heart and soul of this team and was very eager to finish his career with the Jays despite the fact that we are heading into a rebuilding era. We think Halladay is the perfect influence to help bring along some of our younger pitchers like SP Brett Cecil and help them to aclimatize to life in the big leagues"

The contract will pay Halladay $15,410,000 a year and the 5th year is a mutual option year and includes a no movement clause. THe deal will keep Halladay in a Jays uniform until the 2013 Season.

ryan008 · 03-10-2009, 09:18 AM

Blue Jays Very Busy on Deadline Day

July 31st, 2008

With the Blue Jays slipping further and further out of the playoff picture word around the Jays organization was that there were going to be big changes and some significant deals at the trade deadline as the new General Manager attempted to put his stamp on the team.

Earlier in the season a number of Jays players were reported to be unhappy with the direction of the franchise and the teams place in the standings (Toronto is sitting at a record of 51-57 21 games back of the Yankees in the American League East and 9.5 back of the Red Sox for the Wildcard). There were a number of players who drew interest from teams around the league and the Jays were easily the busiest team at the deadline making 2 significant trades.

In his first deal GM Ryan Stewart hooked up with the Cincinatti Reds in a 6 player deal that saw CL B.J. Ryan, SP Casey Janssen and minor league SP Chi-Hung Cheng headed to the Reds and coming to Toronto are SP Edison Volquez and a pair of minor leaguers in CL Enrique Abreau and 2B George Mortimer.

The Reds are currently only 3 games out of the National League Wild Card race and were looking for some help in their Bullpen and rotation. CL B.J. Ryan was 1-0 with 2 SV and a 3.38 ERA this year with the Jays and SP Casey Janssen had not yet pitched for the Jays but was activated from the disabled list just prior to the deadline and was given a clean bill of health. The Reds also receive 23 yearold SP Chi-Hung Cheng who was having a good season with the Jays High A Dunedin squad posting a record of 6-5 with a 2.21 ERA walking 36 and striking out 86.

The Blue Jays will receive 25 year old SP Edison Volquez, a hard throwing righthander who had struggled with the reds this year going 5-8 with a 5.50 ERA with 28 walks and 85 K's. Volquez has a ton of potential but has not been able to live up to it in his time with the Reds, the Jays are hoping he is able to turn the corner with Toronto. The Jays also get a pair of low level prospects. The centerpiece of the deal was 2B George Mortimer. Mortimer is a 19 yearold who was the Reds first round pick 7th overall in 2008. He has the tools to hit for a very good average and is defensively sound. He hit .136 with 1 HR and 7 RBI in Rookie League Satasota before being traded to the Jays. Also headed to the Jays is 17 yearold hard throwing CL Enrique Abreau. Abreau was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Puerto Rico in 2008. He was 0-3 with 3 SV and a 4.84 ERA with Rookie League Sarasota. Both Mortimer and Abreau were assigned to the Jays rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League.

The second deal of the day saw the Jays and Royals swap 5 players. The Royals are desperately trying to catch the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central and are only 8 games out. They addedSP A.J. Burnett, C Rod Barajas and 1B Matt Stairs. Heading to the Jays are a pair of prospects in SP Juan 'Turkey' Diaz and 1B Billy Butler.

The Royals added a veteran presence tot heir rotation with SP A.J. Burnett. Burnett was 6-9 with a 5.27 ERA with 42 BB and 102 K's for Toronto in 2008. He was in the last year of his contract and was refusing to resign with the Jays. The Royals also get C Rod Barajas who was hitting .293 with 4 HR and 19 RBIs. He was having a decent year offensively but was unhappy about sharing playing time with C Gregg Zaun and was one of the players rumoured to have demanded to be moved. The final piece headed to the Royals was 1B Matt Stairs. The 40 yearold Stairs was having a great season thus far hitting .245 with 15 HR and 55 RBIs. He should give the Royals a much needed boost in production.

Heading to the Jays is 19 yearold SP Juan Diaz who has one of the best arms in the Royals system. He was the 3rd Overall pick in the 2008 Draft and has a fast ball that can hit triple digits. He was 1-1 with a 1.76 ERA with 2 BB and 5 K's with rookie league Burlington before being traded. Also coming to Toronto is 22 yearold 1B Billy Butler. Butler is an offensive minded first baseman who is average defensively. He was hitting .272 with 12 HR and 56 RBIs when he was traded and he will split playing time at first with 1B Lyle Overbay. Diaz was assigned to the Jays Rookie League Team in the Gulf Coast League.

captaincarl · 03-10-2009, 12:30 PM

This is a great idea, to start in 2008 and bring a team that hadn't been in the playoffs for a while back to life. I might even try it with the Reds. I'll be following your progress with the Blue Jays. Good luck with them. They're in a super tough division, probably the strongest division in MLB, the AL East.

I have one question though. Will OOTP 9 allow you to go to future years if you use the 2008 Major League Quick Start?

ryan008 · 03-11-2009, 08:34 AM

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I really like the idea of brining a team back from the dead so to speak and the Jays are definately on life support!

In terms of the Major League Quick Start you can start a Major League Game at almost any time with real players as long as you download the database that foes with it. If you want fictional players but the real structure you can easily do that in game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by captaincarl

This is a great idea, to start in 2008 and bring a team that hadn't been in the playoffs for a while back to life. I might even try it with the Reds. I'll be following your progress with the Blue Jays. Good luck with them. They're in a super tough division, probably the strongest division in MLB, the AL East.

I have one question though. Will OOTP 9 allow you to go to future years if you use the 2008 Major League Quick Start?

ryan008 · 03-11-2009, 08:53 AM

The Season is Over. Jays Finish in 4th Place in AL East, Cleveland Captures World Series Title

October 27th, 2008

The 2008 season has come to an end and after the dust settled it was the Cleveland Indians emerging as the 2008 World Series Cahmpions. Cleveland defeated the National League Champion Phildelphia Phillies 4 games to 1 to capture the title. The Indians were carried through the series on the arm of their Ace SP C.C. Sabathia who started games 1 and 5 and won both allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits with 18 strikeouts in the two outings.

The Toronto Blue Jays finished the season with a record of 70-92 and finished in 4th place in the American League East a fun 43 games back of the New York Yankees and 19 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the American League Wild Card. The Jays completed their first season under new GM Ryan Stewart and although the team may have fallen short of the playoffs the new GM is optomistic about the future "we made some significant moves at the trade deadline and brought in some players who we think are really going to help us out not only in the future but in the present as well. One of the biggest suprises was the play of SP Daniel Cabrerra who wound up leading the American League in strikeouts with 218 and posted a 3.22 ERA. We are going to be evaluating our options for the offseasn and will be ready for Spring Training in April"

ryan008 · 03-11-2009, 08:58 AM

Blue Jays DH Frank Thomas Retires

October 30th, 2008

Long time major leaguer DH Frank Thomas announced his retirement from baseball today at the age of 40. Thomas spent time with the Oakland A's, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays over his 18 year major league career.

In 2008 he saw limited time as the DH of the Jays hitting .272 with just 7 HR and 18 RBIs. In his career Thomas batted .302 with 2456 hits 520 HR and 1692 RBIs. He was immediately inducted into the Hall of fame.

ryan008 · 03-11-2009, 10:34 AM

Major League Award Winners Announced

National League Gold Gloves

P Tim Hudson (Atlanta Braves)
C Geovany Soto (Chicago Cubs)
1B Mark Teixera (Atlanta Braves)
2B Freddy Sanchez (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B Ryan Zimmermann (Washington Nationals)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies)
LF Carlos Lee (Chicago Cubs)
CF Aaron Rowand (San Francisco Giants)
RF Jeremy Hermida (Florida Marlins)

National League Rookie of the Year

OF Jay Bruce (Cincinatti Reds)
2008 Stats: .310 25 HR 93 RBI

National League Cy Young Award

SP Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)
2008 Stats: 22-5 2.80 ERA 194 K

National League MVP

1B Ryan Howard (Philedelphia Phillies)
2008 Stats: .316 56 HR 140 RBI

American League Gold Gloves

P Mark Buhrle (Chicago White Sox)
C Dioner Navarro (Tampa Bay Rays)
1B Carlos Guillen (Detroit Tigers)
2B Placido Polonco (Detroit Tigers)
3B Joe Crede (Chicago White Sox)
SS Luis Hernandez (Baltimore Orioles)
LF Juan Rivera (Los Angeles Angels)
CF Torii Hunter (Los Angeles Angels)
RF Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners)

American League Rookie of the Year

1B Eric Duncan (New York Yankees)
2008 Stats: .282 35 HR 95 RBI

American League Cy Young Award

SP C.C. Sabathia (Cleveland Indians)
2008 Stats: 19-9 2.31 ERA 214 K

American League MVP

1B David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox)
2008 Stats: .294 53 HR 143 RBI

captaincarl · 03-11-2009, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan008

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I really like the idea of bringing a team back from the dead so to speak and the Jays are definately on life support!

In terms of the Major League Quick Start you can start a Major League Game at almost any time with real players as long as you download the database that foes with it. If you want fictional players but the real structure you can easily do that in game.

Does the roster with real players come with the game? If it doesn't, then whose would you recommend that I download first.

CatKnight · 03-11-2009, 10:53 AM

captaincarl: The 2008 roster comes with the game. I've played with it a little myself. There was a patch earlier this year that further upgraded the roster.

From what I've seen, however, a lot of people seem to like cubbyfan's rosters.

Be prepared though...the 2008 setup includes EVERY minor league team: All 240 odd of them. It takes a few seconds for my 'puter to run through a day, and I can't imagine manipulating the rosters of 6 or 7 minor league clubs in addition to the big league's, which is why I haven't gone much further with it.

ryan: Outstanding first year! Oh, I know you probably didn't finish as well as you'd have liked, but really well written and you gave us a good feel for the club. Good luck in '09!

03-03-2009, 01:39 PM	#6
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Higher New Scouting Director and Announce Expanded Scouting Budget. April 2nd, 2008 GM Ryan Stewart announced today that they have signed 45 yearold Ric Polk to be the teams new scouting director. Polk hails from Flint Michigan and the new Jays Director of Scouting will be working with an expanded scouting buget as the Jays have increased it from $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 annually. Gm Ryan Stewart "We are not exactally where we want to be interms of our total buget but ownership did give us an additional $2 million dollars to spend this year. It will be focused on International Scouting as well as Scouting the Amature ranks for the Smature Draft. We want to make the most of our limited resources and drafting well is the best way to do it. It is much more economical to draft and develop players within the Organization than to have to sign them as free agents or trade for them later" League News & Notes for March Free agent SP Roger Clemons agreed to a 1 year $2,550,000 contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Free agent LF Barry Bonds signed a 1 year $8,990,000 contract with the Chicago Cubs. Free agent LF Kenny Lofton signed a 1 year $4,520,000 contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

03-03-2009, 01:56 PM	#8
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Scouting Paying Dividends & Claim SP From Baltimore The Jays announced today that they have signed 18 yearold Puerto Rican catcher C Pepe Chavez to a minor league contract. The youngster was discovered on a recent scouting excersion to Puerto Rico and the Jays signed him to a minor league contract. He has the potential to be a very good catcher in the majors with an above average bat and great arm. He is very young and very raw at the moment and was assigned to the Jays Rookie League Team the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in the Gulf Coast league to await the start of the Rookie League season in June. The Jays also announced that the have claimed 26 yearold SP Daniel Cabrera off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Cabrera was 9-18 with a 5.55 ERA 108 BB and 1066 K's for the Orioles last season. He was made expendable by the addition of SP Roger Clemons in the offseason. GM Ryan Stewart "We really like Cabrera's stuff and think he could be a good middle of the rotation starter for us. He needs to cut down on his walks and work on his control but he could be a very good low risk/high reward for us" Last edited by ryan008; 03-09-2009 at 10:58 AM.

03-09-2009, 11:09 AM	#9
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Linger in 4th Place in the American League East at the Draft June 5th, 2008 The Toronto Blue Jays and their new GM Ryan Stewart have struggled so far in the first season with the new GM at the helm. Toronto's record currently stands at 27-34 and they trail the 1st Place New York Yankees (41-20) by 14.0 games. Only the Baltimore Orioles (22-38) have a worse record than Toronto in the Division. The Philidelphia Philles continue to be the class of the Majors with a Major League Best record of 44-17 and are running away with the National League East. The Jays have struggled largely due to injuries as they have lost 4 regulars out of the starting lineup as well as the starting rotation. CL B.J. Ryan is out for 3 months with a strained elbow ligament and is not expected back until after the trade deadline. 3B Scott Rolen injured his back and has missed more than a month, SP Daniel Cabrerra missed 3 starts due to dead arm syndrom and 1B Lyle Overbay has missed time with groin problems. Even with all of the injuries GM Ryan Stewart is staying positive "We have had a tough year but I was not expecting this team to go out and win 100 games this season. We are on track to hopefully win around 85 games and getting some of these players back healthy should give our lineup a boost" News & Notes from the League San Diego's SP Greg Maddux earned his 300th career victory in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last edited by ryan008; 03-09-2009 at 11:59 AM.

03-09-2009, 11:56 AM	#11
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Unhappy? Demanding Trade? June 10th, 2008 With the Jays slipping further and further out of the playoff race (they are currently 15 games back of the Yankees) it seems a number of players have become unhappy with the direction that the franchise is taking and are demanding a trade out of town. Reports have surfaced that DH Frank Thomas, C Rod Barajas and SP A.J. Burnett have approached GM Ryan Stewart and demanded to be moved to a contending team. GM Ryan Stewart was asked about the validity of these reports "We have had some discussions with a number of players on our team and where they fit in the future. No one has demmanded to be moved but that doesn't rule out the possibility of them being moved before the deadline in about a month from now" The trade deadline is about a month and a half from now and the Jays project to be significant sellers come deadline day. Last edited by ryan008; 03-10-2009 at 07:16 AM.

03-03-2009, 09:36 AM	#1
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	2008 Toronto Blue Jays - Brining a Winner Back to Canada! I started a new game using real rosters that starts in 2008. I thought it would be fun to attempt to bring a winning team back to Toronto where they haven't seen the Playoffs since 1993 when they won there last World Series. The Game will start in March of 2008 and it uses the Major League Baseball QUick Start that comes with OOTP 9. I have added the NCAA College Feeder League as well as a Highschool feeder league for the Amature Draft which will be 25 rounds with enough players created for 30 Rounds.

03-03-2009, 09:40 AM	#2
canadiancreed Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 11,660	Well you've already removed one of the issues in the GM so the future is looking better already. Good luck.

03-03-2009, 10:59 AM	#3
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Fire GM J.P. Richardi. Ryan Stewart Hired to Be New GM. March 3rd, 2008 The Toronto Blue Jays have announced that they have fired GM J.P. Richardi and replaced him with 28 yearold Ryan Stewart. Toronto is coming off of a 2007 Season that saw them finish with a record of 87-75 and finishing in 4th Place in the American League East Division. The Jays have not made a post season appearance since 1993 the last time they won the world series. The Jays have a tough task ahead of them with the likes of the Red Sox, Yankees and American League Champion Tampa Bar Rays all playing in the same division. GM Ryan Stewart "The Jays don't have the payroll of the Yankees or Red Sox or the track record in the Amature Draft that the Rays have, if we are going to compete we are going to have to make smart baseball decisions and draft well. The Draft will be where we focus most of our energy as well as bringing in players that we think will give us the best chance of winning. We won't be a contender over night but this team should play some exciting baseball" Toronto heads into Spring Training with their new GM and will open the 2008 Season at home against the New York Yankees at the Rogers Center in Toronto on April 4th.

03-03-2009, 01:24 PM	#5
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Spring Training Report - 2008 March 30th, 2008 The Toronto Blue Jays have spent the past month at the Bobby Mattick Training Center in Dunedin Florida to prepare for the 2008 season. Toronto fresh off of a 4th Place finish in 2007 and hireing a new general manager in the offseason were suprisingly quiet interms of player movement during Spring Training. GM Ryan Stewart "We didn't want to make any knee jerking reactions and just start moving players for the sake of making trades. The spring was a chance for us to sit down and really have a look at what we have on this team and what we need. There are a lot of players that I was not familiar with that got a good look for spots on the roster in the future and I think we have a lot to work with" There was a lot of competition in Jays camp this year as there were a number of open spots in the rotation and in the lineup that could be filled by players in the Jays farm system looking to push there way onto the roster. Starting Pitchers SP Roy Halladay Age: 30 Height: 6'5" Weight: 225 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 92-94 MPH Contract: $8,080,000/1 year 2007 Stats: 16-7 3.71 ERA 48 BB 139 K GM's Comments: Halladay is the heart and soul of the Jays and is easily our best pitcher. His contract is up at the end of this year and it is my #1 priority to get him signed to a long term deal. If I get my way Halladay will be a Jay for life. SP A.J. Burnett Age: 31 Height: 6'5" Weight: 205 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 96-98 MPH Contract: $4,370,000/1 year 2007 Stats: 10-8 3.75 ERA 66 BB 176 K GM's Comments: Burnett is a very good pitcher but is prone to injuries and was limited to only 20 starts in 2007. He is also in a contract year and if he cannot be resigned will likely be delt at the deadline for prospects. He does give me a very potent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. SP Dustin McGowan Age: 26 Height: 6'3" Weight: 220 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 91-93 MPH Contract: $390,000/auto renewal 2007 Stats: 12-10 4.08 ERA 61 BB 39 144 K GM's Comments: McGowan really came into his own in 2007 winning 12 games. We have high hopes for him and if A.J. leaves he may be looked to, to fill the #2 spot in the rotation. At 26 he is still not fully developed and has the stuff to be a top of the rotation pitcher for the Jays. SP Shaun Marcum Age: 26 Height: 6'0" Weight: 180 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 90-92 MPH Contract: $390,000/auto renewal 2007 Stats: 12-6 4.13 ERA 47 BB 122 K GM's Comments: Marcum, like McGowan is another promising young arm. He doesn't quite have the stuff that McGowan does but he had a terriffic 2007 season. He will be the #4 starter for the Jays and at only league minimum is still a very cheep option for Toronto. SP Gustavo Chacin Age: 27 Height: 5'10" Weight: 193 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 86-88 MPH Contract: $390,000/auto renewal 2007 Stats: 2-1 5.60 ERA 7 BB 11 K GM's Comments: Chacin missed most of 2007 with an injury and it is penciled in as the clubs 5th starter, but he has a couple of players who are right on his heels trying to force their way into the starting rotation. GM's Overall thoughts: We have a fairly strong rotation 1 through 4, but the 5th starter spots worries me as CHacin had a serious arm injury last year and only appeared in 4 games. We do have some depth at AAA Syracuse in SP David Purcy a young lefty who is a former 1st Round Pick of the Jays as well as SP Jesse Litsch who has some major league experience. We also have SP Casey Jansen who is currently hurt and will be out for most of the 2008 season. In terms of prospects the Jays have really only one name that jumps off the depth charts and that is SP Brett Cecil. Cecil is a 21 yearold lefty who was drafted in 2007 by the Jays. He spent all of last year in the Gulf Coast league and is likely headed to AA New Hampshire for 2008. He is still 2-3 years away from making an impact with Toronto. The Bullpen MR Brian Tallet Age: 30 Height: 6'7" Weight: 205 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 91-93 MPH Contract: $1,198,000/1 year 2007 Stats: 2-4 3.47 ERA 28 BB 54 K GM's Comments: Tallet emerged as a very strong left handed option for the Jays in 2007 and can fill two roles as a lefty specialist and can also be used as a long man out of the pen. MR Brandon League Age: 25 Height: 6'3" Weight: 192 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 96-98 MPH Contract: $865,536/1 year Arbitration Eligiable 2007 Stats: 0-0 6.17 ERA 7 BB 7 K GM's Comments: League has the best arm on the Jays in terms of velocity and can even tough 100 MPH on the radar gun. He has been a little inconsistent in throwing strikes. If he can ever harnass his stuff he could be a closer some day. MR Jason Frasor Age: 30 Height: 5'10" Weight: 170 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 93-95 MPH Contract: $1,000,272/1 year Arbitration Eligiable 2007 Stats: 1-5 3 SV 4.58 ERA 23 BB 59 K GM's Comments: Frasor is another very good arm down in the pen. He can serve as a righ handed setup man or any other role that we can ask of him. MR Jeremy Accardo Age: 26 Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs Throws: R Velocity: 93-95 MPH Contract: $390,000/auto renewal 2007 Stats: 4-4 30 SV 2.14 ERA 24 BB 57 K GM's Comments: Accardo served as the closer for the Jays last year as B.J Ryan was injured. Ryan is back healthy and Accardo will slot back into the setup man role. Ryan could be availiable and if he is traded Accardo could step back into the closers role. MR Scott Downs Age: 32 Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 95-97 MPH Contract: $3,427,500/1 year Arbitration Eligiable 2007 Stats: 4-2 1 SV 2.17 ERA 24 BB 57 K GM's Comments: Downs is the lefty setup man in the pen and had a terrific season last year. He will be back in the same role this year and just solidifies a strong bullpen even more. CL B.J. Ryan Age: 32 Height: 6'5" Weight: 230 lbs Throws: L Velocity: 85-87 MPH Contract: $4,151,400/2 years 2007 Stats: 0-2 3 SV 12.46 ERA 4 BB 3 K GM's Comments: Ryan was hurt for most of last season and is looking to bounce back this year. He is one of the best closers in the league when he is healthy and that is the big question surrounding him this year. There are pleanty of other options for the Jays should he falter but we are hoping that he can regain his 2006 form. GM's Overall thoughts: The bullpen is the strong point for this team. There are a number of good arms already slated to start the year with the Jays. We also have a group of arms in AAA that could see time with the Jays in 2008. This group includes MR Brian Wolfe, SP Casey Jansen (When he gets healthy) and MR Jesse Carlson. Our depth in the bullpen may allow us to make some moves down the road and not have to worry about their performance suffer. Position Players C Rod Barajas Age: 32 Height: 6'2" Weight: 229 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $430,000/1 year 2007 Stats: .230 4 HR 10 RBI (with Philedelphia) GM's Comments: Barajas comes over from the Phillies after having a down season. He is likely to take over the starting catchers role this year with Gregg Zaun serving as his backup. C Gregg Zaun Age: 36 Height: 5'10" Weight: 170 lbs Throws: R Bats: S Contract: $840,000/1 year 2007 Stats: .242 10 HR 52 RBI GM's Comments: Zaun served as Toronto's primary catcher last year but will likely be relegated to the bench with the addition of Barajas in the offseason. Zaun is a switch hitter and is a valuable bat off the bench. 1B Lyle Overbay Age: 31 Height: 6'2" Weight: 215 lbs Throws: L Bats: L Contract: $2,968,000/3 year 2007 Stats: .240 10 HR 44 RBI GM's Comments: Overbay had a down year in 2007 but most of that was due to a hand injury. He is looking to bounce back in 2008 and will be look to as a big part of the Jays offence. 1B/DH Matt Stairs Age: 40 Height: 5'8" Weight: 177 lbs Throws: R Bats: L Contract: $1,500,000/1 year 2007 Stats: .289 21 HR 64 RBI GM's Comments: Stairs was terrific last year and we are hoping that he can repeat his performace. He is getting a little older so he won't play everyday but he is a dangerous option off the bench. 2B Aaron Hill Age: 26 Height: 5'10" Weight: 195 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $390,000/auto renewal 2007 Stats: .291 17 HR 78 RBI GM's Comments: Hill had a breakout season in 2007 and will look to continue his success in 2007. At 26 and a minimum contract he is a very valuable cheep piece of the Jays offence. 3B Scott Rolen Age: 33 Height: 6'3" Weight: 240 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $6,468,000/3 years 2007 Stats: .265 8 HR 58 RBI (with St. Louis) GM's Comments: Rolen came over in an offseason trade that sent 3B Troy Glaus to St. Louis. Rolen had a down year offensively and will be looking to bounce back with the Jays. He has had some injury troubles over the past few seasons but when he is healthy is an offensive force. SS David Eckstein Age: 33 Height: 5'6" Weight: 229 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $770,000/1 year 2007 Stats: .309 3 HR 31 RBI (with St. Louis) GM's Comments: Eckstein will join Rolen on the left side of the Jays infield and the pair will form a strong defensive tandem. Offensively he will not provide very much pop but should get on base quite a bit. LF Adam Lind Age: 24 Height: 6'2" Weight: 195 lbs Throws: L Bats: L Contract: $390,000/Auto Renewal 2007 Stats: ..385 0 HR 20 RBI GM's Comments: Lind is one of the better hitting prospects in the Jays system and did well in a breif September audition in 2007. He will likely platoon in the outfield with Shannon Stewart for this season. LF Shannon Stewart Age: 34 Height: 6'0" Weight: 175 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $1,165,000/2 year 2007 Stats: .290 12 HR 48 RBI (with Oakland) GM's Comments: Stewart came over as a free agent in the offseason from Oakland where he had a good bounce back year. He will form the right handed portion of the platoon in left field with youngster Adam Lind. CF Vernon Wells Age: 29 Height: 6'0" Weight: 175 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $1,120,000/1 year 2007 Stats: .245 16 HR 80 RBI GM's Comments: Wells is in a contract year and will be looking for a significant raise. He will have to significantly increase his offensive production if he is to garner the type of salary from the Jays that he is looking for. RF Alex Rios Age: 27 Height: 6'5" Weight: 194 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $7,268,700/1 year 2007 Stats: .297 24 HR 85 RBI GM's Comments: Rios is the brightest young hitting star on the Jays. He is also in a contract year and it is going to be a priority of mine to get him resighned. DH Frank Thomas Age: 39 Height: 6'5" Weight: 257 lbs Throws: R Bats: R Contract: $418,000/2 years 2007 Stats: .277 26 HR 75 RBI GM's Comments: Thomas was very good last year for the Jays and still has some pop in his bat even for a 39 yearold. He is penciled in as the everyday DH and will likely share time there with Matt Stairs. GM's Comments: Well the offence is where this team is lasking. There are a lot of question marks surrounding who can stay healthy for the entire season. In terms of prospects the Jays have a number of kids who are on there way through the system. Most have been drafted recently and are still a few seasons from the big leagues. At the top of the list is LF Travis Snider who has rocketed through the system and will likely start in AA New Hampshire. Other players to watch include C J.P. Arencibia, SS Justin Jackson and SS Kevin Ahrens.

03-09-2009, 11:49 AM	#10
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Select Highschool SS 17th Overall June 5th, 2008 GM Ryan Stewart was at the Rogers Center this morning even though his team was headed to Boston for a 3 game series agains their division rivals the Red Sox. The Jays GM was preparing for the 2008 First Year Player Draft with Director of Scouting Rick Polk and his team. The Jays hold the 17th Overall Pick and with their minor league system boasting few top prospects they will be looking to restock it over the next few drafts. With the 17th overall selection the Jays took a 19 yearold shortstop out of Lincolnshire Highschool SS Ivan Arroyo. Arroyo is a 5 tool prospect with a ton of upside. He appeared in only 7 games with his highscool team in 2008. He hit .667 with 1 HR and 1 RBI. He injured his back and missed the remainder of the season. He is completely healed and will be ready for the Rookie League season with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays. GM Ryan Stewart "It was a good draft for us. We were able to grab the player we were looking at with the 17th overall selection. Arroyo is a big kid at 6'4" and 210 lbs and we think he has the postential to hit 30 HRs at the Major League Level. We were also able to grab some very good arm with some of our later picks that we think could move quickly through the system"

03-10-2009, 07:52 AM	#12
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Ace Signs 5 Year Extension June 12th, 2008 The Toronto Blue Jays and General Manager Ryan Stewart announced today that they have come to terms on a 5 year $77,050,000 extension with SP Roy Halladay. The 31 yearold Halladay has been in the Blue Jays organization his entire career. In 2008 the big righty is 10-8 with a 3.48 ERA in 20 starts. In his career Halladay is 123-68 with a 3.63 ERA. GM Ryan Stewart "Doc is the heart and soul of this team and was very eager to finish his career with the Jays despite the fact that we are heading into a rebuilding era. We think Halladay is the perfect influence to help bring along some of our younger pitchers like SP Brett Cecil and help them to aclimatize to life in the big leagues" The contract will pay Halladay $15,410,000 a year and the 5th year is a mutual option year and includes a no movement clause. THe deal will keep Halladay in a Jays uniform until the 2013 Season.

03-10-2009, 09:18 AM	#13
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays Very Busy on Deadline Day July 31st, 2008 With the Blue Jays slipping further and further out of the playoff picture word around the Jays organization was that there were going to be big changes and some significant deals at the trade deadline as the new General Manager attempted to put his stamp on the team. Earlier in the season a number of Jays players were reported to be unhappy with the direction of the franchise and the teams place in the standings (Toronto is sitting at a record of 51-57 21 games back of the Yankees in the American League East and 9.5 back of the Red Sox for the Wildcard). There were a number of players who drew interest from teams around the league and the Jays were easily the busiest team at the deadline making 2 significant trades. In his first deal GM Ryan Stewart hooked up with the Cincinatti Reds in a 6 player deal that saw CL B.J. Ryan, SP Casey Janssen and minor league SP Chi-Hung Cheng headed to the Reds and coming to Toronto are SP Edison Volquez and a pair of minor leaguers in CL Enrique Abreau and 2B George Mortimer. The Reds are currently only 3 games out of the National League Wild Card race and were looking for some help in their Bullpen and rotation. CL B.J. Ryan was 1-0 with 2 SV and a 3.38 ERA this year with the Jays and SP Casey Janssen had not yet pitched for the Jays but was activated from the disabled list just prior to the deadline and was given a clean bill of health. The Reds also receive 23 yearold SP Chi-Hung Cheng who was having a good season with the Jays High A Dunedin squad posting a record of 6-5 with a 2.21 ERA walking 36 and striking out 86. The Blue Jays will receive 25 year old SP Edison Volquez, a hard throwing righthander who had struggled with the reds this year going 5-8 with a 5.50 ERA with 28 walks and 85 K's. Volquez has a ton of potential but has not been able to live up to it in his time with the Reds, the Jays are hoping he is able to turn the corner with Toronto. The Jays also get a pair of low level prospects. The centerpiece of the deal was 2B George Mortimer. Mortimer is a 19 yearold who was the Reds first round pick 7th overall in 2008. He has the tools to hit for a very good average and is defensively sound. He hit .136 with 1 HR and 7 RBI in Rookie League Satasota before being traded to the Jays. Also headed to the Jays is 17 yearold hard throwing CL Enrique Abreau. Abreau was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Puerto Rico in 2008. He was 0-3 with 3 SV and a 4.84 ERA with Rookie League Sarasota. Both Mortimer and Abreau were assigned to the Jays rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League. The second deal of the day saw the Jays and Royals swap 5 players. The Royals are desperately trying to catch the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central and are only 8 games out. They addedSP A.J. Burnett, C Rod Barajas and 1B Matt Stairs. Heading to the Jays are a pair of prospects in SP Juan 'Turkey' Diaz and 1B Billy Butler. The Royals added a veteran presence tot heir rotation with SP A.J. Burnett. Burnett was 6-9 with a 5.27 ERA with 42 BB and 102 K's for Toronto in 2008. He was in the last year of his contract and was refusing to resign with the Jays. The Royals also get C Rod Barajas who was hitting .293 with 4 HR and 19 RBIs. He was having a decent year offensively but was unhappy about sharing playing time with C Gregg Zaun and was one of the players rumoured to have demanded to be moved. The final piece headed to the Royals was 1B Matt Stairs. The 40 yearold Stairs was having a great season thus far hitting .245 with 15 HR and 55 RBIs. He should give the Royals a much needed boost in production. Heading to the Jays is 19 yearold SP Juan Diaz who has one of the best arms in the Royals system. He was the 3rd Overall pick in the 2008 Draft and has a fast ball that can hit triple digits. He was 1-1 with a 1.76 ERA with 2 BB and 5 K's with rookie league Burlington before being traded. Also coming to Toronto is 22 yearold 1B Billy Butler. Butler is an offensive minded first baseman who is average defensively. He was hitting .272 with 12 HR and 56 RBIs when he was traded and he will split playing time at first with 1B Lyle Overbay. Diaz was assigned to the Jays Rookie League Team in the Gulf Coast League.

03-10-2009, 12:30 PM	#14
captaincarl Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Barrington, RI Posts: 4,362	This is a great idea, to start in 2008 and bring a team that hadn't been in the playoffs for a while back to life. I might even try it with the Reds. I'll be following your progress with the Blue Jays. Good luck with them. They're in a super tough division, probably the strongest division in MLB, the AL East. I have one question though. Will OOTP 9 allow you to go to future years if you use the 2008 Major League Quick Start?

03-11-2009, 08:53 AM	#16
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	The Season is Over. Jays Finish in 4th Place in AL East, Cleveland Captures World Series Title October 27th, 2008 The 2008 season has come to an end and after the dust settled it was the Cleveland Indians emerging as the 2008 World Series Cahmpions. Cleveland defeated the National League Champion Phildelphia Phillies 4 games to 1 to capture the title. The Indians were carried through the series on the arm of their Ace SP C.C. Sabathia who started games 1 and 5 and won both allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits with 18 strikeouts in the two outings. The Toronto Blue Jays finished the season with a record of 70-92 and finished in 4th place in the American League East a fun 43 games back of the New York Yankees and 19 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the American League Wild Card. The Jays completed their first season under new GM Ryan Stewart and although the team may have fallen short of the playoffs the new GM is optomistic about the future "we made some significant moves at the trade deadline and brought in some players who we think are really going to help us out not only in the future but in the present as well. One of the biggest suprises was the play of SP Daniel Cabrerra who wound up leading the American League in strikeouts with 218 and posted a 3.22 ERA. We are going to be evaluating our options for the offseasn and will be ready for Spring Training in April"

03-11-2009, 08:58 AM	#17
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Blue Jays DH Frank Thomas Retires October 30th, 2008 Long time major leaguer DH Frank Thomas announced his retirement from baseball today at the age of 40. Thomas spent time with the Oakland A's, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays over his 18 year major league career. In 2008 he saw limited time as the DH of the Jays hitting .272 with just 7 HR and 18 RBIs. In his career Thomas batted .302 with 2456 hits 520 HR and 1692 RBIs. He was immediately inducted into the Hall of fame.

03-11-2009, 10:34 AM	#18
ryan008 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 2,354	Major League Award Winners Announced National League Gold Gloves P Tim Hudson (Atlanta Braves) C Geovany Soto (Chicago Cubs) 1B Mark Teixera (Atlanta Braves) 2B Freddy Sanchez (Pittsburgh Pirates) 3B Ryan Zimmermann (Washington Nationals) SS Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies) LF Carlos Lee (Chicago Cubs) CF Aaron Rowand (San Francisco Giants) RF Jeremy Hermida (Florida Marlins) National League Rookie of the Year OF Jay Bruce (Cincinatti Reds) 2008 Stats: .310 25 HR 93 RBI National League Cy Young Award SP Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs) 2008 Stats: 22-5 2.80 ERA 194 K National League MVP 1B Ryan Howard (Philedelphia Phillies) 2008 Stats: .316 56 HR 140 RBI American League Gold Gloves P Mark Buhrle (Chicago White Sox) C Dioner Navarro (Tampa Bay Rays) 1B Carlos Guillen (Detroit Tigers) 2B Placido Polonco (Detroit Tigers) 3B Joe Crede (Chicago White Sox) SS Luis Hernandez (Baltimore Orioles) LF Juan Rivera (Los Angeles Angels) CF Torii Hunter (Los Angeles Angels) RF Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners) American League Rookie of the Year 1B Eric Duncan (New York Yankees) 2008 Stats: .282 35 HR 95 RBI American League Cy Young Award SP C.C. Sabathia (Cleveland Indians) 2008 Stats: 19-9 2.31 ERA 214 K American League MVP 1B David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox) 2008 Stats: .294 53 HR 143 RBI

03-11-2009, 10:53 AM	#20
CatKnight All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 1,199	captaincarl: The 2008 roster comes with the game. I've played with it a little myself. There was a patch earlier this year that further upgraded the roster. From what I've seen, however, a lot of people seem to like cubbyfan's rosters. Be prepared though...the 2008 setup includes EVERY minor league team: All 240 odd of them. It takes a few seconds for my 'puter to run through a day, and I can't imagine manipulating the rosters of 6 or 7 minor league clubs in addition to the big league's, which is why I haven't gone much further with it. ryan: Outstanding first year! Oh, I know you probably didn't finish as well as you'd have liked, but really well written and you gave us a good feel for the club. Good luck in '09!