Mo’ money mo’ problems

For years now the Jays have been to patient with situations like this and it has led to them having a huge deficit in September that they can’t overcome. I think this is a positive sign that their mind is on winning this year. Thomas wasn’t worth the money at 38 or 39 and he sure has hec would not be worth 10 million at 40. Power is good but the Jays offence needs consistency from the DH that Thomas can no longer provide. Best wishes to Frank wherever he ends up.

No pun intended, but Frankly I think Thomas spouting off yesterday was the biggest reason for him being released. I mean he has been around long enough and should know well enough that when you are not playing well you will be benched. The numbers spoke for themself to release the guy but I have to be on Frank’s side here. He will definitely be picked up by someone and just watch him come into Toronto and have a multi homerun game because we all know from past experience that he will heat up soon enough.

Have to side with the Jays on this. The fact that Vernon says this is probably the best thing for Frank and the team, shows that others were getting impatient with Frank’s notorious “slow starts”

It was all about money. Its a freaking joke and thomas has every right to be upset. We arent even a month into the season for crying out loud. Just another bone headed move by those idiots in management(JP and Gibbons … you know im talkin about you).
If it wasnt for thomas we wouldnt have swept the red sox this year. How many game winning hits does he have this year? So he is off to a slow start … hes always off to a slow start! JP says he doesnt want the division to get away from him!?! Its the fourth week of the season! It was all about not getting him his at bats. I am refusing to support this team anymore until they get rid of Ricciardi and Gibbons. Any one else could do a better job than those two wing nuts.

My take on the situation is Frank was just “in a slump”. He will come out of it soon and J.P. “R#@%$ded” should have been more patient, just like Reed Johnson what was up with that? I tell you, that guy really annoys me.

Zebber

Frank is 39 and has come off an injury. As a fantasy player, I would NEVER pick-up Frank Thomas. If I want to win, I would NEVER have him in my line-up. Why? Predictably, Frank Thomas is a .230 hitter this year with 15-20 home-runs at most. He will not put up the numbers that he put in Oakland 2 years ago. The Jays NEED production now, and J.P, a baseball man, has well-founded belief that Frank will not help the Jays. I love Frank, but he is NOW past his prime. Certainly, the Jays could have used his leadership skills, BUT the Jays have many other leaders on the team. I think whomever the Jays put in the five-hole will definitely be a better fit thank Frank. I wish you the best Frank, you are a true Hall-of-Famer. One other thing, Baseball is about building the best team for the buck, so sure, no matter the player, a GM must consider player SALARY as a factor in their decision-making. That’s a no-brainer. So I’m certainly not complaining as a couch GM, the Jays took a chance on big Frank, and it didn’t pay off. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m glad they took it.

Frank Thomas is a cancer. There is a reason he was run out of Chicago and Oakland. I’ve alway thought paying a guy 10 mill a year to swing a bat four times a game was a little high priced, but when that bat is only connecting for a hit one out of ten…that’s terible. I like JP, I think he’s baseball mind. He knows what he is doing more than any of us otherwise we would be sitting there and not blogging on sportsnet blogs in our moms basement. It wasn’t about his slump..it was his attitude. At some stage you have to realize you are old and cant run worth crap and when you are slumping you might be pulled. This isn’t Albert Pujos snapping in the dugout..this is a very overpaid expendable DH that most reasonable Jays fans would be just as happy having Stairs in his spot. I think if he would of just took it and hit some more BP he might still be a Jay, but it doesn’t phase me at all.

good move by the jays in my opinion. He was over priced when they signed, hes over priced this year, and hell be over priced next season. Now Adam Lind can get some time at DH with stairs and in LF with stewart. He certainly has earned it last year and this year.

Now that Frank the Heatbag is gone…what about chucking Gibbons? The TEAM is not playing well. Thomas was just a symptom of a team that looks great on paper but never performs up to the hype. That is coaching pure and simple.

Two words…BARRY BONDS. This team needs a kick. I’ve been to 4 games this year and all but the home opener have been an empty dome with a dull atmosphere. THis team needs a swagger. Barry would undoubtably put butts in the seats and provide serious left handed power, some extra depth in the outfield and be a dream to watch at the DH position. Take that money that Thomas was going to get and put it to use. THis team needs to win now. The Good Doctor’s not gettin any younger…its time for this team to get serious.

i think it’s time that ricciardi’s 7 year long 5 year plan comes to an end. chuck him and gibbons out, ricciardi has good ideas at times but he’s proven his boneheaded nature many times. gibbons on the other hand is not a big league manager, we need a cito gaston type manager to come in and whip the Jays into shape. they’re a good team but at times it seems like they don’t want to play for gibbons and he lacks the cleverness needed to be a big league manager. as for Thomas, i do agree he’s past his prime, but i think it was too early to pull the plug on him. maybe if he wasn’t producing by mid-may would’ve been a better indication if he’d come out of the slump. either way, changes need to made at the GM and managerial levels.

Have to agree with “mikeziggy” on this one! Thomas was let go because he spouted-off to the media yesterday! Point Blank! Shea Hildebrand all over again. As soon as that happens you gotta go! It has such a negative effect on the clubhouse and they need to keep everything heading in the right direction to come out of this division in the 1 or 2 slot.

Letting go of Thomas isn’t really such a bad thing. He really isn’t going to help the Jays much (for at least another month or more until he gets his swing back) and they need someone in there that is more of a contact hitter anyway. How many times did the Jays waste runners on base last year to have Thomas strikeout and end the inning? Too many if you ask me. I don’t think that was going to change this year since Thomas is in the twilight of his career (or even past it)!

This was nothing to do with “spouting off” or performance. (Thomas would have crossed the 80rbi mark this year.) This decision was purely business. Give him too many at bats on you’re on the hook next year.
If this was a performance issue, then zaun would have been the first to go, followed by gibbons and Thomas would have been shown more patience.
It’s simple, Thomas crossed the 500 homer mark and there’s no chance of him reaching 600 this year or next, so from a business point of view why keep a guy around that will cost you double or triple that of a less accomplished player.
As for Barry Bonds, why would anyone want that pharmaceutical experiment in a Jays uniform? He would cost more then thomas, deliver less and would be a nightmare of a distraction from the real issues, like dumping Zaun and Gibbons.