Draft weekend has come and gone and as expected Roberto Luongo is still a Canuck. Canucks fans were waiting with baited breath for the Luongo to the Leafs announcement. That announcement never came and with today’s reports it may never occur. The link takes you to a story that states Luongo has so far refused to waive his no trade clause to go to Toronto or Chicago and will only waive it if he gets shipped to Florida. Could this story really be true? If this is true it is utter douche-baggery on Luongo’s part. If the fans of Vancouver despised the goalie before, how would they feel now? Yikes…however, one has to take a report like this with a grain of salt.
For all we know this demand of a trade to Florida may have come from Lu’s agent in a bargaining ploy to get his client’s first wish. Lu may be open to being traded to multiple places, but why not try something gangster like this to see if you can get what you want…to be traded to where your home and family is. If it doesn’t work, which I don’t think it will, then we’ll see another story where Lu has had a miraculous change of heart and is now reluctantly open to going elsewhere. The Florida Panthers are too financially frugal in my opinion to take on Lu’s pricey and lengthy contract. This was the same team who was picking up the likes of Brian Campbell just so they could reach the salary cap floor.
Could this happen? Doubt it
For me it still looks like Toronto is the lead candidate to acquire Lu. There just aren’t many teams in need of a number one goalie and there are fewer still willing/able to take on Lu’s contract. As I’ve stated before, the Leafs and the Canucks are both desperate. One team desperate to make the playoffs and the other desperate to rid themselves of a venomous distraction. It’s a pissing match right now between Burke and Gillis, both of them puffing out their chests trying to not show weakness. In an ideal world, Gillis would benefit from rumours of a 2nd team desperate to land Luongo…offering a package that bests anything Toronto may have already offered. However, this 2nd team seems nowhere to be found so we’ll all just have to wait. My prediction is something will get done and I’m picking the week of July 9 for the trade to go down. If it doesn’t happen by then…it may never happen.
70 games have come and gone in the Blue Jays season thus far and they find themselves at the bottom of the AL East. The Jays may be in the cellar, but considering what they’ve gone through with injuries they have been playing well. The Jays remain just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. However, keeping up with the leaders will continue to be a tough task with the Jays having only 2 of their regular 5 starters healthy at the moment.
One of those 2 is Henderson Alvarez who has been struggling mightily in his last few turns. One has to wonder if the consecutive poor starts where he has been hit very hard are starting to mess with the youngster’s long term psyche. If the Jays were healthier in the rotation a demotion to regain confidence would be considered, but with a lack of inning eating arms Alvarez is likely to stay and try to work out his kinks with the big club.
The Jays have about a month to determine their course for the remainder of the season. The end of July is the trade deadline and if the Jays are still in striking distance we could see the Jays brass get bold and make some big moves. If the Jays however find themselves well back of the leaders we could see several veterans such as Edwin Encarnacion, Darren Oliver and Kelly Johnson shipped off for more building blocks. Here’s hoping it’s the former rather than the latter come July 31.
The needs for the Jays are clear: starting pitching and another bat for the middle of the line-up. The Jays have been rumoured in several deals with pitchers on the trade block such as Wandy Rodriguez and Jeremy Guthrie. Either (or both) of those starters just mentioned would be a welcome addition to the Jays. A veteran presence in the rotation has been sorely lacking for years and the youngsters need veteran professionals to help guide them to the next level. Of course almost every team in baseball covets starting pitching and thus to get it you often have to overpay.
In terms of ‘currency’ the Jays have a boatload of intriguing prospects dominating the minors and also some young players on the big league roster that would entice other GM’s. Of their minor league prospects I feel the only untouchables would be Anthony Gose and Adeiny Hechavarria. Gose has rare raw talent, speed, glove, arm and bat, a potential 5 tool superstar. Hechavarria’s defence has always been major league ready, but now his bat has caught up, he looks like the Jays shortstop of the future. Without a doubt Travis d’Arnaud is the Jays top prospect. He has dominated the minors and has nothing else to prove down there. However, he has a roadblock in the name of JP Arencibia in his way to the majors. The Jays will not keep both of these catchers, but which will go. Ideally it would be Arencibia as it appears d’Arnaud has the much bigger upside, but Arencibia likely would not fetch much of a return as he has been struggling at the plate and with his defence. Of course none of these youngsters will be moved if the Jays are nowhere close to a playoff spot.
I have agreed with Alex Anthopoulos’ vision and plan to restock and build a consistent long lasting winning tradition. I do feel however, that now is the time to start putting in the extra pieces in place to push for a wild card spot. If it means parting ways with a Yunel Escobar, Travis Snider, Kelly Johnson, Eric Thames, Deck McGuire then so be it. The Toronto fan base is craving for at least a shot at the playoffs, to feel like management and ownership are trying to win now rather than 3 or 4 years from now. For the last decade it seems like the fans have gone through 2 or 3 of these 4-5 years plans and it has to be wearing thin on the fan base. The fans are likely finished with project or wishing-well pick-ups, they want proven talents that will take this team to the next level…the ‘maybe’s’ or hopefully’s are no longer wanted.
The fans have started to slowly come back to the ballpark, let’s reward them with a playoff run.
Ahhhhh the first day of summer has come and gone and here in Vancouver the sun finally poked its head out to say hello after weeks of June-uary rain. Naturally the first obvious summer ritual here in Vancouver is to talk about the Canucks. The first order of business is the upcoming NHL draft on Friday. The Canucks historically have been awful on draft day and this year they have the 26th overall pick. With a pick this low the prospect they pick will likely not be of immediate help to the team and it will likely be 3 or so years before we hear about the kid again. However, the draft isn’t what’s on the mind of Canucks fans. As always it’s the goaltending situation that’s at the forefront.
We all know the Luongo era is nearing its end; however, before Mike Gillis can ship off the franchise’s best ever goalie (statistically anyway) he needs to sign Cory Schneider. Schneider is a restricted free agent so if another team was bold enough to put up an offer the Canucks have the right to match the offer which they will do should any GM get frisky. Gillis has been steadfast in the media saying he’s not rushing to do anything with his goalies, but we all know he wants to get this sorted out quickly so the team can rid itself of this heavy distraction. Will it happen by the draft tomorrow so we can see a gangster draft day deal? Likely not, but I’m predicting it’s going to go down before July 1.
Canucks fans are you prepared to take on this bloated contract in return for Lu? Scary… MIKE CASSESE/REUTERS
Once Schneider’s signing is out of the way the Luongo trade watch begins. The Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the potential suitors for Lu, seem to have taken themselves out of the race with their deal to acquire Nashville back-up Anders Lindback. The lead destination seems to be Toronto, with less likely destinations of Chicago and Columbus also being rumoured. Not really a comfortable situation for Gillis in having to deal with an ornery former Canucks GM Brian Burke. With the line of suitors being apparently thin, will Gillis be able to get fair value from Burke or will he take the shaft and basically just perform a salary dump? I just can’t see Burke willingly letting go of any of his prized prospects or young players knowing Gillis’ options are few. I overhead people at slow pitch tonight saying they’re expecting Nazim Kadri and Luke Schenn for Luongo…in your dreams people. If Gillis somehow wriggles the likes of Luke Schenn or Jake Gardiner away from the Leafs I would be utterly shocked. I do think it will be Toronto though in the end for good ol’ Lu. The Leafs need to make the playoffs this year and they need a proven goalie to get them there.
The goaltending situation is just the tip of the iceberg for the Canucks. There are needs and holes at multiple positions. Starting on defence, the Canucks top 3 are under contract (Bieksa, Hamhuis and Edler), but the bottom 3 is far from settled. Aaron Rome and Sami Salo are UFA’s and Marc-Andre Gragnani is a RFA. Others still under contract include Keith Ballard, Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev. It’s highly doubtful the solid, but injury prone Salo will be back. So it’s clear the Canucks are in need of some blue line help, especially a top 4 quality type defender. Looking at the current list of UFA defencemen the cream of the crop is clearly Ryan Suter. It’s going to take a boat load of $$$ for a team to land the prized defenceman. He would look studly in Canucks blue, but he seems destined for a team like Detroit. The remaining notable UFA’s on the list are Greg Zanon, Joe Corvo, Jaroslav Spacek, Bryan Allen, Sheldon Souray, Hal Gill, Pavel Kubina, Matt Carle, Brett Clark, Carlo Colaiacovo, Adrian Aucoin, Dennis Wideman and Jason Garrison. There’s some solid d-men in the above list, but I’m sure most would agree no real prize possessions or game changers are on that list.
Ryan Suter…dream #1 for Canucks fans
Up the middle the Canucks will need some help with Ryan Kesler being shelved for the first few months of the season due to off-season surgery and with Sami Pahlsson heading back to Europe. Here are the more notable names on the UFA list: Olli Jokinen, Jarret Stoll, Daymond Langkow, Jason Arnott, Scott Nichol, Torrey Mitchell, Paul Gaustad and Jelf Halpern. Again there are some solid checking line type centres on this list and I am especially fond of Gaustad, Nichol and Arnott’s grittiness. However, a 2nd line centre to fill in for Kesler will be tougher to find.
Zach Parise…dream #2 for Canucks fans
On the wings there is a plethora of mean, angry players…should the Canucks decide to get their goon on: George Parros, Tom Kostopoulos, Jordin Tootoo, Brandon Prust, Arron Asham, Cam Janssen, Brad Staubitz and Brian Mcgrattan. I personally would love to see Tootoo or Parros in a Canucks uniform. They can play a little bit, hit a ton and drop the gloves with anyone should they mess around with the twins. Parros’ moustache alone would be a hit here in Vancouver. The Canucks can also use some players who can put the puck in the net. The dream would be Zach Parise, but he is the dream of every GM in the league this off-season. Here are some others that might tickle your fancy: Brad Boyes, David Moss, Andrei Kostitsyn, P-A Parenteau, Shane Doan, Alex Semin and this would never happen…Jaromir Jagr. I would take Parenteau or Semin in a heartbeat, those guys can put the points up in a hurry. I love Shane Doan, but I can’t see him going anywhere but Phoenix or Winnipeg. This we know for sure, the Canucks will address secondary scoring this offseason, if it’s not with the guys above then via the trade route for sure.
PA Parenteau…a little bit of a more realistic possibility for Canucks fans
In my opinion the Canucks are at a crossroads. They’re a team that is trying to figure out their identity. Are they going to be an offensive juggernaut? Or how about a big bruising team? Or maybe a boring defensive trap like team? They need to figure it out sooner than later because the Sedin winning window won’t be open forever. The Canucks have pieces to build a championship team around…it will be up to Mike Gillis and his staff in their most challenging offseason yet, to find the right pieces to finally push this team to the top of the hockey world.
It’s been almost a month since my last post. So many things have happened in the world of sports since then: the Stanley Cup is in Hollywood, the Euro Cup (and the constant honking down Commercial Drive) is in full force, my fellow filipinos continue to weep in the streets over the worst boxing decision of all time, the “anyone but Lebron” cries are heard all over the NBA finals and Roberto Luongo is still a Canuck. I have no excuses really so I won’t waste anyone’s time with loads of B.S. Today I want to talk about something that has really excited me the last few months and that’s all the young stars in baseball. Can anyone think of another time in baseball where there have been so many young studs in the league at the same time? I am going to go through my top 7 current youngn’s under the age of 24.
1) Bryce Harper – 19 years old, Outfielder, Washington Nationals
I really didn’t want to like this kid. All I heard and saw were stories of his cockiness and lack of respect for the game and other players. This video sums up why I thought he was a douche.
Douche-e-ness aside, this guy is an amazing talent. He has raw power, a cannon for an arm, speed and a tough as nails kind of attitude every manager loves to see in a ballplayer. On the field he plays the game the right way: hustles every play and gives it his all. He has been saying all the right things in interviews even in times when he could have easily gone wild such as when Cole Hamels purposely beaned him because he didn’t like the kid.
I’m still waiting for the kid to slow down and show his age a bit, but he doesn’t look like he is going to anytime soon.
2) Stephen Strasburg, 23 years old, Pitcher, Washington Nationals
Stephen Strasburg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Another National and another 1st overall pick. The Nationals have been lucky that their two 1st overall picks are looking like 1st overall picks. There have been many times that hasn’t been the case (see Luck Hochevar in KC). Strasburg is a scary talent. He has a fastball that can touch triple digits and a change-up in the 90′s! His breaking stuff is just as nasty. He leads the league in strikeouts this year with 100 in just 77 innings. His control has also been masterful with just 20 walks. He looks like the 2nd coming of Nolan Ryan, no hit stuff in every start. The only thing to worry about is health with this kid. He is already coming off major surgery that forced him to miss most of last year. If he can stay healthy he may become one of the best pitchers that ever played the game.
3) Mike Trout, 20 years old, Outfielder, Los Angeles Angels
I have a personal man crush on this guy because he is currently carrying my fantasy team. This kid is an all around beast. He can hit for power and average, he has high end speed and has gold glove worthy skills in the outfield. He is also a throwback type of player in which you get pure hustle and tenacity with every play. In just 41 games he already has 57 hits and 15 stolen bases. He is hitting at a .345 clip and getting on base just over 40% of the time. His energy on the field has seemed to kickstart the Angels into overdrive. Before his call-up the Angels were struggling and were looking like the biggest busts of the season. Now the Angels are within striking distance of their rivals the Rangers and many thanks should go to Trout for turning the ship around.
4) Giancarlo Stanton, 22 years old, Outfielder, Miami Marlins
If I was going to buy a ticket to watch one player take batting practice it would be Stanton. This guy hits moonshots.
He has 50 home runs written all over him. He can hit 40 in his sleep with the power he possesses. Arguably he has the most power in the league and he’s only 22…scary to think of what he can do as he gets more years under his belt.
5) Brett Lawrie, 22 years old, Third Base, Toronto Blue Jays
Very similar to Mike Trout in terms of hustle and heart and power, but maybe a little less speed. Lawrie has all the tools to be a superstar, but needs to work on his temper around the umps if he wants to get some borderline calls to go his way once and awhile.
He hasn’t been driving the ball as much as he was during his sensational call up last season as his .380 slugging percentage clearly shows. I’m thinking he’s close to busting out in a big way in the next few months…time for me to pitch a deal for him in my fantasy league.
6) Chris Sale, 23 years old, Pitcher, Chicago White Sox
There seems to be an abundance of fire balling young left handed pitchers these days: David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Aroldis Chapman to name a few. Sale is yet another one of these intimidating lefties. This is the 6’6″ 180 pounder’s first year in the starting rotation and he is dominating so far with an 8-2 record, a ridiculous WHIP of 0.92 and an absurd opponents batting average of just .188. He is also the #1 rated pitcher in fantasy baseball. An All-Star nod is likely and if he continues to dominate maybe even a Cy Young.
7) Starlin Castro, 22 years old, Shortstop, Chicago Cubs
Castro is the brightest light for the Cubs and their rebuild back into a contending ball club. He is an all round talent as he excels with the bat, glove and his legs. His plate discipline is Vladdy Guerrero like in which if it’s close he’s going to have a rip at it. He will likely be a perennial .300 hitter with close to 200 hits, 15-20 jacks and 20-25 SB’s…those numbers are elite SS numbers.
Those are my top 7, if I missed any that you have secret man crushes on let me know.
Welcome,
I'm Alex Factor, known to my friends as Sal (sexy al)
I'm a sports addict, recently run my first marathon and somehow managed to gain weight while training, a beast at EA Sports video games, an occasional gambler (yes, occasional) and an avid eater of fine and not so fine foods (mostly not so fine). This is my blog about the sports I love...and maybe slightly dislike (hate is a strong word).
