Frank Thomas Released By The Blue Jays/signed by the A's

[max power]

I wonder if they have something in the works with bonds or something? Maybe there is more to this. If not, the blue jay might be the most mismanaged team in baseball.

[Dick Allen]

Frank's legendary pouting got him unemployed. Kudos to the Blue Jays for cutting his ass. No one is bigger than the team. For those of you who think,"poor Frank", the Blue Jays are still on the hook to pay him to do nothing or play for another team looking for a crybaby DH. The team made a stand. Putting up with Frank's BS would have just cost them more problems down the road. Now he'll be someone else's problem, but you know one thing, if he outperforms what he's being paid, he will moan. If he gets his butt sat down because he's stinking up the joint, he will moan. He will cry about his paycheck until the day he's no longer playing, and even then he may do some more moaning. Just hit the ball and shut your mouth.

 

Evidently, Frank didn't want to be there anymore, or they called his bluff, per ESPN:

 

Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told ESPN's Peter Gammons that the release of Thomas was "by mutual consent. He doesn't want to be here if he's not going to play much, and we don't want him to be unhappy. He handled it with class, and I appreciate that."

Edited April 20, 2008 by Dick Allen

[Reddy]

Frank's legendary pouting got him unemployed. Kudos to the Blue Jays for cutting his ass. No one is bigger than the team. For those of you who think,"poor Frank", the Blue Jays are still on the hook to pay him to do nothing or play for another team looking for a crybaby DH. The team made a stand. Putting up with Frank's BS would have just cost them more problems down the road. Now he'll be someone else's problem, but you know one thing, if he outperforms what he's being paid, he will moan. If he gets his butt sat down because he's stinking up the joint, he will moan. He will cry about his paycheck until the day he's no longer playing, and even then he may do some more moaning. Just hit the ball and shut your mouth.

 

Evidently, Frank didn't want to be there anymore, or they called his bluff, per ESPN:

 

Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi told ESPN's Peter Gammons that the release of Thomas was "by mutual consent. He doesn't want to be here if he's not going to play much, and we don't want him to be unhappy. He handled it with class, and I appreciate that."

 

wow whats with all the frank hate today? yeah he's had a temper throughout his career, fine. but i dont get how people can look at this situation and not think he got screwed. he made valid points - why haven't Sheff, Ortiz been benched huh? they're playing just as badly. you just dont bench a guy indefinitely after 16 games just because he's starting slowly. and frank ALWAYS starts slowly.

[scenario]

So am I correct in saying that Jays are eating like $8 million now to avoid paying his option next year?

 

Yep.

 

That... and not letting an unhappy player issue fester into a bigger clubhouse problem. Lessons learned from the Shea Hillenbrand situation. Sometimes it's better to cut your losses.

 

Frank screwed himself by playing this out through the media.

[BigEdWalsh]

This is sad to see. I hope he winds up somewhere (in the majors and not the Newark Bears). Like WSoxMatt said, Thomas is a slow starter. He could heat it up and start pounding the ball. I'll be shocked if some one doesn't take a chance on him.

[max power]

Frank had every right to complain. He has had 60 at bats this year. He is off to a slow start, so they decide to screw him out of 10 million dollars. He performed up to expectations last year and gets hardly a chance this year? I don't feel bad for frank. He will make more money now this year. However, I do think that the blue jays upper management is totally inept.

[max power]

wow whats with all the frank hate today? yeah he's had a temper throughout his career, fine. but i dont get how people can look at this situation and not think he got screwed. he made valid points - why haven't Sheff, Ortiz been benched huh? they're playing just as badly. you just dont bench a guy indefinitely after 16 games just because he's starting slowly. and frank ALWAYS starts slowly.

Its not just today. He has been complaining about frank for a few days.

[max power]

Yep.

 

That... and not letting an unhappy player issue fester into a bigger clubhouse problem. Lessons learned from the Shea Hillenbrand situation. Sometimes it's better to cut your losses.

 

Frank screwed himself by playing this out through the media.

How? He got what he wanted.

[greasywheels121]

It was a mutually consented release according to Gammons.

[Dick Allen]

wow whats with all the frank hate today? yeah he's had a temper throughout his career, fine. but i dont get how people can look at this situation and not think he got screwed. he made valid points - why haven't Sheff, Ortiz been benched huh? they're playing just as badly. you just dont bench a guy indefinitely after 16 games just because he's starting slowly. and frank ALWAYS starts slowly.

He didn't care that they won yesterday. He didn't even celebrate with his teammates. He said he didn't want to be there anymore. Guess what, he got his wish. I'd like somebody to pay me $8 million to do nothing and have people go on and on about how the entity paying me is screwing me. The guy is a great hitter, at least was. Maybe he still has it, I'm sure someone will give him a shot. But his crying is as legendary as anything else in his career at this point. Kudos to an organization who wasn't going to let it infect their clubhouse. They'll eat this year's money and be done with him. If he still can hit like you think he can and he thinks he can, he would have eventually have received the opportunity to show that again and would most likely have been able to get that $10 million option to kick in. His mouth cost him some money. I for one, applaud it.

[max power]

He didn't care that they won yesterday. He didn't even celebrate with his teammates. He said he didn't want to be there anymore. Guess what, he got his wish. I'd like somebody to pay me $8 million to do nothing and have people go on and on about how the entity paying me is screwing me. The guy is a great hitter, at least was. Maybe he still has it, I'm sure someone will give him a shot. But his crying is as legendary as anything else in his career at this point. Kudos to an organization who wasn't going to let it infect their clubhouse. They'll eat this year's money and be done with him. If he still can hit like you think he can and he thinks he can, he would have eventually have received the opportunity to show that again and would most likely have been able to get that $10 million option to kick in. His mouth cost him some money. I for one, applaud it.

What are you talking about? His mouth didn't cost him any money. They were going to bench him to ensure he didn't get that option. He didn't have a choice.

[scenario]

What are you talking about? His mouth didn't cost him any money. They were going to bench him to ensure he didn't get that option. He didn't have a choice.

 

The team cuts a guy the day after he goes public about being unhappy and critizes management, and you want to suggest that he didn't have anything to do with it?

 

Oh please. Quit apologizing for him. It's not like it's the first time Frank has played out an issue in the media.

 

[Dick Allen]

What are you talking about? His mouth didn't cost him any money. They were going to bench him to ensure he didn't get that option. He didn't have a choice.

So they would have just sat him the rest of the season? He was still going to play, just not everyday. If he started to get hot, he would have played. There isn't 1 MLB team that would take his contract. Nobody want to be on the hook for $10 million with him next year. His only hope of having that option kick in was with Toronto, but as KW has so perfectly described him, the man is an idiot. Maybe he's a nice guy, he certainly was a HOF hitter, but he is dense. His best option would have been keeping his mouth shut and working hard waiting for his next opportunity. Toronto is trying to win. If Frank were to get hot he would have stayed in their line-up. Now some team will give him the minimum and he'll have nothing for next year.

[max power]

The team cuts a guy the day after he goes public about being unhappy and critizes management, and you want to suggest that he didn't have anything to do with it?

 

Oh please. Quit apologizing for him. It's not like it's the first time Frank has played out an issue in the media.

No he didn't. Either way he wasn't going to get that money. How are you missing that point? I am not apologizing for him. I am criticizing the Blue Jays.

Edited April 20, 2008 by max power

[max power]

So they would have just sat him the rest of the season? He was still going to play, just not everyday. If he started to get hot, he would have played. There isn't 1 MLB team that would take his contract. Nobody want to be on the hook for $10 million with him next year. His only hope of having that option kick in was with Toronto, but as KW has so perfectly described him, the man is an idiot. Maybe he's a nice guy, he certainly was a HOF hitter, but he is dense. His best option would have been keeping his mouth shut and working hard waiting for his next opportunity. Toronto is trying to win. If Frank were to get hot he would have stayed in their line-up. Now some team will give him the minimum and he'll have nothing for next year.

I imagine they would have got him as close to the three hundred and twenty some more at bats as they could with out going over. Frank still thinks he is an everyday player. His last few years prove he is right until he has at least a prolonged slump of a few hundred at bats.

 

They shouldn't have inked him to that contract in the first place if they weren't going to give him more than 60 at bats in his second year, after a good 1st year. How is this going to look when they try to sign vets in the future?

 

 

Edited April 20, 2008 by max power

[AWhiteSoxinNJ]

He can spell Thome here on days off.

[The Ginger Kid]

frank thomas = me first

 

always has, always will.

[max power]

He can spell Thome here on days off.

I wish. Would be nice to have him against lefties.

[SoxFanForever]

Shea Hillenbrand is a clubhouse cancer. Find a better example. I think Gibbons should've moved Frank around in the lineup, but that wouldn't keep Frank from whining.

During a game against the Oakland Athletics on August 21, 2006, while on the verge of blowing an 8-run lead, John Gibbons walked to the mound to remove starter Ted Lilly. An argument ensued on the mound, in front of the audience at the Rogers Centre. Lilly eventually did leave the game and then headed into the clubhouse. Gibbons subsequently followed him into the hallway, where it appeared to eyewitnesses that he and Lilly got into a fight. Numerous team members and support personnel rushed into the tunnel to break them up. After the game, both the pitcher and manager denied any altercation and said the problem had been resolved.

 

That was one month after the incident with Hillenbrand. I have no love for Shea. It just seems that it is a bit of an ongoing situation up there.

[Kyyle23]

The guy was benched for 2 games out of 16. 2 games. There is no way you can say with any degree of certainty that Frank was going to get his hot and start smoking the ball and get his at bats, and you also cant say that he was going to stay benched "indefinitely" and watch the option pass him by. This entire situation was escalated by Thomas bringing it to the media and acting like a baby, and now he is being paid to stay away from the Jays.

[scenario]

No he didn't. Either way he wasn't going to get that money. How are you missing that point? I am not apologizing for him.

 

Yes you ARE apologizing for him. You're making it look like the big bad Blue Jays did this to him and he had no part in this bad ending. Beeeeep.

 

Frank screwed himself by being a selfish non-team player who ran his mouth in the media. Then he walked away rather than congratulating his team mates after a win. Any body who runs a business and has an employee like that realizes that it's a potential cancer situation - so you find ways to cut and run.

 

If Frank hadn't run his mouth, and acted like a baby, he'd still be on the team. He would have had more chances to hit. And if he started hitting, they would have played him often enough to get the option.

 

So, for the potentially millions of dollars he is going to lose in this deal, he has no one to blame but himself.

Edited April 20, 2008 by scenario

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Maybe I'm missing something. 320 AB's or less he gets $8 mill. 320+ AB's he gets $10 mill. What is there to cry about ?

[max power]

The guy was benched for 2 games out of 16. 2 games. There is no way you can say with any degree of certainty that Frank was going to get his hot and start smoking the ball and get his at bats, and you also cant say that he was going to stay benched "indefinitely" and watch the option pass him by. This entire situation was escalated by Thomas bringing it to the media and acting like a baby, and now he is being paid to stay away from the Jays.

Frank said he was told he wasn't going to be a part of the lineup. Do you have any information that says otherwise? I don't some I am inclined to believe him. I highly doubt he would freak out for no reason at all and start saying that. It doesn't make logical sense.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Can he play 2b?

[iamshack]

Well, I have never been a fan of Frank's antics, but that also doesn't mean the guy shouldn't be upset for being benched.

 

How many other first ballot HOF'er's wouldn't be pissed if they were benched for starting slowly a year after hitting 25 homers and driving in 90? And especially when whether or not an option vests is affected by being benched?

 

I don't excuse the Jays for making an offer to him to lure him to Toronto, only to then decide to bench him to avoid fulfilling their end of the bargain. They didn't bench him because they aren't scoring runs right now. They benched him because he looks a bit old and a bit slow, and they don't want to pay him $10 million next season. That's all there is to it. And so their solution is to say 'Frank, you're benched, maybe indefinitely'. What? That's bs, and I don't blame Frank one bit for being pissed off about it. If I had performed up to what was expected of me, and was on target to reach some performance bonus, but was artificially disallowed to reach that bonus by my employer, I would be pretty damned pissed myself.

 

I wouldn't be so hard on the Jays if they didn't have a history of this kind of nonsense, but the fact is, they do.