AA Live Chat

AA did a live chat this morning/afternoon, depending on where you are in the country, for the Toronto Sun.  Tidbits:

• Ticket sales have been "outstanding", according to AA, and they "haven't seen anything like this in years."  Not bad.
• Not shopping for a 1B/DH.  Bad.
• The Henry Blanco deal isn't guaranteed money, so Thole isn't necessarily heading to the minors.
• Bautista is expected to be ready to go to start the spring.
• Casey Janssen is the closer, at least for now.  Santos needs to prove that he can return to form and be healthy, but Janssen performed very well last year in the role and they are very comfortable.
• AA checks MLBTR all the time.  That makes two of us.
• If a prospect needs to come up to fill a starting pitching need, Sean Nolin is probably the guy that will get the first look.  They've signed a few minor league free agents, and JA Happ is probably the 6th starter for now, but speaking strictly in terms of young guys, Nolin is probably at the top, in terms of skills and readiness for the bigs.
• Maicer Izturis is the frontrunner for the starting 2B role, and not Emilio Bonifacio.  Let's put that to bed once and for all, no?
• Beeston has said that there probably won't be grass for five years minimum.
• One of the perks of being the GM of the Toronto Blue Jays: $0 phone bills.
• Santos 100%.
• They use "pretty much everything" as far as advanced metrics and WAR-style stuff.  This was my question.
• AA is a Zeppelin fan.
• Marcus Stroman will be stretched out in the spring.  He can always be sent back to the bullpen, but the plan for the spring is to have him start, and head back to the minors.

He kind of trails off with a rapid-fire of stuff that I don't care about, so yeah.  Fun though, hope he does this again.