can sign good players if they havent won, but cant win if you dont sign good players.

RIP 2025 season.. lets try again in 2026
- senstroll

they skidded the hitting coach. all is well

Hes great, but $50m per is pricey.
But the jays have to do something or somethings
- Fakepartofme

well the high end of that prediction is 43 not 50


also..who cares?

Can they do some of the deferral bs?
- Santo_44

yes they could, but its up to Soto.. but he may not want that.

but its why the prediction is 40-43 /season. no deferral junk like Ohtani

It's a great move. The Leafs get a serviceable defensive third pair d-man who you can rotate in or out of the lineup plus a couple of picks that you can package up at the TDL (3rd and 6th). And, as you said, we clear up additional cap space which is super useful.

This is excellent value for a guy the entire league knew the Leafs needed to dump somewhere.

I have always been a Liljegren fan but he just never seemed to be able to elevate his game to a Top 4 level. Maybe with some seasoning playing in that role on a dumpster fire team may give him the experience he needs to continue to evolve... but I suspect his ceiling isn't much higher than it already is.
- mjones242

I guess, but we have a bunch of those: Benoit, Hockey Paw, Timmins, Myers, etc.

I guess, but we have a bunch of those: Benoit, Hockey Paw, Timmins, Myers, etc.
- gravyface

Tre believes you need a lot of capable D for a cup run.

He is doing a good job adding depth now and not needing to use picks to do it at the TDL.

yes they could, but its up to Soto.. but he may not want that.

but its why the prediction is 40-43 /season. no deferral junk like Ohtani
- senstroll

I could see it happening.

I see some saying Jays fans are dreaming but they have the money. They have a mindset to be a winner.

Yeah - the return would have been better if done even just before the contract or arbitration. I am guessing that there were timing issues in there. I'm not sure why but I always got the impression that Keefe liked Liljegren and from that I suspect Treliving and Berube wanted to see if he'd progressed and how he looked at camp and what he'd done with the feedback from the team (usually you get those offseason primers - go put on 5lbs of muscle or 10lbs of muscle; eat this, do that, work on this, work that, etc.). I don't know how he showed up or what he'd done or not done, but I know that almost immediately Berube wasn't impressed and this was, unfortunately, after Liljegren had a $3m contract.

The real way to maximize Liljegren was to recognize that he wasn't a piece we wanted or needed and traded him, like Sandin, at last year's TDL - while he was a cheap RFA. As soon as he signed that $3m contract his value dropped. You could have fetched a decent return for him and spent a 7th or something and grabbed a guy like a Benning to sit in the wings.
- Monkeypunk

Precisely. I had read some of the pundits saying they pushed to trade him around the draft but teams were already cautious about the possibility of a large arbitration award by that point.

That makes sense, his value had ready taken a hit by then with the regular season forgotten and another subpar playoffs fresh, and he would play zero games for another team before possibly walking out of arbitration with an unreasonable award. No one is paying full value for that.

They had brought in Edmundson and Lyubushkin at the deadline and it was awkward finding the right pairings for a bit after that, it's not like Lily missing from that equation would have been detrimental to the playoff picture.

As soon as the deadline had passed they had worked themselves into a spot they'd have to take a diminished return for him. They made out "okay" in the end in that they didn't have to go full Cody Ceci to drop the cap space. But that's just not the return that could have been fetched if managed appropriately.

I could see it happening.

I see some saying Jays fans are dreaming but they have the money. They have a mindset to be a winner.
- Santo_44

as a Fan, i give zero (frank)s how much and how long he gets paid

as a Fan, i give zero (frank)s how much and how long he gets paid
- senstroll

Yeah I just want to enjoy watching the Jays again.

No one is building a roster on paper to compete with the Dodgers. They are even better next year by default with injured players coming back + more spending. Build a good team with some star players and you have a shot.

new blog everyone

I guess, but we have a bunch of those: Benoit, Hockey Paw, Timmins, Myers, etc.
- gravyface

This is a feature not a bug.

Precisely. I had read some of the pundits saying they pushed to trade him around the draft but teams were already cautious about the possibility of a large arbitration award by that point.

That makes sense, his value had ready taken a hit by then with the regular season forgotten and another subpar playoffs fresh, and he would play zero games for another team before possibly walking out of arbitration with an unreasonable award. No one is paying full value for that.

They had brought in Edmundson and Lyubushkin at the deadline and it was awkward finding the right pairings for a bit after that, it's not like Lily missing from that equation would have been detrimental to the playoff picture.

As soon as the deadline had passed they had worked themselves into a spot they'd have to take a diminished return for him. They made out "okay" in the end in that they didn't have to go full Cody Ceci to drop the cap space. But that's just not the return that could have been fetched if managed appropriately.
- joel878

I suspect the same limitations on his value would have been there at the deadline. A rebuilding team would have known he was a $3M re-sign in the summer and a "going for it team" probably wouldn't have wanted him ...or paid no more than a 3rd.

I think you have to go back to the summer of 22 or 23 if you're looking to get anything more than some mid-round picks for him.

I suspect the same limitations on his value would have been there at the deadline. A rebuilding team would have known he was a $3M re-sign in the summer and a "going for it team" probably wouldn't have wanted him ...or paid no more than a 3rd.

I think you have to go back to the summer of 22 or 23 if you're looking to get anything more than some mid-round picks for him.
- The Law

Disagree. Liljegren was looking as though there was growth occurring and the ceiling may still be there at that point.

I can respect that view however. Perhaps there wouldn't have been interest.

Dewar sucks
Does nothing particularly well
Ship him out before others

The Dew car smell already wore off

Go 🍁 Go
💙
- mr.sir

Whoa, a Mr. Sir post I disagree with. Is this real life?!?!

yes they could, but its up to Soto.. but he may not want that
- senstroll

Wouldn't Soto be ALL over deferral?!? Why pay high Canadian tax when you can live elsewhere and pay way less?

Disagree. Liljegren was looking as though there was growth occurring and the ceiling may still be there at that point.

I can respect that view however. Perhaps there wouldn't have been interest.
- joel878

Leafs are in win now mode, and they don't have the time for a $3M paperweight to unlock unrealized potential. Had to go.

This is a feature not a bug.
- mjones242

Neato, but to call this a "great trade"? Your standards are pretty low.

Leafs are in win now mode, and they don't have the time for a $3M paperweight to unlock unrealized potential. Had to go.
- Whipper

100% agreed. Has nothing to do with what I was saying.

hasnt won anything. cant pay those types apparently
- drexel

2019 World series champ and co-winner of MVP of the playoffs