Bluebird Banter

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:47:52Z

Tom here: SB would like you to take this Survey. Please do, it isn't very long and if we get the best participation they will give $500 to the charity of our choice.

>> Take SB Nation Survey

Hello sports fans! We're always striving to provide you with the best experience possible and it's been quite some time since we checked in with you.

So we're rolling out this survey to learn more about you and your sports world. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete.

We really appreciate your time and this is also going to help make a donation to a good cause.

By next Thursday (3/25) at 11:59pm PST the site that has the highest percentage of their community filling out the attached survey about their sports interests and consumption will win $500 to donate to a charity of their choice. We will leave it up to the discretion of the community manager(s) of the winning blog to decide how to choose the particular charity.

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Quick Recap: Spring Game 14, Jays and Astros

2010-03-19T20:00:01Z

More photos » Gene J. Puskar - AP

Getting these up before the pictures come thru so here is a catch by Travis Snider from yesterday. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Blue Jays 0 Astros 2

The big news out of this one was that Brandon Morrow was a scratch with a 'sore shoulder'. Hoping it isn't anything serious but not good news. It is the time of spring for sore arms so maybe it is just that.

The Jays didn't take many of their regulars with them on their bus trip. In fact they used a few guys that will start the season in the low minors. I can understand them not wanting to have to ride the bus when they can get swings at their own training facilities.

Pitching:

Steve Register got the start in place of Morrow, pitched 3 innings, 4 hits, no walks, 2 K with a 2 run homer given up in the first inning.
Casey Janssen: 1 perfect inning.
Jeremy Accardo: 1 inning with just a walk.
David Purcey got 2 quick outs, then gave up a single and 2 walks, but got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the inning. 2 walks, 2 strikeouts.
Rommie Lewis: 1 perfect inning.
Willie Collazo: a perfect 9th with 1 K.

Batting:

Joey Gathright: 0 for 4. He made a couple of great catches in the outfield. .179.
John McDonald: 0 for 3. .313.
Jeremy Reed: 2 for 3. He must be in front of Gathright in the battle for the 4th outfielder spot. .394.
Randy Ruiz: 0 for 3, with a walk and a strikeout. .424. Has slowed from his fast spring start.
Chris Lubanski: 0 for 4, 3 strikeouts. .217.
David Cooper: 1 for 4, with a strikeout. .333 on the spring.
Jose Molina: 1 for 3. .133.
John Tolisano: 0 for 2
Sean Ochinko: 2 for 3 with a K.

Dustin McGowan pitched 1.2 innings in a Triple-A spring game. 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 K. They say he hit 88 on the radar gun so he's got a ways to go yet.

Game Thread for March 19

2010-03-19T16:45:10Z

Rushing out the door, game is on MLB audio. Likely will be back sometimes during the game. We have the B team out there today:

Gathright CF

McDonald SS

Reed LF

Ruiz 1B

Lubanski RF

Cooper DH

Molina C

Tolisano 2B

Ochinko 3B.

Brandon Morrow will start. I get the feeling the Jays are skirting the rules about bringing some regulars on the bus trips but if no one complains, all is good. There is no reason Hill, Lind and all should have to have a 3 hour bus ride. They can get their swings in at camp.

What's the worst that could happen?

2010-03-19T16:02:59Z

We have a team picked by most of the experts to finish last in our division, some that think we'll lose more than 100 games. I don't think we'll be all that bad, personally. The media tends to down play the Jays at the best of times. While I don't think we are going to contend or anything, I think we could finish in the mid 70's for wins.

So if we give in that we aren't going to be battling for a playoff spot, what is really the worst that could happen this year?

Injuries. Particularly to pitchers. I could gladly go the whole year without hearing the words Tommy John or frayed...well anything really. That frayed word seems to always mean really bad things. I am hoping that Cito is gentle with his pitchers. I wouldn't mind if we go the season without a complete game and I'd be happy if none of the pitchers go much past 110 pitches in a game. I'd like him to go with a straight 5 man rotation and let everyone get an extra day rest when we have off days.
Certain players getting rushed to the majors. There will be a fair bit of pressure to bring up Kyle Drabek. Show the fans what we got back for Doc. Especially if Doc is leading the Cy Young race in the NL and if our starters don't do as well as we hope or if we have some injuries. The absolute earliest I'd like to see Drabek (or for that matter Stewart) is September. Hitters I'm not so worried about them coming up early. Brett Wallace I wouldn't mind seeing this year, JP Arencibia I'd like to see. Even Adeninis Hechavarria, if he were to show that he could handle things.
Maybe the worst thing that could happen is we somehow hang around the edge of the playoff race and we end up trading prospects for someone that could help us now. I don't think this could or would happen but it would be bad. Now if we packaged prospects to get prospects, I wouldn't mind. We do seem heavy on the pitching prospects and light on outfield and third base prospects. I wouldn't mind a little reorganizing.
If attendance goes way way down and Rogers has a fit and pulls more money out of the team, that would be up there on the worst list. I'm sure Rogers has been warned that we won't be filling the stands this year but still, Rogers is a corporate animal and you never know what way the wind will blow.
Vernon Wells doesn't improve on last year. No matter what he does he won't get the worst of the fans off his back, but it would help if he had a better season. He doesn't need 30 homers or 120 RBI (but then it couldn't hurt), but a clear step up from last year would help a lot.
Not exchanging some of our veterans for prospect by the trade deadline. We don't have to dump them all, I wouldn't mind seeing them keep Downs. And some could be Type A or B free agents, we might not get more in a trade than the value of the draft choices we pick.
Not signing our top draft choices would be very bad, we have 9 high picks this year. It would be very bad if Rogers pulled back the money we need to sign them. This is a good chance to add a lot of depth to our system. Can't miss out on it.
Impatience by Cito and Alex. They have to let the young guys play even if they have bad streaks. Travis Snider not playing a full time role would be bad and sending him or really any of the young guys down because of a few bad games would be just dumb. A couple of years ago Adam Lind had 19 poor at bats and the team sent him down to play Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench. They can't do that this year. Commit to using the young guys and stick with it. If we are stuck watching Joey Gathright play, I'll be very unhappy.

What do you all think?

It's Only for the Things that Matter, Only for the Things that Really Count: Keys to the 2010 Season and Beyond, Part I

2010-03-19T02:32:46Z

More photos » Darren Calabrese - AP

Adam Lind recognizes the importance of medical evaluations to achieving the Jays longterm goals. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

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This is the first part of a series of posts on the keys to the 2010 season. I plan to make a post on each key, elaborating on both its importance and how much we can reasonably expect and hope to see.

Now that the season is almost upon us, it seems like as good a time as any to go over some of the keys to this season. Unfortunately, as projected by ZiPS and by Chone (who projects them as having the worst record in baseball) among others, it does not very much look like the Jays will be competing for a playoff spot this season so much as they will be competing to stay out of the American League East cellar. On the bright side, Alex Anthopoulos has embraced this opportunity to essentially rebuild the team from the bottom-up (particularly since the Jays will have several picks in the first two rounds of the 2010 draft).

What this all means is that when we talk about the "Keys to the 2010 Season," there's less emphasis on results and more on process for the Jays this year. Even if the team stays in the AL's sub-basement all season, these games will be far from meaningless (well, from a baseball fan's perspective, anyway), because they will be an opportunity for us to see what will be coming down the pipeline for years to come.

So, without further ado, here are the keys to your 2010 Toronto Blue Jays season:

1. Kyle Drabek -- Even if Drabek doesn't throw one pitch at the major league level this season, his performance down in the minors is key to the Blue Jays future. Fairly or not, the Doc deal will be scrutinized all season long and because Drabek was the centrepiece, from the perspective of many of the graders, it won't matter how well Brett Wallace and Travis d'Arnaud do if Drabek really falls flat on his face. The fate of Alex Anthopoulos could rest on Drabek's performance over the next few years.

2. Adam Lind / Aaron Hill -- In my opinion, it's actually more important for us to see Adam Lind and Aaron Hill repeat their banner year performances of 2009 than it is to see some of the prospects take a big step forward. Consider it this way: if Lind or Hill regress hard, there's a good chance that 2009 is a fluke. Hill has been a consistent producer for some time now, but as he ages, his fielding bible award-winning glovework will decline and it will be increasingly necessary for him to hit like he did last season to retain his value over the next few years. Lind, as we have seen, isn't going to be winning any fielding bible awards anytime soon and the Jays are going to depend on his bat both to keep them out of last this season and keep them in the playoff race in the seasons to come.

3. Ricky Romero -- Like Adam Lind, if Ricky struggles this year, 2009 could be a fluke. Aside from the Jays long-term goals, given the injury problems and youth of this staff, the rotation is likely going to lean heavily on Romero this season. If we can't get 200 solid innings out of him, it's going to be tough to stay out of last place. A lot of guys experience sophomore jinx, but -- both in 2010 and going forward -- it's important for this team that Romero avoid it. I think the importance of Ricky's performance has been downplayed in certain circles, but the continued success of the former first-rounder is paramount.

4. Vernon Wells -- Vernon's got a lot of money coming to him in the next few years, so if you think he's going to be wearing another uniform anytime soon, you're wrong (unless, for some reason, he decides to befriend some of those annoying fake umpires from last season). As long as Vernon's healthy and his contract is still on the books, they're going to be playing him. A nice bounce-back season could go a long way to making this team seem competitive again before 2015.

5. Brett Wallace -- Once the Lyle years are over, it's going to be Brett Wallace that we'll see at first base. At just 23 years old, he's still got time to develop, be it in AAA or up in the majors, but having a masher like him is key to the Blue Jays longterm success.

6. Marc Rzepczynski / Brett Cecil -- If both of them prove that they can be league average starters in the major leagues at ages 24 and 23, respectively, this team should have a solid basis for the rotation for years to come. The one big hurdle left for Rzep is to learn to finish off hitters. If Cecil can locate his change a bit better, the walks to righties should come down drastically. If both can keep hitters over the top of the ball, Alex Gonzalez and Aaron Hill should be pretty busy.

7. Shaun Marcum -- If Marcum can prove that he's fully fit and ready to compete in 2010, he could be a good #3 starter for a long time. He's looked sharp so far this spring, but it remains to be seen what the strain of a full season will do to him.

8. Travis Snider -- If he hits at 22, all we have to do is make sure he doesn't go all Richie Allen. Hopefully he can cut down on the strikeouts a bit without losing the walks and the power. Like Wallace, it's not absolutely imperative that he make big strides in 2010, but it would sure help the longterm outlook.

9. Zach Stewart -- We'll see what the Jays do with him, but wherever he starts in 2010, Stewart figures to be an important part of the Jays rotation (hopefully) over the next several years. He hasn't had any problems missing bats, but while the Jays stretch out his arm this year, hopefully we'll see him around the plate a bit more, since over 25 2/3 innings at AAA, he walked 14.

10. J.P. Arencibia / Travis d'Arnaud / Carlos Perez -- If J.P. bounces back and gets off to a good start out in the desert, the Jays could be looking at an embarrassment of riches at catcher with Perez and D'Arnaud coming up in a few years as well. Plenty of upside in the three here, but if Arencibia's struggles weren't limited to vision problems, we're looking at some sparse years before the younger kids make it up to the bigs, assuming their development goes smoothly.

11. Dustin McGowan -- Dustin McGowan's progress could be a key to the Jays future success, but in 2010, they need to make sure he doesn't push himself too hard. We know about his health issues, so recovery time is a crap-shoot. We'll all be watching him closely. Remember, if Shaun Marcum has the stuff to be a good #3 starter, McGowan has the stuff to be an ace, but even if McGowan stays healthy this year, it's no guarantee he'll be able to start 30 games in 2011 or 2012.

Happy Birthday Tomo Ohka

2010-03-18T23:30:48Z

Hugo's favorite former Jay Tomo Ohka, he likes him much more than Doc, turns 34 today (see I can say that cause I know Hugo is away for the weekend and by the he looks at the site again this will be off the front page).

Anyway Tomo and Victor Zambrano were signed by JP before the start of the 2007 season in the hopes that one of them could, you know, occasionally get the odd batter out. Now Tomo was more successful than Zambrano was but he was a waste of a rotation spot. In 10 starts Tomo went 2-5 with a 5.79 ERA before we released him. For that he was paid 1.5 million.

Tomo pitched in the majors for at least parts of 10 seasons and finish (presuming he is finished) with a 51-68 record adn a 4.26 ERA, His best seasons were with the Expos, from 2002 to 2004. In 2002 he went 13-8 with a 3.18 ERA for them.

So happy birthday Tomo. Have a good one.

Quick Recap: Spring Game #13, Orioles and Jays

2010-03-18T20:37:34Z

More photos » Brian Blanco - AP

That's after yesterday's homer for Snider, we are a day behind with the pictures. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

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Orioles 3 Jays 13

We took two straight from the Orioles, I know it means little in spring but he's nice. Good pitching and lots of power today. Travis Snider, the first was a 'monster shot' to center field. With a homer in his last at bat yesterday he hit homers in 3 at bats in a row.

One of the things it shows is that we fans have to remember that spring training is just that, don't get too excited if a guy has a week's worth of bad games. Or for that matter a few good games.

Pitching:

Ricky Romero pitch the first 5 innings. He was great, did give up a homer in the third inning but only 5 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts and 2 earned runs. Even better he got 10 ground outs and no fly outs. You have to like a guy that gets that many ground outs. Especially with our infield defense. If he can pitch like this he'll have a great season. His ERA this spring 1.93.
Dana Eveland pitched the final 4 innings. He wasn't quite as sharp but just gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, 1 homer, 1 earned and struck out 3. His ERA is 0.75.

Hitting:

Jose Bautista was 0 for 4, his hot start seems to have slowed some but he is still at .524 on the spring.
Aaron Hill: 2 for 3 with his first homer of the spring and yet another walk. 2 runs, 2 RBI. This taking walks thing looks good on him. He's at .500 for the spring.
Adam Lind: 0 for 4 and a K. .250.
Vernon Wells: 1 for 4 with an RBI and a K. .400.
Lyle Overbay: 1 for 2, 2 walks, 2 runs. .429.
John Buck: 2 for 3, 2 homers. 3 runs, 3 RBI. Nice to see his power. He is at .375 for the spring.
Jeremy Reed: 1 for 4, run and RBI. .367.
Chris Lubanski: 1 for 1, a homer, 2 RBI. After a triple yesterday, his homer today has just about got me on his bandwagon again. Won't make the team out of spring but he'll be interesting to watch in Vegas. .263.
Travis Snider: 2 for 3, both homers, 2 runs, 4 RBI, 1 K. Apparently the first homer was crushed to center field. .290 for the spring. I'm hoping we can stop talking about him not making the team now.
Joey Gathright: 1 for 2. Infield single. .208.
John McDonald: 2 for 2 and a walk after coming back from seeing his dad. That would be so tough. He is .385 for the spring.

So we are 8 and 5 now, I know it doesn't mean much but winning is always better than losing.

The Jays made a couple of moves today. They released Casey Fien, who they just picked up a week or so ago. I don't think he got into any games. I don't know why he was released, he was sent to Vegas. Something must have happened.

The Jays also sent Brian Dopirak and Jarret Hoffpauir to Vegas and Kyle Phillips to the minor league camp. Dopirak down pretty much means Ruiz makes the team. We are down to 44 in camp with 17 days to opening day.

Thursday Bantering and Game Thread for March 18, Orioles and Jays

2010-03-18T15:03:45Z

More photos » Brian Blanco - AP

2 days ago: The Toronto Blue Jays' Chris Lubanski rounds second after hitting a triple against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning of a spring training baseball game Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in Sarasota, Fla. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

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I'm busy this morning so just a quick game thread post. Should be back for some of the game, it is on Gameday Audio.

A couple of quick notes. Zech Zinicola has been returned to the Nationals. Had to figure that would happen, we have too many bullpen arms to keep a rule five guy.

Zack Jackson and Lance Broadway have been sent to the minor league camp. Down to 47 players in the major league camp.

The lineup today is Bautista 3B, Hill 2B, Lind DH, Wells CF, Overbay 1B, Buck C, Reed RF, Snider LF, McDonald SS. So Mac is back in camp, must be tough on him.

Ricky Romero is to pitch 5 innings and Dana Eveland 4.

The National Post has a story on Adam Loewen. He really does have to show something this year, but he has a nice looking swing.

Tao of Stieb has a post about Cito Gaston's first 'final season' with the Jays, back in 1997. He remembers things much the way I do. The reluctance to use Shawn Green, Carlos Delgado and Shannon Stewart. Joe Carter batting cleanup even though he was long past his overdue date. Otis Nixon, Orlando Merced, Carlos Garcia and Rueben Sierra seeing way too much playing time.

Enjoy your morning.

Nice piece about John McDonald's Dad

2010-03-17T21:53:49Z

Nice piece about John McDonald's Dad

We wish the best for John and his father.

Top Ten reasons to watch the Blue Jays this year

2010-03-17T16:49:40Z

Note from Hugo: Promoted from Fanposts. I thought this syc piece was great, and a great way for everyone to talk about why they are looking forward to watching (or not) this season.

This is no way an official Letterman Top ten list but just based on my glorious and never wrong opinion.

Feel free to comment and list your own top ten reasons. It's fun and interactive!!

Number 10 - Buck Martinez

Not many Jamie Campbell fans around these parts. Rogers went ahead this year and made a big change in the booth. They brought back Buck Martinez to do Play by play. I for one was happy with this decision. Not having anything to do with Jamie Campbell as a person. I just did not think he was a quality MLB Play by Play guy. Sometimes it seemed if he was in over his head. He never called out his Color guy for making stupid comments (Rance and Tabler) and got overly excited on some plays. I think if you want to have a successful product then it all starts with your TV guys. It might not be a "Sexy" reason to watch, but it will be a welcome change to a broadcast that got monotonous and boring over the last 3 years. Now can we please Get Evanka Osmak instead of Sam Cosentino as host?

More after the Jump:

Number 9 - The Overbay Trade

It has to happen sometime this year right? I think going forward and seeing what type of season he has will determine if we move him. I think Lyle has been a very good player for us, just maybe its time for a change. We will get that change this year (or next) when Wallace comes up. If Wallace is not ready this year I still think we should be able to move him around the ASB or Trade deadline. Even if we have to go with Ruiz and Brian dopirak for the rest of the year. I just hope Lyle has an ok season so we can get something good in return. (see Rolen, Scott)

Number 8 - Randy Ruiz

Yes I know that putting a platoon guy on your list can raise some eyebrows. But, I do think we might ave something here with Ruiz. Not in the sense of a perennial All Star player. Randy has hit the ball in every level he's been to. He's also been blocked on every team he's played for never getting a shot till now. Having a 30 year old Rookie is pretty rare now a days. I do think he is a perfect platoon guy for Overbay. I do not think that Ruiz could be an everyday player at 1B, But you can't begin to tell me he will be worse then Millar was last year. He's not going to hit .330 with 30 HR and 100 RBI. But he should be a guy we can depend on to hit in any situation. He's has power and I would gladly take a .280 with 10- 15HR and 50 + RBI season from him. I Just hope Cito will actually use him and not use Overbay vs Lefty's.

Number 7 - Cito vs The Players

So while every attempt last year to tell us the revolt was nothing, I still think this will become an issue this year. You cannot just brush it aside like it did not happen. I'm sure this goes on in other club houses as this was not the first time this happened in MLB history. The thing was that the players were tired of all the negativity coming from Cito and Co. We will never know what really went down and just kind of have the players side of things. No matter what in any kind of work type setting your Boss should not be a negative person. It's counter productive and people will eventually stop listening to you. Now the other part that I think people were mad at is Cito's old school way of doing things. We never stole bases, and he never pinched hit. He trotted Millar out in the clean up spot on purpose MORE THEN ONCE, and he over pitched our young arms to the tune of being 4th in pitcher abuse last year. This is his last year and will be lame duck manager as he should be. lets just hope AA has some say on things like who to play and who not to play.

Number 6 - Travis Snider

Moonraker! Will this be his year? big projections the last few years might have put alot of pressure on Travis to try and hit a HR every AB. While it's clear he might still need some time to learn to hit MLB pitching. Its pretty obvious he's wont learn anything in AAA. Snider will be a 35HR 100 RBI we just don't know when he's going to do it. Being only 22 im not going to sweat it. Spring has not been kind to Snider but ST games are not the best barometer to judge someone on. Some people say Cito has it in for him, maybe dishing out some tough love with sending him down last year. The bottom line is that he has to play and play every day. He seems to be a step above AAA and one step below MLB if that makes sense. I would like a great year from him, I think he might start slow and eventually come around. Lets just hope they give him a chance and do not send him down to AAA when he starts to slump.

Number 5 - Lead Of Hitter

Just because it's going to be a shit show if Jobau can't do the job. We all know Jobau can not hit Right handers at all. He is going to have to learn to get on base better and not try to mash everything he gets. He is mostly a pull hitter so I would like for him to use the whole field if we are going to keep him there. I think we can all say that barring any major miracles our Manager next year will not tolerate this kind of poop. Again nothing against Jobau, He is a great player to have. But should not be overused in any situation. Well who else to we have? Not much unless you want Gathwrong at the top the whole year. Unless we can trade for a lead off guy, the second best option we have would be Vernon Wells. While Cito wants VW in the clean up role, Presumably to strike out with the bases loaded instead of with only two guys on. I think VW would be an ok option but not one that solves the problem. So even for the fact we could end up with Randy Ruiz as the lead off guy. It's going to be fun to watch....or maybe not so much. Depends if your half full or half empty type of person.

Number 4 - Why do we have 3 closers?

Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs could all be our stopper this year. It's great we have some depth and maybe we will be getting rid of one or two guys. With no real closer type on this team we have three guys who "could" close on any given night. With this team in rebuilding mode a young closer type is what we should be after. I do not see these thee being a huge part of this franchise moving forward. Frasor and Downs have the most upside out of the three. Frasor is already getting interest from a few teams and could see him moved before ST breaks north or shortly after that. Downs will be moved before the Trade deadline, as every playoff team will want him. If Frasor gets moved soon, then Downs would be my man. When they move him, Gregg would take over unless they have plans for McGowen or Purcey. (which I don't see happening)

Number 3 - 2010 Draft

4 picks in the top 50 and 8 picks in the top 100. Rebuilding happens through the draft and development of players In order to be successful . I think that finally a major sports network covered the first round of the MLB draft last year. Hopefully this year too. The Jays 1st pick at number 11. No matter what... I have full confidence in AA. I think he knows that they have to draft the best player on the board (High school or college) instead of trying to draft to fill holes. I've never been really excited about the draft, but this year I'am more then excited to see how we do. Plus this being AA's first official draft as GM we automatically want to compare him to JP, and how much better he did.

Number 2 - Starting Rotation

Marcum, Romero, Morrow, Scrabble, Tallet to begin the season is an ok rotation. Marcum feels 100 percent and could be a sleeper. I think he will be our best starter this year. Romero looks to improve on a shaky second half. He has the talent to do it, I think he has a better year then last. Will improve on some things but wont blow you away with a 16 win season. Morrow is a riddle. He has a blow it by you fastball but his secondary pitches are bum bum. His control is a major issue but has some upside being in his middle 20's. If it all fails with him as a starter they can stick him in the pen as our stopper of the future. No harm no foul. Scrabble will continue to make strides this year, not sure how many games he will pitch in. I don't see 35 starts for him. If he fails then expect him to be sent down as with mcGowen and Litch returning im sure they wanna see if those guys can pitch still. I do not expect Brian Tellet to stay in the rotation for the whole year either. McGowen should be taking his spot when he's is able to pitch and rightfully so. Tallet was good last year for about the first 3-5 innings, after that not so much. He is a great long man/mop up guy and can be used for as a spot starter when ever you need him. Anything more then 10- 12 starts? I don't think so cito. I'am fully prepared to see The above 5 plus, McGowen, Eveland , Litch, Cecil, and Drabek to get some starts sometime this year. Can't forget about Richmond and Mils too.

Number 1 - Young Prospects

At the expense of my favorite player being traded we restocked our farm system with some great young players. Add to that the fact we already had some quality guys before that trade and we see to be on the right path. I fully expect to see kyle Drabek at some point this year. My guess is that it wont be untill September. I just dont see why we would force him through the system, this year just to compete for last place in the AL east. His upside will tremendous and if he's half the pitcher doc turned out to be I'll be happy. Brett Wallace is someone we can see pretty soon. Some factors might ave to fall in place thou. He has to rake at Las Vegas (which he will do) and Overbay has to have a bad year or get traded, Likely the latter as Cito wont sit Overbay over an unproven rookie. Maybe a ASB call up or sometime before that perhaps. I dont think you can keep him down in AAA all year specially if Overbay and Ruiz do not produce at all. Brian Dopriak could be another young gunner that could be a sleeper for us. Not sure how much time he will get at the MLB level this year. But I don't see the harm in seeing what you have with him. He might turn out to be some good trade bait in the log run. Specially with Wallace and Cooper coming along next. JP Arencibia is our Top prospect at Cather, with another one behind him. Two potential All Star catchers sounds great doesn't it? I really don't see the point of not having Arencibia on the roster at some point this year. He is having a good spring and should be on the opening day roster. But if it's not going to be playing everyday then I say some time at AAA and give him a mid season call up to take over the reigns from Buck and release Molina. I would also like to See Zach Stewart and Jenkins get a chance to show us what we have. The Jays have been using Stewart as a closer in ST games so I would like to see what they do with him this year. Jenkins might get a September call up, but that's it. I also woulden't mind seeing Marsinick and Pastornicky get some time at the show this year. I did want to add Hechevarria ( but do not want to jinx it) as I think he will be in the minors for the year with a September call up. If everything is good then he should be starting at SS next year for us.

All in all it's not going to be as bad as the Toronto Media thinks this year. Share your thoughts below.

Quick Recap: Spring Game #12, Jays and Orioles

2010-03-17T20:09:37Z

Blue Jays 4 Orioles 1

Great pitching for the Jays today (or lousy batting by the Orioles). O's had a hit in the first inning and a hit in the ninth, with just 2 walks in between. Travis Snider had an opposite field homer, a 'towering shot' according to Jordan Bastian's twit.

Pitching:

Brian Tallet: 4 inning, 1 hit, no walks, 3 strikeouts. Very nice job in his 2nd spring game, he lost out one because of rain.
Shawn Camp pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.
Scott Downs gave up a walk in his inning but picked him off first.
Kevin Gregg: 1 walk and 1 strikeout in his inning.
Jason Frasor had a perfect inning, nice to see after his last time out there didn't go well.
Merkin Valdez gave up a hit and a walk, struck out 1 and gave up our run. Could have been helped by a couldn't of plays in the field that weren't made.

Batting:

Jarrett Hoffpauir was 0 for 3 with a walk. Batting .200.
Alex Gonzalez: 2 for 4, a run. .235.
Jeremy Reed: 1 for 3, a run, 2 strikeouts. .385.
Joey Gathright: 1 for 2, infield hit that was called an error at first, but they changed it to a hit. .182.
Randy Ruiz: 1 for 4, with a walk, a K and a run. .467.
Brian Dopirak: 0 for 4, with a Sac Fly and 2 Ks. .222.
Travis Snider: 2 for 3, single and homer, and a strikeout. .250.
Brad Emaus: 2 for 3 with a walk. .367.
Chris Lubanski: 1 for 2, a triple and a walk. .222.
Raul Chavez: 1 for 3. .250.
J.P. Arencibia: 0 for 1. .286.

A couple of notes.

Sean Henn was outrighted to Vegas.

John McDonald has left the team to be with his father, who has 'advanced liver cancer'. A very tough thing to go through for John and his family.

St. Patrick's Day Bantering and Game Thread

2010-03-17T15:35:27Z

More photos » Morry Gash - AP

Nothing shows respect for a saint like dressing like an idiot and getting drunk. Hey bud, if you want to celebrate St. Patrick's day, at least find a decent beer.(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Browse more photos »

Happy St. Patrick Day, the day for the patron saint of Ireland. The man who drove the snakes out of Ireland, one of those misunderstood things, I think it means he chased Druids out of Ireland. It does make for an interesting mental image, a guy chasing snakes into the ocean. I don't know how you go about chasing a snake. Anyway to celebrate people pour green dye into beer, everywhere except Ireland. A true Irishman would never let you dilute his Guinness with anything.

Back in the 19th century, when baseball started there were many Irish born baseball players, which makes sense since the game grew out of the British game of rounders. Royals Review has a post up about Irish baseball players if you want to read more about them.

Yesterday, when were arguing about who the 4th outfielder should be, I figured there would be some better choices coming available as the season grew nearer. This morning the Nationals released Elijah Dukes. He would be a better ball player than any of the possible 4th outfielders we have but he comes complete with more baggage than any 3 other players you could name, including a murderer for a father and his own assault (one) and battery (three) arrests.
Richard Griffin, in the Star, thinks the Jays should follow the Tigers plan. As much as I don't want to lose 119 games, anything that gets us to the World Series is a good thing, but the Tigers play in a much easier division than the Jays.
Dave Perkins also in the Star thinks signing Adeinis Hechavarria is a good sign, whether he makes the majors or not. It show that Rogers is willing to spend a few bucks.
And at his blog on MLB.com Jordan Bastian talks to Jay's pitching coach Bruce Walton about Shawn Marcum, David Purcey and Brett Cecil. Walton talks about how he likes the pitchers to start spring working on their two best pitches and building from there.
Jays play the Tigers Orioles today at 1:00 eastern, the game is on MLB audio, with the Tiger Orioles announcers. Tallet, Camp, Frasor, Downs and Gregg are to pitch. Looks like mostly the b-side batters made the bus trip: Hoffpauir 3B Gonzalez SS Reed CF Ruiz DH Dopirak 1B Snider LF Emaus 2B Lubanski RF Chavez C.

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day. Don't drink too much green beer.

Update (Hugo): Let's use this as the game thread for today's game - after the game, we'll put the 10 reasons to watch this season back on top!

What You Do To Me When You Become the Enemy - 2010 Preview, Baltimore Orioles

2010-03-16T22:53:11Z

What a town!

So, we've been clicking through our AL East rivals this spring. Tom tackled Beantown's crew here and our next stop is ~~Charm City~~ ~~the~~ ~~City that Reads~~ ~~the Land of Pleasant Living~~ Baltimore. I spent three years living in Baltimore and so I have a lot of affection for the town. I lived a short walk from Camden Yards which is an incredible stadium, my favorite in fact, and so I went to 30-40 games a year. Heaven.

That's all forgotten now, though, because the Orioles are the only thing standing between Toronto and the AL Beast cellar, and they have been improving, though their record doesn't reflect it quite yet. How do they look in 2010? Read on!

Position Players

C: Matt Wieters
1B: Garrett Atkins
2B: Brian Roberts
3B: Miguel Tejada
SS: Cesar Izturis
LF: Nolan Reimold
CF: Adam Jones
RF: Nick Markakis
DH: Luke Scott

Bench: Felix Pie (OF), Chad Moeller (C), Robert Andino (SS/2B), Ty Wigginton (1B/2B/3B)

Our passerine rivals didn't lose much in the offseason in terms of position players, with Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff leaving and making way for Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins, respectively. B-more is hoping for bounceback seasons from both of them after weak 2009s. Atkins, in particular struggled last season (.650 OPS and lost his everyday job) and isn't exactly your top choice for an everyday first baseman.

Of course, Matt Wieters will be a big story for Baltimore. Wieters, a two-way catcher who turns 24 in May, established himself as a solid hitter in his rookie season (.288/.340/.412) and is likely to only get better at the plate.

Brian Roberts has been having some health issues but is a very fine player who is coming off two consecutive 50-double seasons and 4 consecutive 30-steal seasons. Together, that is a lot of Brian Roberts standing at second base. Roberts hit 16 home runs for good measure and is, all in all, one of the better leadoff hitters in the league. Though his defense has slipped a bit as 30 has passed him by, it's not as if he's a butcher out at the keystone either. His double play partner, Cesar Izturis is all glove (.277 career wOBA) but he is a very fine fielder.

Baltimore sports a very good outfield. While Nick Markakis hasn't quite blossomed into a superstar yet (he's only 26, so there's still time), he is an extremely effective and well-rounded player who does everything well. Adam Jones, who came over from Seattle in the Eric Bedard trade, has been very good on both sides of the ball and is still developing power. He saw his offensive and defensive numbers slip during the second half of the season as nagging injuries held him back, so look for a healthy Jones to bounce back. And Nolan Reimold isn't much in the glove department, but had a very nice season with the bat in 2009. The speedy Felix Pie serves as the 4th outfielder and is likely to take most of his playing time at the righthanded Reimold's expense, barring injury. Luke Scott provides a solid, if unspectacular, lefthanded bat from the DH slot. And Ty Wigginton provides some pop off the bench and defensive versatility, if not excellence.

Starting Rotation

Kevin Millwood, RHP
Jeremy Guthrie, RHP
Brad Bergesen, RHP
Brian Matusz, LHP
Chris Tillman, RHP

Granted, the Orioles' pitching was terrible in 2009, but there are reasons to think it will be better in 2010. The biggest reason is that a number of young and promising arms figure to play prominent roles. Baltimore brought in Kevin Millwood to stabilitze its young rotation and Jeremy Guthrie will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2009, though his declining K rates are a real concern. But the real news is in the lower 3/5 of the rotation. Brad Bergesen had a great rookie season in 2009, finishing with a 3.43 ERA over 19 starts, backed up by excellent walk numbers. His low K rates are a concern, but that's something pitchers can improve on after their rookie year and the 24 year old's pinpoint control bodes well. 23-year old Lefty Brian Matusz (not as long, but no more pronounceable, than Rzepczynski) only got a taste last season (8 starts) but acquitted himself well (7.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9) and looks excellent going forward. And starboardsider Chris Tillman, who hasn't even turned 22 yet (April) has been one of Baltimore's more promising arms for awhile as well.

Bullpen

Mike Gonzalez, LHP
Jim Johnson, RHP
Koji Uehara, RHP
Cla Meredith, RHP
Mark Hendrickson, LHP
Kameron Mickolio, RHP
Matt Albers, RHP

The Orioles' bullpen has been bad for awhile. Every season they try to improve it over the offseason, but as of yet, no luck. Mike Gonzalez had an excellent season last year for Atlanta and he was brought in to be the closer. Koji Uehara was actually quite good for Baltimore (111 ERA+, 4/1 K/BB ratio) in his 12 starts last season, though he lacked some durability, and so he figures to be a key member of the bullpen this season. He and Gonzalez could actually provide a very fine late-inning righty-lefty combo. Hard throwing Cla Meredith gives Baltimore another power option and was good for Baltimore after being acquired last summer, while the huge Kameron Mickoloio (6'9"! somehow it fits that he is from Montana) looked good in limited time last season. The other three (Johnson, Hendrickson, and Albers) have been around Charm City for awhile and they shouldn't be too bad either, with Hendrickson in particular looking like the bullpen is the right place for him.

All in all, this is an improved Baltimore team. They still have a rotation that is 3 parts very young and 2 parts unspectacular, and their lineup lacks some punch, but this is definitely a team on its way up. It will take a decent season for the Jays to finish ahead of the O's.

CBSSports Fantasy Baseball

2010-03-16T21:25:04Z

So things have changed a bit since the last time I posted about the fantasy baseball. Then I mentioned we'd do an AL league and that we could use a couple more players. Well, I got 8 emails asking to join, so instead of picking and choosing I decided to expand the league to 16 members and make it an AL and NL mixed league. After talking to few people that have more experience with fantasy baseball that I (which is basically everyone, other than my mom), it seemed to be the best answer.

Everyone that has sent me a note asking to be part of the league should have gotten an invite by now. Right now the draft is planned to start the morning of March 27 which should give us time to get it done before the start of the season. I choose a 'extended draft' because I didn't think people would want to sit at their computers for 29 rounds of drafting. CBSSports will send emails to each person when it is their turn. It will be a 'snake' style draft so the same person doesn't get first pick each round. Beyond that we'll work things out as we go.

SB would also like me to mention the button to the right that links to CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Commissioner, that would get you 50% of the usual fee if you want to start your own league with your friends or use this link:

http://baseball.cbssports.com/splash/baseball/spln/mgmt/offer/a?ttag=fbbc10_on_all_sbnat_os_iab_0007

SB Nation has added a little extra incentive, they will chip in a 'blog-branded shirt' for the winner of any league that signs up through that link. I feel ripped off, they haven't even given me a blog-branded shirt. It hardly seems fair.

As always the legal stuff:

CBSSports.com is an SB Nation partner and paying sponsor of the SB Nation baseball communities.
This post is one of a series of sponsor endorsed posts related to the CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Commissioner League.

Poll: Who would you pick to be the last man on the bench?

2010-03-16T19:21:29Z

Presuming that Encarnacion's wrist improves enough to start the season (might be a big presumption) our bench probably would be Jose Molina, Randy Ruiz, John McDonald and someone else, likely to be Jeremy Reed, Joey Gathright or Mike McCoy. Of course, I'm also presuming the team takes Travis Snider north, but Cito did seem to suggest that would happen.

Reed has played all three outfield spots in his 6 year major league career. He is 29, was a second round draft pick in 2002 and has hit .255/.312/.357. So far this spring he's hitting .391/.440/.478.

Joey Gathright has also played all three outfield spots in hit 6 year career. He's also 29, was a 32nd round draft pick in 2001. Career batting line is .263/.327/.303. He's hitting .150/.190/.150 in just 20 at bats this spring.

Mike McCoy has only had a few major league at bats. He is 29 as well, in the minors he has played every position except first and catcher. He has even pitched. This spring he's hitting .615/.688/.692 in just 13 at bats.

Poll

Who would you pick to get the last spot on the bench?

Tuesday Morning Bantering: Spring Games, Adeninis Hechavarria and David Purcey

2010-03-16T15:41:15Z

The Jays have no game today, Shawn Marcum is starting their Triple-A game to keep him on schedule for the season opener.

I know they are 'meaningless games' and all, but I enjoyed watching yesterday's game. I know, as a blogger, stuck in my mom's baseball basement, I'm not supposed to admit this, but I really like watching baseball. I don't care if someone thinks the games are meaningless, as much as I like baseball, all the games are meaningless. Even during the season, they aren't curing cancer out there or feeding the homeless or anything really great. If baseball wasn't there, we'd have something else to entertain ourselves. Instead of going to a little league coaches clinic tonight, I'd be going to a soccer coaches clinic. Instead of throwing a ball with my boy I'd be kicking a ball.

But I do like watching the games even in the spring. The spring games can be just as entertaining as the regular season games. One of my favorite things about watching baseball is seeing the younger players come up. Yesterday I saw Tyler Pastornicky play for the first time, after hearing about him for the past three years. I saw Brad Emaus and Brian Dopirak. The other fun part of spring is sometimes older players can surprise you. Jose Bautista is pounding the ball. Aaron Hill is taking walks. Vernon Wells is taking balls the other way. Maybe none of these things will last, we know Bautista won't hit .667 this season. Maybe Hill will go back to swinging at everything. Likely Vernon will get pull happy as the season wears on. But I like watching players try to improve themselves. It reminds me that I should try to improve.

Anyway....Ken Rosenthal twittenated that the Cubs had a scout watching Jason Frasor get shelled yesterday. He also said that Frasor was 'under the weather'. If he was sick, I don't know why none of the Toronto media mentioned it. Of course, having their pitches rocket back past them would make any pitcher sick.

He also said that the Cubs were interested in David Purcey. On Purcey, Richard Griffin quotes Cito:

"(Pitching coach) Bruce Walton has cut him back to just fastball and slider," Gaston said of the talented but eternally frustrating lefty. "He threw strikes, his arm slot was great. We're probably leaning (to the bullpen) and see what he can do. I was very impressed. It's the best I've seen him throw since I've been here."

If the idea is to make him a reliever, cutting him back to his two best pitches is a good plan, but then he didn't throw a lot of curves or changeups in the past. Do you get the feeling that the recent talking up of Purcey is an effort to grow him some trade value. I can't see anyone wanting to trade for him, but then I don't understand most things the Cubs do.

Remember how we said, when the rumours came out that the Jays were signing Adeninis Hechavarria, that we'd be told that he wasn't really that great a prospect, since the Yankees didn't sign him? Well, I figured it would be the New York media that would do it but no, it is the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliot leading the charge. He has scouts, he doesn't say whose scouts, comparing Hech to Alfredo Griffin and Eddie Zosky. Come on Bob, can't we wait to see him before you tell us the Jays were stupid to spend that much money on him. Of course scouts for teams that didn't sign him will play him down. Let us have a little joy.

JP Riccardi interviewed in Worcester Telegram

2010-03-15T22:50:43Z

Everyone's favorite former GM has a little profile in his local paper and he says a couple of things I thought were interesting:

"As soon as a trade is made," Ricciardi said, "there are 50,000 people blogging about how the general manager did a bad job, and they don't understand what he was up against from a standpoint of what the ownership wanted to do, what kind of money he had to work with, how he was putting his team together based on a four- or five-year deal, what the player wanted."

So first I think "hey, JP reads me". I mean I must be one of the 50,000 idiot bloggers he's speaking of, right? But second, what he is really telling us here is 'any bad deals I made really weren't my fault'. Just because a person is GM of a team, it doesn't mean he should be judged by what he does as GM. Fair enough. I'd also like to say any stupid posts I put up really aren't my fault, I was forced to do them by the ownership team of SB Nation. Because, of course, no one is at fault for anything they do.

Later he says:

"I'm not saying you have to have money to be successful," Ricciardi said, "but if you don't have money you'd better be willing to go seven or eight years of bad baseball before you start seeing the fruits of those No. 1 picks getting up to the majors. I'd go into another job with my eyes a lot more open and probably do a little more homework on who the ownership group is and what their expectations were because that's what ultimately controls everything."

Now this is the guy that got the job by telling ownership he could win while reducing payroll. Then when he didn't win after letting Carlos Delgado go, he told management that they had to spend money and he signed a few high priced free agents. That didn't work and he's surprised that management wanted to bring salaries down again?

He says we could have won if we went 7 or 8 years of bad baseball first. Or maybe he is telling us we are in for that many years of bad baseball. I know ownership didn't do great for him, that last year but they had allowed him to ramp up payroll in the years before and it didn't workout.

All in all I'll feel sorry for the guy another time.

Quick Recap: Spring Game 11, Jays and Tigers

2010-03-15T20:46:43Z

Blue Jays 7 Tigers 10

The A squad stayed home for the B game and won. The B squad bused to the A game and lost. But it was fun to watch the game.

Pitching:

Marc Rzepczynski: 4 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 2 homers, 4 strikeouts, 3 earned. He had a tough first inning but settled down after that. One bad inning, 3 good.
Casey Janssen pitched a good inning, walking one and getting ground balls. Looked good on the mound.
Brett Cecil: 2.1, 6 hits, 1 walk, 1 homer, 3 strikeouts, 4 runs, 3 earned. He wasn't helped by poor defense and the runners he left on base scored. Looked like he was tired after 2 innings. Seemed to be throwing all his pitches though.
Bubbie Buzachero: how can you not like a guy named Bubbie? Got the final 2 outs, but gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 earned runs. He also took a ball hard off the shin, which I'm sure didn't help. The double he allowed went off Hoffpauir's glove at third base. It was hit hard but if the play was made it would have helped. Not a prospect.

Batting:

Jarrett Hoffpauir: 1 for 4, a double and a walk. I thought he made an error but I guess it was called an infield single on the play he threw past the first baseman. I guess it would have been a close play. .227 at the moment, I don't think he's impressed enough to have a shot at the team.
Brad Emaus: 1 for 5, 2 RBI. Looked good at 2B. Batting .333. Won't make the team but having a good spring.
Jeremy Reed: 1 for 5. Quietly having a nice spring: .391.
Randy Ruiz: 2 for 4 and a walk. Had a double and a walk. Showed how you can look good and bad in the same game. Struck out and ground out on the first pitch in the bottom of the 8th, that looked off the plate. But another good game for Randy. Hitting .500. Played first, could have helped out fielders by making a couple of tough catches on throws (he was given an error for a 'missed catch') but doesn't look bad at the position at all.
Brian Dopirak: 1 for 5 with 3 strikeouts, but the 1 was an opposite field homer. Watched strike 3 to end the game. .261.
Travis Snider: 1 for 3 with a walk. 3 of 4 plate appearances were good, the other he swung at the first pitch and missed it. Over threw 3rd trying to get a runner there, the play was backed up well so it didn't cost anything, but it was a poor throw. Took a couple of close pitches to get the walk. Hitting .200 for the spring now.
Someone named Chris Aguila played CF: 1 for 4 with a triple. Only mentioning him because I didn't know he was on the team. Played for the Marlins 2004-2006 and with the Mets in 2008.
Jose Molina: 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He makes Raul Chavez look like a hitter. Well no, but he's not good. .083.
JP Arencibia: 1 for 1. .308.
Tyler Pastronicky: 1 for 4 and a run. I thought he showed good range. Did make a throwing error.

Bastian twitters that Cito "raved about Purcey", who threw in the B game and says Cito would 'like to have a 3rd lefty' in the pen. Also:

Cito, on Purcey: "You would've been amazed with what you would've seen this morning."

Which is great and all but Eveland has looked pretty good too. I'm not sure I'd overlook Purcey's history of wildness for a couple of good spring innings. He didn't pitch that great in his other spring appearances.

Eveland has pitched 8 innings, with 5 hits, no earned runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

Purcey (not counting today's B game) 4 innings, 9 hits, 4 earned, 2 homers, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

I like Purcey too, I like guys that miss bats and I think he'd learn to find the plate, but if we wanted another lefty for the pen, which would you take?

Well we have 2 weeks of spring training left to sort it all out.

No Jays spring game tomorrow so Shawn Marcum will start the Triple A spring game to keep him on schedule to pitch opening day.

You were right about the stars, each one is a setting sun: Game Thread, Jays and Tigers

2010-03-15T16:57:01Z

The game is on Sportsnet East (if you get that channel), also on MLB.tv.

We won the Bgame 8-1. Joey Gathright homered. He has 1 career homer, so, like Halley's comet, I think since we didn't see this one, I doubt we'll live long enough to see the next.

Lance Broadway pitched 3 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned.

Steve Register went 2, with just 1 walk.

David Purcay, 2 innings, 1 hit, 3 K.

Zach Jackson, 2 innings, 3 hits.

Bautista, Wells, Hill, Lind and Gathright each had 2 hits. Buck, Lubanski and Gonzalez had 1.

The A game will have Scrabble starting, Cecil, Janssen and Accardo to follow.

Line up:

Jarrett Hoffpauir, 3B

Brad Emaus, 2B

Jeremy Reed, RF

Randy Ruiz, 1B

Brian Dopirak, DH

Travis Snider, LF

Chris Aguila, CF

Jose Molina, C

Tyler Pastornicky, SS

Not sure when we picked up Chris Aguila, he played for the Marlins and the Mets, I guess we picked him up as a free agent.

I'm looking forward to watching.

The title is from the Wilco song Jesus, etc. I saw Wilco a couple of weeks ago and they were great.

Monday Morning Bantering

2010-03-15T14:59:58Z

The Jays have two games today, an A and B game. The B game will have started at 10:00 eastern and has a number of our A batters:

Bautista 3B Hill 2B Lind DH Wells CF Overbay 1B Buck C Lubanski RF Gonzalez SS Gathright LF

B game stats aren't counted in the player's spring training stats, which in this case is too bad.

The A game is at 1:00 eastern and will be on MLB.tv (there was just a twit from the Jays saying Sportsnet East will show today's game), the lineup for that one:

Hoffpauir 3B Emaus 2B Reed RF Ruiz 1B Dopirak DH Snider LF Aguila CF Molina C Pastornicky SS.

I'm looking forward to geting a chance to see Pastornicky play. I don't know who Aguila is, there was a Chris Aguila that played outfield for the Marlins from 2004 to 2006 and who was with the Mets in 2008. I guess that could be him. He'd be 31 now and clearly not a prospect of any sort.

Pitching in the A game will be Marc Rzepczynski, Brett Cecil, Casey Janssen and Jeremy Accardo.

The Jays made a couple of roster moves, sending Ray (formerly Reidier) Gonzalez to Vegas and Jesus Merchan to the minor league camp. Jordan Bautista twits that Jesse Carlson has a sore knee and will test it on Wednesday, throwing off a mound.

There is nothing new on the Adeinis (or Adeiny) Hechevarria signing. The Jays won't announce his signing (or say anything about him) until he passes a physical.