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Jays Shore Up Catching Position with Molina |
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Written by Ben Fisher on Friday, 19 February 2010 20:11
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 The Blue Jays made what is likely their last dip into free agency today, signing catcher Jose Molina to a deal that with pay him $400,000 with a 2011 team option for $1.2 million.
In doing so, they've created a positional battle for the back-up catcher slot between Molina and Raul Chavez to be played out over spring training. Fellow free agent signee John Buck will likely handle starting duties, but only saw action in 59 games last season due to back injuries and has never played more than 118 games in any season.
Molina doesn't have much of a bat (career average is .235), but plays excellent defence and can throw out his share of runners. He is also the second of the catching Molina brothers to don a Blue Jays uni, after older brother Bengie played in Toronto during the 2006 season.
Molina boasts two World Series rings (2002 Angels and 2009 Yankees), and holds the distinction of being the last player to hit a home run at the old Yankee Stadium.
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Why the Jays Will Lose 100 |
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Written by Ben Fisher on Thursday, 18 February 2010 23:48
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There is a harsh reality about the 2010 Toronto Blue Jays, and that is this: they are an all-around weak team amidst an increasingly strong division.
I don't mean this as a criticism of first-year GM Alex Anthopoulos, who has acknowledged that there will be plenty of difficulties in the early-goings as the franchise shifts its focus toward developing young talent and re-stocking the farm system (ironically, the same things that J.P. Ricciardi said he would do when he was hired as GM in 2001). Ultimately, the franchise is moving in the right direction, but that move seems destined to be a slow one.
As far as this season is concerned, it could get ugly. As in, 100 losses ugly. Sure, they have a few nice pieces moving forward (Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Travis Snider and Ricky Romero, to name a few), but there are two central reasons that this team looks primed for one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
Firstly, the rest of the teams in the AL East also have nice pieces. Of course, little needs to be said about the defending champion Yankees and an already strong Red Sox team that added John Lackey, Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro. The Rays, meanwhile, have another year of growth and maturation under their belts and should improve upon last year's slight letdown.
However, the main concern for the Jays within the division is, believe it or not, the Orioles. They aren't likely to contend for the division crown, but Baltimore has made some significant strides and should vastly improve upon their 64 wins from last year. In addition to a solid core of Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Brian Roberts and catching phenom Matt Wieters, the O's added Kevin Millwood and Garrett Atkins, and re-acquired Miguel Tejada.
These changes are not good news for the Jays, who have to play each of their AL East foes 19 times this year. That's 76 of 162 games against strong and/or improved squads, not to mention another 27 games against 2009 play-off teams and three against the World Series runner-up Philles (armed with newly acquired Roy Halladay).
The second reason is more internal - specifically, the pitching staff. Even with Doc in tow last season, the Jays' staff ranked 22nd in the league in team ERA. Of their 10 complete games, nine were courtesy of Halladay. Of their four shutouts, all four belonged to number 32. And just think of what the team needs to replace: 239 innings pitched, 32 starts, 22 quality starts and a 2.79 ERA.
And where are they going to fill the void? Well, you got me. Of the prospective rotation (Romero, Shaun Marcum, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Marc Rzepcynski), no one has come close to matching any of those numbers in any individual season. Throw in a few injuries over the course of the season (these are the Jays, after all) and you could be looking at one big mess.
Sigh.
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Pitchers and Catchers Report |
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Written by Ben Fisher on Thursday, 18 February 2010 18:05
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It's around this time of year that baseball fans will often hear the old clichés like ‘hope springs eternal' and ‘everyone has an equal shot at World Series glory'. Ha! Just ask any Pirates fan how true that is.
But the start of spring training and those four hallowed words in the title of this post do have a certain majestic quality. Baseball's on its way, and along with it comes summer and shorts and sunglasses and... okay, I just peered outside to falling snow and realized that April is still a ways away.
But back to this idea of hope.
Hope may not always be realistic, but it is often one of the few things that teams have to hang on to. Take the Blue Jays, for instance. Here is a team that has hit the reset button and will begin a new chapter under rookie GM Alex Anthopoulos by without long-time franchise cornerstone Roy Halladay. In Halladay's stead, they've added a slew of prospects and bargain bin types that look like they could tease Jays fans with tastes of what might be.
Is this a play-off contender? Certainly not, but it is a team of maybes that should excel in the spring (with very little settled in the rotation or bullpen, most hurlers will be pitching to impress) and allow fans to dream.
Can Aaron Hill and Adam Lind continue to grow as the heart of Toronto's line-up? Can Vernon Wells bounce back and play like a $126 million dollar player? Can Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch rebound from injuries to become key pieces of the rotation? Can Ricky Romero claim the throne as staff ace? Can newcomers like Brandon Morrow, Kevin Gregg, Alex Gonzalez, John Buck and Dana Eveland make an immediate impact? Can the Jays' solid stable of youngsters (Travis Snider, Kyle Drabek and Brett Wallace, to name a few) lead this team towards more prosperous times down the road?
This will be a fascinating team to watch this season, not so much for what is as for what could be. It is to Anthopoulos' credit that there is a real big picture idea on how this team will progressively develop. In the meantime, let's just remain hopeful and enjoy a fun season of the boys of summer... eventually.
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Halladay talk of the Rangers |
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Written by Justin Barracosa on Thursday, 09 July 2009 14:18
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 Blue Jays right-handed ace Roy Halladay was the No. 1 topic of discussion in the Rangers clubhouse before
Wednesday's game with the Angels.
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Rumour: Jays release BJ Ryan |
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Written by Justin Barracosa on Thursday, 09 July 2009 10:58
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The Blue Jays have released B.J. Ryan, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
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