Mail Bag

Camp is official. Vernon Wells arrived on Wednesday morning and took his first round of B.P. He looks slimmer and trimmer and that may help his defence, but it won't help his batting in the cleanup spot. News Flash: Former Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi hired by ESPN's Baseball Tonight. It's funny, when Keith Law left the Jays and went over to work for ESPN.com, the first time he was critical of Ricciardi, the response from J.P. Was: “It didn't take Keith long (after joining the medias) to become an idiot.” Now they will be working together. Isn't it ironic? On to the mailbag.

Q: Hello Richard,

I appreciate your writing, particularly since your appearance on the DJF podcast.

While I respect Cito Gaston and have a deep nostalgia for the World Series Jays of my childhood which he managed, I don't see him as a viable major league manager anymore. His comments at the Season Ticket holders event, his tardiness getting to spring training and his speculation about keeping Vernon Wells at cleanup have convinced me that he is not even viable as a short-term stopgap. Can you imagine a scenario in which AA successfully moves Cito into an advisorial role during the season? Or is Cito's position cast in stone given Paul Beeston's, past and present, ardent belief in his abilities?

Matthew Hills, Kingston

A: I honestly believe that all things being equal, Gaston, while retaining the final year of his salary, would have no problem jumping into the advisory role ahead of schedule. I do like Cito as a man and do feel he deserves to catch up on years of missed salary compared to other managers that continued to work during the 11 years he was shut out of the game, but this is not the type of setting and the type of roster on which he thrives. I believed at the end of the season when everyone was leaving Baltimore after the revolt was suppressed that Beeston and A.A. would make the change at manager while keeping Cito on board, but it didn't happen. It's never too late for that move though, and if Gaston finds as the season goes on that he's not enjoying it, he may get the ball rolling himself. But in the meantime there is still room for individual development of pitchers and that will still be interesting to watch as the season unfolds.

Q: I have a question regarding James Paxton, the 2nd round pick from 2009 that the Jays couldn't sign. Can the Jays pick him again? I've read that he's ranked in the Top 10 of Collegiate pitchers but right now can't pitch because of issues regarding his negotiations with Paul Beeston. Even if the Jays can draft him, do you think they would want to go to the bargaining table with his agent (ahem advisor) Scott Boras?

Jason Sinnarajah, Sydney, Australia

A: I have seen the rankings that have listed Paxton in the Top 10 of draftable prospects, but I find it strange that his draft value could rise without pitching his senior year at Kentucky. Star colleague Morgan Campbell has been all over the story that sees Paxton refusing to cooperate with an NCAA investigation as to whether uber-agent Scott Boras was an advisor or a representative when dealing with the Jays this past summer. If Boras advised the family then he's alright, but if Boras was in fact in contact with Beeston and the Jays on behalf of the young Canadian, then he becomes ineligible. Nobody is saying and Paxton will not testify therefore the NCAA and the school have suspended him from the team. It doesn't seem right somehow, since hockey players can continue to play with their schools even after being drafted and receiving bonuses (I believe). Yes the Jays could pick Paxton again and if he is available at No. 38 when the compensation for Paxton comes up, they may very well choose him again.

Q: Richard, love your columns. Can you comment please on Vernon Well's approach to hitting? From my perspective, each at bat (starts with) a first pitch fast ball down the middle of the plate with bat on the shoulder. Second pitch, flail at a low outside curve missing by a foot and a half like Casey at the Bat. Then scowl at the coaches in the dugout. Does any other major leaguer take this approach at the plate? Have the Jays ever actually plotted his at bats relative to other major leaguers and shown him the error of his ways? Let's get this fixed before another slow start by Vernon. Thank you.

Larry Dart, Haliburton

A: There is no joy in Mudville...I believe I saw the exact at-bat that you described – or maybe it was just one of the many other at-bats that was similar. It sometimes seems like Vernon has no real plan when he goes to the plate. Like with bases loaded or runners at second and third, where he'll take a hack at the first pitch and pop it up to end a rally. Of course, when a player is going badly we tend to remember the 70-percent of the bad, but the fact is that I cannot remember a dramatic game-changing hit from 2009 for Wells. That's why I believe it might help Wells to bat leadoff instead of fifth or sixth (definitely not fourth). Lyle Overbay was describing on Tuesday how when he batted second for a while, he found the pitchers more aggressive with the strike zone early in the count but that because his style is to work deeper into counts that he was falling behind early and often. If Wells could be aggressive and see more good pitches early in counts it might help him get off to a good 2010 start.

Q: I don't seem to be getting much talk about Randy Ruiz. He seems to be a hitter to me. With Lind being to young to DH all the time it seems Ruiz might fit the bill. Look forward to your comments.

Ted Jackson, Gore Bay, Ont.

A: I like the idea of Ruiz as a bench player for the Jays. He had a terrific year in the Puerto Rican Winter League after impressing with the Jays down the stretch last year. Since the Jays play their starting nine most of the time, it would make it interesting to have different skill sets available to come off the bench in late innings. Ruiz could bring a power bat, Joey Gathright could bring speed if you need the tying run to score from first on a double in the ninth. Johnny Mac could bring infield defence and Jose Molina a catcher if you had to run for John Buck. Ruiz is 32 years old and a bench role as a professional hitter is pretty much as good as it will get for him.

Q: Hi Richard,

I noticed that Feb 13th is your anniversary with the Toronto Star. Congratulations! I just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your columns, mailbags and blogs. The references you make to the Expos makes for some interesting baseball history in Canada. Since your beginnings with the Star what would be a couple of your favourite baseball stories?

Charles Adam, Manitoulin Island

A: My all-time favourite project was the two-page spread I did on the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's arrival in mainstream pro ball, not in Brooklyn, but in 1946 with the Montreal Royals. Meeting and interviewing Rachel Robinson was amazing. I also enjoyed covering the Cal Ripken streak breaker, the Mark McGwire 61st home run, the Ted Williams coming through the gate at the All-Star Game at Fenway Park and every World Series that I have been at – which is all of them since I arrived. I was emotionally touched at the final Expos game at Olympic Stadium. That's 16 years at the Star and 38 years working around major-league baseball and I am not close to being tired of doing this.

Q: What is your view on the 3B situation? Over the years it has always been a position that has provided both sure hands and a relatively intimidating stick (e.g. Gruber, Batista, Glaus, Rolen) ... until now. This Edwin Encarnacion is a temporary solution, I hope. His defence is questionable, to go with a so-so bat. Is there no one in the farm system rising in the ranks that could fill this spot more adequately than this ML pseudo-talent? Are we stuck with this guy for the duration of the year? Do you see management going out at some point and picking up a better third-baseman providing there is better talent available? And would not John McDonald be a better plug-in at the hot corner considering he plays much better defence? It's not as if the team would be missing a whole ton of offence if E.E. is the best that the Jays can come up with.

Darrell Holtze, Guelph

A: The Jays were stuck with the 2010 contract Encarnacion in order to secure pitching prospects Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart. If the Reds were going to take Scott Rolen's salary, the Jays had to take Encarnacion. They are stuck with it. The closest third base prospect to being ready for the majors is Brett Wallace, acquired from the A's in the Doc three-way, but of course the plan there is for Wallace to hone his skills as a fulltime first baseman. Last spring a couple of homegrown middle infielders, Scott Campbell and Brad Emaus looked pretty good. But they aren't in any long-range plans. The future of third base is supposed to be Kevin Ahrens, from the '07 draft, but he stalled at A-Dunedin last year and likely will have to repeat, so he is a couple of developmental years away still.

Q: Is it true the Blue Jays are replacing the FieldTurf at the Rogers Centre with AstroTurf? I thought we were done seeing that playing surface for good, and don't the players hate AstroTurf even more than FieldTurf?

Jason Sinnarajah, Sydney, Australia

A: Once again, Morgan Campbell is all over the turf story, having written about the replacement of the Rogers Centre surface on Tuesday. The Jays and Rays are the only turf fields left and AstroTurf is putting on a push to get into more university and community field. They have improved the surface and need to make it work with the Jays as a sales tool. If not for all the shows that Rogers wants to put in there, I would be all for natural grass in there.

Q: Hello Mr. Griffin,

Love the insights on the Jays, looking forward to watching this young team this year. In response to your article on J.P. Arencibia on Feb 23/10; what do the jays really have to lose by using him in a platoon with one of Buck/Chavez/Molina....they already have a young team that may be line for a tough year in the W/L column....how about getting him in there to see what he can do? Judging by all of the obstacles he had to go through last year and still ended up with decent numbers in AAA, isn't this the year to give the prospects a chance at the major league level? Looking fwd to the 2010 season, keep up the insights!

Mark Buchholtz

A: Personally, I would rather see a healthy Arencibia start the season at Triple-A and succeed, then bring him up sometime during the season. Neither Jose Molina nor John Buck are starters behind the plate, so I believe there will be a window of opportunity for Arencibia in 2010, but to see him start with the Stars is probably the right thing. Besides, the young starters could use some experience calling pitches as they get their feet wet.

Lyle Overbay checks in on hitting first or second

On Tuesday, reporting three days early for what is likely his final spring training with the Jays, first baseman Lyle Overbay reflected on suggestions in some quarters that in the absence of any better options, he might be the best of the worst choices for Jays' leadoff heading into the 2010 season.

"It's my speed, my speed, they're dogging my speed," Overbay joked. "Honestly, I would think that, but I was in the two-hole a couple of years ago and it's different. I thought it would be the same, but you do see different pitching. 

"I saw so many good pitches to hit early in the count in the two-hole. I don't do very well in that situation. In certain situations I'll be aggressive, but in others I'm not. They force the situation, but when you're not feeling good, you end up taking a little more pitches. When you're in the two-hole you can't do that. They're not wanting to set the table for the guys behind you."

Overbay's logic is almost the opposite of accepted logic for tactics batting at the top of the order. He's saying that the more patient you are the worse it is because they're attacking you more because they don't want to fall behind and lose you setting the table for guys like Vernon Wells....uh, bad example.

The acceptable logic has always been that the 1-2 hitters should take a pitch or two so that the pitcher doesn't escape with a low-pitch inning and especially to allow other hitters to get a look at the pitcher's entire repertoire and tendencies. What Overbay is saying is that it's not such a great idea to be taking (as is his tendency) when the first two pitches are strikes and you find yourself stuck in a pitcher's count.

In any case, Overbay in the two-hole was a bad idea. Overbay as leadoff is worse. Even he thinks so. 

 

Gaston: Top four in batting order set

Manager Cito Gaston on the first day of pitchers and catchers has changed his mind about moving his two most productive hitters Aaron Hill and Adam Lind to third and fourth in the batting order. Instead, he will leave them batting 2-3 and try to open the season with Vernon Wells in the cleanup spot. In addition, the frontrunner to be the leadoff man is right fielder Jose Bautista who hit there when Marco Scutaro was injured near the end of the 2009 season.

As far as Gaston is concerned, it's all about comfort.

"I've preached it a lot and I've lived by it too, I like to keep people comfortable," Gaston said on Monday. "I played this game and if you're not comfortable where you are, sometimes you don't perform.

"Even though I said I would try it in spring training, then I'm messing with their minds. Hill would do it in a second, but he's just going to put more pressure on himself. I want him to be himself. When Lind gets here I'll make sure I talk to him."

Lind has been here for a couple of weeks already.

Random thoughts on the eve of Blue Jays camp #34

HAPPY HALLADAY GREETINGS

A few things struck me after that short, happy trip from Clearwater's Star Central headquarters to visit Roy Halladay at his new spring home on Friday. 

* First was how much he genuinely smiled and made eye contact compared to his final season with the Jays. (No man love suggested here, just manly admiration.) The good Doctor is clearly happy -- not happy to be out of Toronto, but thrilled to finally be away from the constant speculation and the July three-ring circus he was forced to endure leading to the trade deadline. Despite Doc's classy support of J.P. Ricciardi as a man who was ultimately looking out for Doc's best interests, I still blame J.P. for creating the unnecessary maelstrom by twisting the circumstances and chronology that forced Halladay to choose between saying he would gratefully remain in T.O. for a home-team discount or making it seem like he was the ungrateful villain bound and determined to leave in free agency. It wasn't right. And there's no agenda here because J.P.'s gone.

But no team in my 37-year major-league memory makes its best player declare his intentions to re-up or not a year-and-a-half before a contract expires. What you do if you are playing the game the proper way is try and get your team competitive before your most valuable player's contract end. Show him you mean business and convince him to stay. It's disingenuous and rotten to twist words and pass the blame of failure to the player.

*Second thing that struck me was how little attention the U.S. media had obviously paid to Halladay in his time with the Jays. I always gave people the benefit of the doubt in terms of being aware of the major-league landscape beyond the ends of their own noses. It's not just Phillies' media, but maybe playing in Canada is indeed a handicap to the recognition of excellence. The local Philly media was astonished to learn that Doc is always the first one into the clubhouse every morning and that the young guys are influenced to try and keep up. It's the same story we had written every spring for the last five seasons. Then there seemed to be this infatuation with Cliff Lee and the question of how Doc would have to earn his way out of Lee's shadow. What?? Lee is to Halladay what David Lee of the Knicks is to Dwight Howard of the Magic. His numbers are good, but if you see the two players every day, or every five days, it's not even close.

As Doc smilingly left the news conference I quietly told him that Brian Butterfield since Halladay left told me he can now come in 45 minutes to an hour later and still be first in the weight room. Doc's response was: "What, he's going to come in at 3:30 (a.m.) now?" 

On another point, I think Charlie Manuel is the perfect manager for Halladay. In Charlie's own words he loves guys that play "country hardball" and even though he wouldn't go so far as to say it publicly, he believes he has the better pitcher in Halladay and if it came down next October to having a guy pitch on three days rest, he would throw Doc out there in a heartbeat. It may be necessary.

JOHNNY MAC IS BACK

One can't help but smile when listening to the humble John McDonald talk about himself and apologize for thinking that anyone possibly even knows who he is. J-Mac just moved to the Boston area with his wife and daughter and made it down for the physicals. He was airing out his arm on the small football field designed for conditioning and agility drills early on Sunday afternoon with non-roster newcomer, outfielder Jeremy Reed. As J-Mac tried to reach the clubhouse, he was cornered by local media after answering contract and playing role questions, he spent most of his time talking about fatherhood. He believes that none of his young teammates are aware of who he is and that's why he can't be a mentor on the Jays' without crediting lessons learned from Omar Vizquel and Robbie Alomar, his own mentors in Cleveland.

McDonald at the end of his current two-year Jays' contract will max out his major-league pension, which is the best pension plan in the history of organized labour. It's a big part of the reason he re-signed with the Jays. In this case, the Jays deserve credit for taking care of one of their own. Loyalty breeds loyalty.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY DONE THE RIGHT WAY

On Monday, Pat Hentgen will be in uniform as a guest coach and on Tuesday, Dave Stieb will join him -- or at least, as the Jays put it in a release, is scheduled to join him. One never knows about Stieb. However the point is that the Jays should continue the repatriation of their former stars in meaningful roles as instructors and executives rather than flying them in for a meaningless Friday introduction in the on-deck circle and embarrassing the current players by this constant dwelling on the past.

WHERE'S CITO?

I can't understand why manager Cito Gaston did not put in an early appearance to mingle with the early arriving players in his final season as manager of the Jays. If I'm wrong about that I apologize in advance. But talking casually with newcomer Brandon Morrow every day this week in the near-empty spring training clubhouse it's clear that he doesn't really know many people here and that new pitching coach Bruce Walton is the only major-league coach that came early. The talented but unproven Morrow is being counted on as a mid-rotation starter, but has likely heard nothing encouraging from anyone in charge since phone conversations with GM Alex Anthopoulos as he now works out with virtual strangers. Perhaps Cito had visa problems. Oh wait, he lives at EastLake Woodlands about a 15-minute drive from the Bobby Mattick Training Centre. Maybe I'm overreacting but I don't think so and it's not right.

THE AL EAST GAP A GORGE?...NO MAKE THAT A CHASM

I wrote in an earlier column that the Jays have 37 pitchers on the roster or invited to camp and that of that number, 28 of them accumulated major-league service in 2009. I wrote that the Jays' 28 MLB pitchers had accumulated a total of 64 victories in 2009. What I didn't say was "Yikes!!" Meanwhile, upon visiting Yankee camp last Thursday to see A.J. and the defending champs, the Bombers have 18 pitchers in camp that had major-league time in 2009. Their cumulative victory total is 111. That is a big hill to climb. You've got to love baseball as much as you love the Jays in order to keep the faith in 2010.           

          

Mail Bag

It may in fact have been warmer in Vancouver at the Olympics on Tuesday night than it was in Dunedin at Jay's training headquarters. Global warming is selective, one guesses. In any case, some of the hardier Jays' players have already started on-field workouts on their own at the Bobby Mattick Training Center. The Jays' reporting date is the 20th, with the first pitcher and catcher workout two days later. The weather is supposed to be warming in time for the weekend. Let's see, not enough experienced starting pitching, too much experienced relieving and who is going to play the corner outfield spots? Those are some of the major questions heading into camp. It will be interesting. On to the mailbag.

Q: Do you think the other pitchers will pick up their game now that Doc is gone? They will all want to be the no. 1 pitcher on the Jays' staff. They are one year older. Their arms may be stronger if they push themselves to pitch more innings. Who do you think will have the greatest number of complete games on the Jays' staff this year?
Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A: That's easier said than done, picking one's game up at will. It will be very difficult for a first-year pitching coach in Bruce Walton, with a bunch of pitchers going through the process without their daily role model, Roy Halladay. Every morning when the young pitchers arrived in the clubhouse at the Mattick Training Center or at Dunedin Stadium, Halladay would already be there either in the weight room or out running. How could a young pitcher not try a little harder and stay a little longer when his best, most established teammate is working harder than he is? That's not to say these guys without Doc won't work hard, but spring training and the regular season become a grind and that's the fatigue that wears a young pitcher down as much as arm fatigue. Who will take over as the leader among the starting pitchers? We'll have to pay attention this spring, but Shaun Marcum, as long as he is completely healthy, would be a good bet. As for the leader in complete games, the last Jays' pitcher other than Roy Halladay to record more than two complete games in a season was Esteban Loaiza in 2002. He went the distance three times. The Jays' leader in CG this year will likely have two. That means a lot of work for the bullpen.

Q: Hi Richard:
I have been a huge fan of yours since your days with the Expos. After all, you were deemed the best PR guy in baseball back then and we are very fortunate to have you here. My question is this. The Jays will have a new surface this year and I hope they they studied the Tampa field. I like the idea of a complete dirt infield and not the cut outs at the bases. I think dirt all around would cut down on injuries, what's your assessment on this?
Marty Greenberg, Toronto

A: I agree with you that the Jays should have the dirt infield if for nothing else but the aesthetics of baseball. But it's not going to happen. They are going to have the cutouts at the bases as they always have in the Dome because of their desire to have more “other” events in the building that require the transformation from baseball to concerts and back in as short a time as possible. Whenever I fly during the season, wherever we are landing, I always look out the windows to find baseball diamonds on the ground in whatever glide path we are on. There's something comforting about an empty ball field – and, yes, invariably they all have dirt infields. The Jays and Rays are the only artificial turfs left in the majors. Jays are the only ones without a dirt infield.

Q: Since the Jays acquired Dana Eveland, they've had 41 players on their 40 man roster (according to their website). What's going on here? Is there some sort of loophole allowing the Jays to carry the extra man? Otherwise, who's going to get cut?
Mike Patton, Edmonton

A: I have noticed the 41-man listing on the website. I will check on it, but there is the possibility that they have not done the paperwork on one of their newcomers yet and they may be waiting until they can put Dirk Hayhurst on the 60-day disabled list, which would effectively remove him from the 40-man roster. There are certain key dates when all teams must refresh their 40-man rosters and baseball may be in one of those in-between times right now.

Q: Hi Richard,
I'm a huge fan, keep up the good work. I always thought Vernon Wells was a somewhat solid Centre Fielder based on fielding percentage and watching at least 80 games a year on TV. But I have come across the UZR (ultimate zone ratings) stat which places Wells in the bottom quartile for CF's when looking at the 3 year number. Do you put any stock in the UZR stat? Do you look at any specific stat when placing value on a fielder's defence? I did notice last year that Wells' path to the ball was suspect at best sometimes and the UZR stat seems to put a value to this. I guess you can't make an error on a ball that you don't put yourself in the best position possible to catch.
Cam Runte, Vancouver

A: The Ultimate Zone Rating is an interesting new statistic that attempts to compare outfielders defensively in terms of identifying batted balls that they either reach or do not reach to make a play on that are deemed to be in their area. It's an interesting concept, but unless the same person is charting every major-league game then the variance on subtle subjectivity makes it difficult for UZR to be definitive. Take Vernon Wells as an example, since that's who we're talking about here. Over the past decade, the horse in the Jays' rotation has been Roy Halladay, a groundball machine. In addition, the corners, especially in left field, have not had the greatest range and batted balls that drop in for hits may actually have been in their “area” but Wells is the one that pulls up and comes closest to making thre play, so it looks like it was his ball and people then say he's slowed down. Players can have bad seasons at the plate and they can have bad seasons in the field. Wells in 2009 had both, but when a ball leaves an opponent's bat, to my mind, Wells still gets amazing reads and jumps and still has the ability to be an above average major-league centre fielder UZR results or not.

Q: Who gets traded first? Jeremy Accardo or Lyle Overbay? Both seem to have issues with Jays management, Accardo with upper management, Overbay with Cito. Could we package them together and get a SS/3B prospect?
Jason Sinnarajah, Sydney, Australia

A: Overbay is signed for one more season at a relatively reasonable $7 million. In addition, he would likely be a Type B free agent after the 2010 season meaning a team would receive an extra draft pick when someone else signed him. The Jays came close to trading Overbay already this off-season and I think he will go before Accardo. There will be many teams at the end of camp that find out they need help in the bullpen. That will be when GM Alex Anthopoulos receives the most calls for guys like Accardo,. Jeremy still has an option left, meaning he can be sent to the minors at the end of camp, but given the chain of events surrounding Accardo's displeasure with the organization, Anthopoulos would likely try to trade him to another major-league club at that point. I say Overbay goes first. But I've been wrong before.

Q: Hi Richard,
The subject of pitch count and overwork comes up just about every time a Jays pitcher goes down and it seems nothing is done about it. I read a Baseball America article a while back about Nolan Ryan's long toss programme in Texas and I'm wondering whether he's had any measurable results a year later. I've read other people-most notably David Wells-are supporters of more and longer long toss. Have you heard anything about this?
John Sault, Winnipeg

A: I don't think that any of the Jays' arm problems have been the result of pitch count. I don't think that has ever been the major issue as much as between start regimens, the type of pitches that a guy throws in his repertoire and any history of arm problems. The Jays have been forced to take chances on guys with histories of surgery or arm problems just in order to compete by catching lightning in a bottle. Therefore a re-occurences with pitchers of that type are more likely, making the Jays' pitching programs seem suspect. Injuries are so highly individual pitcher-to-pitcher because the act of throwing a baseball is so unnatural to the human body. As for long-toss, it is an integral part of every starting pitcher's between-starts throwing. Ryan and the Rangers may have a slightly different view, placing more emphasis on it, but one year is not going to gie you much of a read. It's done by all.

Q: Pitching related: What are the chances of Robert Ray making the team this year? I don't have his statistics in front of me but it seems to me that whenever he was given the chance to start he always kept his team in the game. Also, what's the latest news on David Purcey? There was a bit of hype a few years back and now we hear almost next to nothing about him.
Darrell Holtze, Guelph

A: As long as Cito Gaston is managing, it's unlikely that Robert Ray will be able to fight his way through the sea of similar-type starters in the organization to reach the major-league level in 2010. I recall the disappointment expressed by the manager in the wake of Ray's failed start at Fenway Park on May 21. Gaston was frustrated by his pitch selection and his perceived sense of panic. It was his last start for the Jays and Gaston and whoever has been the GM have barely mentioned Ray's name since.

Q: Hi Richard
27 pitchers....Ever see that before with any team in MLB? Can never have too many pitchers. I'll buy that but 27 on the protected list? Jays had overabundance of SS's recently too but are still scratching at this position.
Ray Stockus, Bend, Oregon

A: Last season the Jays listed 27 pitchers on the 40-man roster as spring training approached. They invited six more non-roster hurlers, so the actual number is not as interesting as is the number of those pitchers that are all in the same situation – in their mid to late 20s, with mixed pasts and not much major-league experience but with a chance to win a job. In terms of turnover to the roster, consider that from last year's 27 roster pitchers heading to camp, 12 are no longer even with the organization – T.J. Beam, Bryan Bullington, Brian Burres, Matt Bush, Fabio Castro, Bill Murphy, Davis Romero, B.J. Ryan, Reid Santos, Brian Wolfe, Brandon League and Roy Halladay. As for shortstop, this season will mark the eighth different opening day shortstop for the Jays in the past 10 years – Alex Gonzalez ('01), Felipe Lopez ('02), Chris Woodward ('03-04), Russ Adams ('05-'06), Royce Clayton ('07), David Eckstein ('08) and Marco Scutaro ('09). They are scratching at this position, as you put it.

Live baseball Q&A

Richard Griffin fielded readers' questions about baseball in a live Q&A today.

Mail Bag

Join Richard Griffin at noon Friday for a live baseball Q&A.

There was a baseball news item this week that made me smile. The Brewers are apparently erecting a bronze statue of commissioner Bud Selig in front of Miller Park -- which should make pigeons all over Wisconsin very happy. Of course Selig was the man that campaigned back in the '60s for an expansion team and then for the failed Seattle Pilots franchise to be transferred to Milwaukee after the Braves bailed and took the team to Atlanta. The statue of Selig, the former Brewers' owner, will apparently be seven feet tall. It is believed but not confirmed that Cards manager Tony LaRussa, who presided over Mark McGwire's own physical transformation in Oakland, saw nothing unusual, suspicious or out of the ordinary in the commissioner's late-life growth spurt and called to congratulate Bud on the obvious diligence in the weight room that saw him gain 14 inches in height.

Spring training reporting date for the Jays is just over one week away. Join me on Friday at noon for a live Q&A before heading to Florida next Tuesday. Play Ball and on to this week's mailbag.

Q: Your articles have treated Alex Whoever rather generously. I have no idea why. His legacy has already been written -- he's paying Doc $6 million to pitch elsewhere for nothing in return but luck. But signing Kevin Gregg as a closer is a disaster. He lost the closer job in Florida because of incompetence. He lost the closer job in Chicago because of incompetence. His e.r.a and w.h.i.p. are terrible for a closer. All of Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Jeremy Accardo are better than Gregg. Let Alex handle the accounting duties and lets get a GM who actually has some baseball smarts.

Ken Goll, Hamilton

A: Alex Anthopoulos has taken the same route to becoming a major-league general manager as many competent executives before him and has demonstrated the maturity and work ethic to handle a front office of advisors that may, in fact, know more about identifying major-league talent than he does. That's a big part of being a GM these days is listening to those that may know better in their certain area of expertise. Anthopoulos does that well, showing a restrained ego in many areas. If you list all the GMs today that have come not from a playing background but from an administrative, scouting and player development background, it would be the majority. Just a sampling of GMs that started young as assistants in baseball administration would include Dave Dombrowski (Tigers), Brian Cashman (Yankees), Theo Epstein (Red Sox), Ed Wade (Astros), Andrew Friedman (Rays), Andy MacPhail (O's), Jon Daniels (Rangers) and others.

As for the Halladay deal, Anthopoulos had a Day-1-of-his-tenure mandate to make the deal as per the desires of Halladay. It's a right Halladay earned to ask the Jays for a trade and to specify destination following his years of loyal service to the franchise. The franchise was not headed immediately in a direction that would have allowed Halladay to win a championship in the next few years. That was the promise J.P. Ricciardi gave him when Doc re-upped with the club in 2007. In any case, with the parameters that Anthopoulos was given in terms of final destination for Doc, the haul he got back in terms of three good prospects was likely as good as it gets. If he had waited any longer the window of opportunity may have closed on his fingers. It may be his legacy but it will not be written until the fate of the three players as major-leaguers is known.

Q: Richard,

With respect to the deal on December 17th 2009. Who do you like on July 1st, 2010 as your starting pitcher, should you be an anonymous team willing to part with a star player; J.A Happ or Kyle Drabek?

Best regards,

Moses Goldman, York

A: In July of 2010, the major-league-ready lefthander Happ will be the more ready-for-primetime pitcher for the Phillies, but his ceiling is lower than that of Drabek. Likely as early as July 1, 2012 if the same question was asked again, the answer would be Drabek. The 2010 season is going to be a rollercoaster for Jays' fans as the front office finds out who can pitch and who can't; who can play and who can't, all the while competing in the very difficult AL East.

Q: Hi Richard,

The Jays have added a lot of pitchers this off season and with the Roy Halladay trade as well as a few other moves, they've brought in a number of prospects. However, none of these prospects or newly acquired pitchers are really seen as the type of players that can be game-changers. In most sports, when a team is rebuilding they form a strong foundation for the team with top tier prospects and then build around that foundation. With the Jays in full rebuilding mode, is the foundation for the future of this team guys like Travis Snider, Adam Lind, and Aaron Hill? Is Alex Anthopolous going out and picking up all these mediocre prospects and players with the hope that at least one or two of them will develop into an all-star?

Varun Chakravorty, Brampton

A: The first Jays' reality is that like 29 other teams they have to find enough pitching in 2010 to handle 1,450 innings of major-league games combined between starters and pen. Since no starter on the current staff has ever recorded more than 180 major-league innings in a season, if you generously give the top five guys that many frames it still adds up to just 900 innings, meaning there is 550 more to fill. Thus the quantity over quality when it comes to starters. The Jays will use at least 10 starters in 2010. In terms of down the road, there are several potential 200 inning pitchers in Jays camp that have just never done it. There's Shaun Marcum, Romero, Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek, Zach Stewart, Jesse Litsch and Dustin McGowan. But right now in 2010 you can't count on any of them for that much work. And no, there's no Roy Halladay in this group, which is why it will be a tough season.

As for the building blocks of the franchise, you are correct in naming Snider, Lind and Hill. The organization would include first baseman Brett Wallace in that mix as well as Vernon Wells who is locked in for the next five seasons unless he opts out after 2011 which is unlikely. They have homegrown catchers on the horizon, so their priority in order to contend is to look for help at one outfield spot, third base and shortstop.

Q: Richard,

I disagree with your thought that pitchers need to win 50% of starts for the Hall of Fame. In fact, wins are the weakest of statistics to indicate a pitcher's greatness....so, would you vote for Bert Blyleven for the Hall of Fame and why or why not?

David Talarico, Toronto

A: I have had a Hall-of-Fame vote since the 2005 election as a 10-year member of the BBWAA. I did not vote for Bert Blyleven for the first five ballots. I had my mind changed on Blyleven after reading carefully the various e-mails and releases sent out by his supporters. He came close this year and I will vote for him again next season. Part of the reason that I changed my mind on Blyleven is that it seemed as the years went by that his career numbers of innings pitched, complete games and strikeouts would not be equalled by too many future starters in this wimpy pitch-count world.

In addition to wins, I would like to believe that a Hall-of-Famer over the course of his career was at least the ace starter on his own pitching staff and was one of the most respected and recognized pitchers of his own era. That is a reason I did not vote for Don Sutton, even though he got to Cooperstown despite me. And I respect Sutton as a Hall-of-Famer and congratulate him which is a far cry from many of today's generation of teeth-grinding baseball fans who seem to take it personally when someone gets in that they don't agree with – like Andre Dawson.

Q: Hey Richard, what are the chances Brian Dopirak earns a spot this year? If you had to choose - Scott Downs or Jason Frasor? Jays over/under 70 wins in 2010?

Cheers,

R.N., San Francisco

A: Over the course of time after being in Florida at major-league training camp every spring since 1978, I believe I can look at the young players in uniform in their first camp and make a prediction on whether they are major-leaguers or not. It's all in the way they carry themselves, the way they interact with the veterans and coaches, the way they handle the big-league scene, acting as if they belong without realizing they're being observed. It's in the quieter moments that you can tell the most. Using that criteria, Dopirak is a major-leaguer. However, numbers work against him on the depth chart. In fact, often when you get a reputation as a good minor-league hitter, it stays with you and you are treated merely as an insurance policy. For a good example see Randy Ruiz who ranks above Dopirak on the depth chart and stands in his way. But I like the 26-year-old Dopirak if he ever gets a chance.

As for the closer role, ever since Jason Frasor became confident in his third pitch he has been a solid ninth inning option. Downs was given the opportunity to close after B.J. Ryan left, but his strength is in getting hitters to chase his sweeping breaking ball and that's a dicey ninth-inning talent if you're looking for lights out. However, referring to the Dopirak observation, Frasor has some of the worst body language in the history of closers. With an over/under at 70, I would take the under, but it will be close and the over may look like a slam dunk at the halfway mark. BEWARE THE WALL.

Q: Before the season starts and we focus on the Jays, I wanted to ask about a ridiculous comment I keep hearing about Roy Halladay. Everyone in the US media keeps saying that Halladay is only a small improvement over Cliff Lee. Cliff Lee pitched great last year, but he also pitched against inferior opponents to what Halladay has dominated year after year. Am I missing something here? I predict a 21-23 wins from Doc this year with an ERA below 2.50.

Jason Sinnarajah, Sydney, Australia

A: I also cannot believe the comments about only a “small improvement” between Halladay and Lee. Maybe there is something to that complaint about pitching in Canada and being out of the public eye. None of the national baseball media in the States seems to go out of their way or make a day trip to find a regular season Jays game and in terms of nationally televised games in the U.S., the Jays are only on if they are a Yankee or Red Sox opponent. Prediction for Halladay if he remains healthy for the Phillies: 25-7, 2.90 ERA in 248 innings.

Q: Romero and others mentioned last year that Halladay led by example with his work ethic, and his calm demeanour and approach to the game were stabilizing factors. Is this simply meaningless 'sports interview' filler or is it an important point? Considering the youth of the Jays pitching staff, how important is it for them to sign a veteran starter who can provide some stability for the younger guys? I'm not talking about an ace, but just a solid, experienced major-league starter.

Chris Penney, Ottawa

A: I had the opportunity to speak with coach Brian Butterfield on Tuesday. He and Halladay were notorious at spring training for being the first two guys in the weight room every day even before sunrise. As such, they developed a friendship. Butter had this to say about Halladay.

“He's the best I've ever been around. I'm going to miss him. You feel great that you had an opportunity to be around him and watch him on a daily basis. Even on the days that he didn't pitch it was fun watching him in the weight room and doing his (bullpen session) and watching his (pitchers' fielding drills). When we did our fielding stuff on the back field, Doc always set the tone on whatever we did. If we did a bunt defence, he'd be the first one out on the mound and he would set the tone instantly. He would fire off the mound and throw a strike, a bullet to third base. You'd kind of look around at the kids and the place would be quiet. All the pitchers would say, 'Well, I guess this is the way this drill is going to go.' It would help you as a coach. It would help you as a team.”

That speaks volumes about how much they will miss him. As of this moment, there is no veteran starter in the mix to show the way, but a bunch of these Jays' pitchers are smart enough to remember what Halladay brought to camp and try to emulate that ethic.

Q: Richard: If the Jays are unable to make a trade for Lyle Overbay, have they considered trying him at third base for the interm? After all, he has the appearance of a third baseman, (Roy Howell, Wade Bogs, Mike Schmidt).... Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's a future hall of famer, just that his bat could come in handy. Can he make the throw across the diamond? Or is he too slowfooted? Or is it a lefthanded thing? Thanks for the informative Blog.

Big Ken Burns, Matheson

A: People have told me I have the appearance of a millionaire, but no. Even though Overbay does everything else righthanded – writes, signs autographs, shoots hoops, bowls, etc. -- he throw a baseball lefthanded which precludes him from playing third base in the majors. The only lefty third baseman I saw in a major-league game was current Red Sox manager Terry Francona playing for the Expos on October 6, 1985. He entered the game at Shea Stadium in the fourth inning and played four innings at third before being replaced by Vance Law. He loved it. It never happened again. It's all about the footwork and having to turn completely to make a throw to second base...less so to first.

Jays sign Kevin Gregg

The Jays announced early Friday that 31-year-old reliever Kevin Gregg has passed his physical and has agreed to terms on a one-year contract for $2.75 million. In addition, there are club options for one more season ($4.5 million) or two years ($8.75 million). It seems like an unnecessary personnel move for a team that is already deep in iffy closers like Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and Jeremy Accardo.

Gregg was 5-6 with a 4.72 ERA with 23 saves in 30 opportunities for the Cubs in 2009. He appeared in 72 games, losing the closing role in mid-season to Carlos Marmol. 

It's not the amount of money for Gregg that seems questionable, it's more the addition of another pitcher whose value in 2010 to the task of assembling an improved, fan-satisfying on-field product seems minimal when compared to others already on hand that could do basically the same job. 

Perhaps the club option years tagged onto the deal are the keys for GM Alex Anthopoulos. One bonus is that the addition of a veteran arm like Gregg for less money than Downs ($4M) and basically the same salary as Frasor ($2.65M) allows the 32-year-old GM to explore trade options for either of those bullpen guys to help the team build in other areas. In that way it makes sense, but in strict terms of adding wins to the balance sheet in 2010, it makes no difference.

However -- and here's where A.A. may be hedging his bets -- looking ahead to 2011 the Jays can gauge as this season unfolds whether they have any chance at all of contending in the AL East 2011. If they do, they can pick up the Gregg option for one year or two and then try to upgrade their closer, using Gregg in his proper setup role. Fact is he is not a true closer for a true contender.

In terms of the Jays' option years on the contract, it's the same situation as when the club signed catcher Bengie Molina back in 2006. They gave him a one-year deal plus a ridiculous option that they knew they were unlikely to pick up, but it's like throwing a bone to the agent and the player. The agent can point to the total number and show his client he's looking out for him, while the player can tell himself that he's a cut above all the other unsigned free agents still looking for a job in early February.  

The Jays' bullpen has room for seven men on opening day. Here is a list of 15 invited-to-camp relievers with major-league experience. Accardo, Shawn Camp, Jesse Carlson (L), Downs (L), Frasor, Gregg, Dirk Hayhurst (DL), Sean Henn (L), Casey Janssen, Josh Roenicke, Brian Tallet (L), Merkin Valdez, Lance Broadway, Willie Collazo and Steven Register. Downs is the only one there making more than $3 million. Oh check that. I forgot about B.J. Ryan's big gulp $10 million deal for one more year of doing nothing.

That will be a battle worth watching at training camp with remaining player options playing a huge role. If other major league teams find they are a little short of bodies out in the bullpen as the spring unfolds, they have Alex's number. Not all of these guys are Vegas bound if they don't open with the Jays. It also looks like Tallet will be given a shot at winning a starting job at the back-end of the rotation. 

   

Mail Bag

Welcome to the first edition of the 2010 baseball mailbag. As we speak, it seems the Jays under rookie GM Alex Anthopoulos are making what on the surface seems like their first personnel misstep in pursuing the overpriced, redundant-to-the-cause bullpen closer, Kevin Gregg. The 31-year-old Gregg has been far from a lights-out closer over the course of his career, with his last three years being in the NL for the Marlins and Cubs. The question becomes is he any better as a closing option for a Jays' team that will be struggling to provide save opportunities than would a Jason Frasor or Scott Downs? In any case, should the deal get done, it signals that there is at least one further transaction on the horizon before spring training involving one or more of the Jays' very deep bullpen corps. The most likely pitchers to be traded from the pen are the hardluck Jeremy Accardo or the less-than-inspiring Frasor. It's not the money, because the Jays have lots of it to spend just to equal last year's payroll, it's what they are spending it on in an area in which they are already deep that seems dicey. On to the mailbag.

Q: Hi Richard - I'm a long time Jays fan but I can't help but turn my thoughts more to next season (2011) than this season. After Cito Gaston leaves at the end of the year, do you see the Jays hiring someone new to the MLB level (either internally or externally) or bringing a big name manager?
Josh Turner, Toronto

A: I see the Jays turning to a first-time manager following Cito's retirement in 2011. It will likely be someone from outside the organization, someone that has major-league experience as a coach and someone that has dealt in the past with GM Alex Anthopoulos, assistant Dana Brown or both. In my experience through the years, teams most often follow up one manager with the opposite in style and personality. Look at the head honcho succession for the Jays. The tightly wound traditionalist Jimy Williams was followed by the player-friendly Cito Gaston, followed by the blood-and-guts lifetime coach Tim Johnson, then by the lifetime by-the-book skipper Jim Fregosi, followed by the former Jays' playing legend, media-savvy but starry-eyed Buck Martinez, by the no-nonsense, no-name Carlos Tosca, by the aw-shucks country boy John Gibbons, by the metamorphosized by this time into a non player-friendly but still just let-em-play-ball Cito. Thus the next guy will be a young spunky tactician right for the moment of an emerging, talented, still inexperienced young 2011 team.

Q: With the Jays roster getting younger and younger, how likely will it be that Cito makes it through the season?
Donald Wright, Los Gatos, Calif.

A: Back in 1997 when Cito was fired, he was not yet ready to pack it in as a manager and was also just three years removed from back-to-back World Series wins. It was tougher for him to accept a crappy team that wasn't actually so young yet had a low ceiling. At that time, he could see how managing a bad team, even with huge talents like Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, Roger Clemens and Pat Hentgen, could affect his future as a manager. He did not react well. This time he has a more zen-like attitude. Also, the makeup of this coaching staff is better than last year in support of a laissez-play manager like Cito. This time, in his last hurrah, he will have season-long communication with his pitching coach. His other coaches will have one ear in the clubhouse proper to prevent the end-of-season of their discontent. Gaston, with four more years as an adviser to come, will survive the season. The next step for Cito as an assistant to the GM is to be able to differentiate between Jeremy and Casey as he failed to do for season ticket holders last week.

Q: What is Dustin McGowan's status? People talk about Ricky Romero as the projected number one starter, however McGowan seemed to have incredible stuff a couple of seasons ago and seemed well on his way to harnessing it. How would you compare him and Romero?
Eric Emerson, Roslin, Ont.

A: I fear sometimes that expectations for a returning McGowan are going to be more than he is capable of producing. People tend to romanticize his accomplishments before the injuries that put Dustin on the shelf in July of 2008. He was a terrific arm, with electric stuff that, even at that time, had not put it all together yet and was at best a No. 3 starter heading towards No. 2 status. Several days ago he threw from a mound with no pain. That is a far cry from pitching into the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, having thrown 110 stressful pitches in a major-league game in the middle of the summer. He has missed 19 months and two days of pitching from a mound to live hitters. It is unreasonable to expect that in the next 60 days he can be ready to join the Jays' starting rotation. First of all, there is no need to rush him back with the number of major-league experienced youngsters coming to camp ready to pitch. I can see him remaining on the 15-day DL at the end of camp then remaining in Dunedin to open the season in their rotation and then moving up through the system until he is proven ready top re-join the Jays. He can make an impact eventually at the major-league level, but don't expect too much too soon. As for Ricky Romero being the ace, he needs to show he can handle 200 innings and not run out of gas in mid-August. He will be matched up against other teams' aces and needs to step up his own game. I would rather have a healthy Shaun Marcum start the season facing the best opponents.

Q: Richard,
The Blue Jays' ownership, management, beat writers and even the national media say that 2010 will be a "throw-away" season, that even a hundred losses will be tolerated. If I were a member of the team's 40-man roster, I'd be coming to spring training feeling mad and humiliated over the situation. If you were the manager of the Jays, what would you tell the players on the morning of the full team's first-day workout? As always, thanks.
Ben Prestianni, Newark, Delaware

A: I beg to differ on your interpretation of what various segments of baseball society have been saying about the Jays in 2010. I do not recall anyone in management saying that it is a “throwaway” season and I certainly do not recall anyone with the Jays talking about 100 losses being acceptable. That's just 62 wins, dude. Management to the best of my recollection has insinuated that a .500 season could be a goal, while most media – national and local – talk about a win total in the 70s. That's like saying about your infant child as he turns one-year-old that the next year, between one and two, is a “throwaway” year because, after all, he starts the year still dumping in his diaper and still staggers when he walks. Hey mom, let's ignore him until he turns four then we can pay attention again. That's not the way it works. There is no such thing as a “throwaway” year in life or sports. Then again, aren't they the same?

Q: How seriously should we take AA's comments that he's "talking" to Johnny Damon's agent? And would he ever come here anyway?
Jim Meehan, Richmond Hill

A: Damon's agent is Scott Boras and, hey, things went so well for the Jays talking to the Great One about James Paxton, the Jays' touted Canadian pick in the sandwich round of last June's draft why not let's do it again. Was Boras or was he not representing Paxton as agent or was he just advising him, because the NCAA wants to know and Paxton is not cooperating? Now Paxton's suspended from his senior year of ball at the University of Kentucky and lawsuits are flying. Then Boras badly miscalculated the market for Damon and with a couple of weeks to go until spring training is grasping at straws – and Jays. Damon needs to create a market for himself and thus the assurance that he would be willing to play for the Jays – of course hoping that at the deadline he would be traded to a contender (i.e. the Yankee). Is that really the kind of “me-first” attitude you want in your clubhouse at spring training infecting your young homegrowns that have nowhere to go at the deadline? Damon, after the Yankees and others spurned him, can't really afford to dismiss any team that makes eye contact, which of course is what the rookie GM Anthopoulos has been doing with everyone. (See: Aroldis Chapman, Ben Sheets, et al).

Q: Hey Richard,
I don't know if you saw Keith Law's ranking of baseball farm systems the other day. He put the Jays at #16. Is that fair? We keep hearing that we're working to build for the future. 16 doesn't sound like too good of a start to me.
Mike Shankley, Toronto

A: Hey, Keith Law has been tough on the Jays over the years since he left the club's employment. I finally knew he had it made as a media member when former GM J.P. Ricciardi dismissively said “it didn't take Keith long to become an a-hole like the rest of them.” That's why we have now welcomed Law into the BBWAA (by the way, neither of those A's stands for a-hole). In any case, Law's ESPN.com ranking of the Jays farm system at 16 is significant progress for the organization, thanks to the acquisition of talented young prospects starting with the Scott Rolen trade last July for Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart and the Doc trade that brought in Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace and Travis D'Arnaud. The Jays' farm sustem might be ranked higher if not for the fact that many of the young pitchers that should by all rights still be at Double-A or AAA were pressed into major-league service last year due to injuries and other factors.

Q: Spring Training - how do some games remain tied after 10, 11 innings, others after 9, and others after 5, 6 innings? Who decides? Were all those games rained out? Curfews in effect?
Mark Roda, Lourinha, Portugal

A: That's a good question that we don't often think about because living in Portugal, all it would say on the website boxscore is that the game ended in a tie with no explanation. The easiest way to explain it is that any official tie game of more than five and less than nine innings is the result of weather. Any tie game after that (9+ innings) is the result of the visiting team running out of pitchers. They all used to be played to conclusion, even if the visiting team had to pitch a position player in extra innings, but no more. I remember the first time it happened when I was a P.R. Guy with the Expos in the late '80s. We got a call in the press box in West Palm Beach from the home dugout that this was the last inning because the visitors didn't bring enough pitchers. We prayed that someone would score in the 10th and end it properly. When it remained tied, we made the stadium announcement that the game was over and you would have thought that we had held the crowd up at gunpoint. It started as a rumble and turned into a roar. The press box at West Palm was just a long, two-row gondola high above the stands. From the top of the grandstands behind the plate was a skinny wooden gangplank with rails at a 45-degree angle. As irate fans started to swarm up the plank, I was forced to lock the door and look through the little glass porthole, feeling like Frankenstein's monster facing the villagers with torches. We made further announcements that the game was official, no money would be returned and people finally went home. The memory still haunts me. In any case, since that time, it has become commonplace for managers to just bring enough pitchers to get through nine innings and then head for the bus.

Q: I'm trying to decide the best stat to measure ballplayers. I've decided that OPS is the best stat to rank offensive players but I'm finding it trickier to find a stat to rank pitchers, I've been looking at OPS+ / WHIP / ERA+. What stats do you look at to determine how good a pitcher is?
Anthony Ball, Mississauga

A: I'm like Al Davis. “Just win, baby!” No, actually, as an old school baseball guy, I'm actually beginning to like some of the SABR generated stats for pitchers, but to me, for a starting pitcher, I find it hard to consider anyone among the elite at his profession (i.e. Hall-of-Fame) if his win total is not at least 50-percent of his games started. Also, when I'm looking at the Jays' farm system for example, I like to find pitchers with more than one strikeout per inning pitched. Then I take those pitchers and find their actual SO/9IP and then subtract their walks-per-9 innings pitched. The higher that remaining number the better chance I rate them of moving up in the system. I use that because at the lower levels of the minors, on balls put in play there is the un-eveness of field conditions and defensive support. Plus, young starting pitchers on a pitch count don't get many chances to win games going five innings.

Q: Hey Richard,
I bet you're sick of Delgado e-mails already, but I've been at work for a while and I've missed the beginning of the Delgado rumours, and I just read about AA's denial. I understand what they're trying to do, and as a fan I'm willing to be patient. But they've got to throw us a bone here. I loved watching Delgado play. He remains my favorite Jay in franchise history, and I'm sure there are a lot of Blue Jay fans who feel the same way. If Delgado was in a Jay uniform and at the plate, I wouldn't change the channel. Besides, he can't be worse than Lyle Overpaid.
Bryn G.

A: The rumours of Delgado being a player of interest for the Jays refuse to go away. My belief is that Delgado still is gimping around in Puerto Rico and needs to improve physically before anyone can consider him. I believe that if the Jays trade Overbay then they would revisit the Delgado signing. I think that the first baseman of the future would become Brett Wallace but that the Jays would not want to just hand him the job, which is where Delgado in the twilight of his career would enter the picture, allowing the Jays to ease the new guy into the role while at the same time having one of the team's all-time greats go out with dignity in the team's uniform. The question becomes can Delgado still play any first base or would he have to DH platoon and with Overbay gone who would play first. The Jays definitely do not want corner outfielders to be Lind and Snider but they want both those bats in the lineup. Would Lind make a temporary move to first base until Wallace was ready?

Q: Hi Richard,
Two part question: 1) If this is it for Delgado's career, is he a hall of famer? 2) If his stats do make him a hall of famer does he suffer because he played in the steroids era? Will the writers think that it's not a coincidence that his career peaked during the steroid years and started to falter after steroids became illegal to use?
Vsem Yenovkian, Toronto

A: I love Delgado as a player and in his Jays' career as a positive clubhouse presence, but I have trouble seeing him as a Hall-of-Famer. He will be a Canadian Baseball Hall-of-Famer at St. Marys, but Cooperstowen I believe is beyond his grasp. The steroids era will have nothing to do with it.

Q: Richard,
I understand the concept of having guys like Travis Snider, Jose Bautista, Joey Gathright and Jeremy Reed competing for 3 of 4 outfield positions on the roster. They should have signed Reed Johnson to also come compete for a spot in the outfield? He has experience as a leadoff hitter, can play all three outfield positions and wouldn't have taken time to adapt to the atmosphere in the clubhouse.
Jesse Neary, Markham

A: Johnson recently signed a one year $850,000 deal with the Dodgers and that is a great move for Reed and for the Dodgers. He really is a NL type player, with the ability to play defence, run the bases and hit the occasional line-drive as a spot starter in all three outfield positions. With Manny Ramirez in left, Reed will finish every game in which the Dodgers have a two-run lead or better in the eighth inning or later after Manny's last at-bat. He may play 120 games in L.A. Johnson is an Angelino who is a legend at Cal-State Fullerton starting there in centre field ahead of Aaron Rowand. He's at home and will have a great season but at this stage he was no longer a for the Jays.