30 Teams in 30 Days: Arizona Diamondbacks

2011 Record: 94-68

Key Additions: Trevor Cahill (P), Jason Kubel (OF), Craig Breslow (P), Lyle Overbay (P), Takashi Saito (P)

Subtractions: Collin Cowgill (OF), Jason Marquis (P), Juan Gutierrez (P), Jarrod Parker (P)

2012 Outlook
Last year, the Diamondbacks were one of baseball’s biggest surprises, coming out of nowhere to win the NL West, behind second year manager Kirk Gibson. This year, they look to return to the playoffs again, and there is a good chance that they will if studs Ian Kennedy, Justin Upton, and Daniel Hudson play at the high level that they did last year. Upton, who is one of the best young hitters in the game, is coming off a great year in which he hit .289 with 31 long bombs. If the D-backs want to win the West again in 2012, he needs to continue to perform like a top tier player. Arizona’s offence is deep, featuring key players Miguel Montero, Chris Young, and Jason Kubel, and should be a top ten threat in the MLB. The only concern with this group is the health of Stephen Drew. Drew underwent ankle surgery this offseason, and is hoping to be ready by opening day. If his ankle does not recover fully, Arizona will have a tough job replacing him at short.

The Diamondback’s rotation looks to be above average this year. Kennedy and Hudson are joined by Trevor Cahill, Joe Saunders, and Josh Collmenter. Cahill is a great addition who should solidify the rotation, but he came at a high price, as the D-backs had to give away MLB ready prospect Jarrod Parker. His numbers may take a hit, as he moves from a pitchers park in Oakland to a hitters park in Arizona. It should also be noted that Kennedy will probably take a step back after going 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA last year, but he still should be Arizona’s best pitcher. Saunders and Collementer make up the back end of the rotation. If anyone falters, top prospect Trevor Bauer is waiting in the wings, and although he will start the year in Triple-A, he should be up by midseason.

J.J. Putz and David Hernandez will anchor what looks to be an average to bellow average bullpen. If the Diamondbacks are in the playoff hunt in July, you can count on GM Kevin Towers to add another arm if necessary.

Arizona has decent bench depth. Gerardo Parra is good enough to be an everyday player, and former Jays Lyle Overbay and John MacDonald will be solid backups defensively, if not offensively.

The Final Count: 92-70, First in NL West
The Diamondbacks will win their division again. The NL West is one of baseballs weaker divisions, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have enough firepower to take it. They have a good team with a talented, young core. This, their shrewd moves this offseason, and the lack of improvement by the other teams in their division makes Arizona a shoe in to be in the playoffs at the end of the season.

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Report: MLB to Add Extra Wild Card Seed

Reports from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports are that the MLB will add a second wild card team to each league this season, with the official announcement most likely coming tomorrow. When the new CBA was signed earlier in the off-season, a clause was put in that said that if another wild card were to be added for 2012, it would have to be agreed upon by March 1st. The MLB and MLBPA were able to meet this deadline, although reports were that they would extend the deadline, because both sides wanted the extra spot in effect for 2012.

You might be wondering, how is this going to effect the Blue Jays? It is going to play a huge role for the Jays, especially at the trade deadline. If the Jays are only 2 games back of the 2nd wild card, and 7 for the 1st, AA will look to improve the team, and get them over the hump. If this extra spot was not there, chances are, AA would not make an impactful move come July 31st.

The average amount of wins for the would be "2nd wild card team" from 1995-2011 is 89, a number well in reach of the 2012 Bluejays. The spot will be hard to obtain this season though, because the Rays,Red Sox, and Rangers/Angels will likely all be vying for the two wild card seeds.

I like the addition of the new wild card, although I would have like to see the league go to 8 teams per league in the playoffs, instead of 4. I know everybody wants to keep baseball how it used to be, but the game is about making money.Playoffs, except for in Tampa Bay, make money, lots of money. As much as people want to think that the MLB isn't a business, and its just a bunch of people playing the sport for the love of the game, it isn't. If you want to use the excuse of keeping baseball how is used to be, then there shouldn't be a DH, and I don't think there is anybody who wants to take the DH away. In my mind, it is a good step in the right direction, but I hope soon, the league expands to 16 playoff teams.

Our 30 teams in 30 days series will start tomorrow, when Ben Buckler previews the Arizona Diamondbacks 2012 season. Follow us on twitter, and like us on Facebook!

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Feel free to comment below giving your thoughts on the new playoff system!

Janssen Signing and Other Notes

Casey Janssen has agreed to terms on a 2-year contract with the Blue Jays avoiding arbitration. He will be paid $2 million in 2012, and $3.9 million in 2013, with a $4 million Anthoption for 2014. Janssen was the Blue Jays best reliever in 2011, when he posted career highs in most categories. He had a 2.26 ERA, a 1.096 WHIP, and a ERA+ of 189, all of which were career bests for Janssen. Casey and the Blue Jays were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing tomorrow, but they reached an agreement today, extending the Blue Jays streak of arbitration hearing free years to 13. I love the deal for both sides, as the Jays solidify there set up man position for at least the next two years at a very cheap cost, and bring back a player who is a fan favorite as well. Janssen loves it in Toronto, according to his twitter account (via @CaseyJanssen "So blessed and thrilled to be spending the next 2 hopefully 3 yrs with u Toronto. Lets go Jays!!"), and will hopefully be a key part in the Blue Jays success in the near future.

Last Thursday, it was announced that Ottawa will be receiving a AA team from the Eastern League in 2013, but it is not yet known which team will relocate, and who the parent club will be. The rumors are that the Binghamton Mets will be moving to the Nations Capital.

Starting March 1st, we will be starting to do a "30 Teams in 30 Days" series, to preview the upcoming MLB season. It will start with the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 1st, and end on March 30th, with your own, Toronto Blue Jays.

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The State of the Franchise

The State of the Franchise

There are a lot of Blue Jays fans out there. There are life-long fans, die-hard fans, superfans, casual fans, indifferent fans and all kinds in between. Many love the game from afar, or take it in when they can, and then there are others that need to be right in the action for as many games as possible. For the most part, those are the fans that go out and buy season tickets, and on Monday, January 30^th, those were the fans that Rogers invited to the Blue Jays 11^th annual State of the Franchise event! From 5:30 to about 9pm fans (and some media and select other guests) were given a night of VIP treatment like few fans ever receive, and on January 30^th, I was lucky enough to attend my first State of the Franchise event!

I was one of the first to arrive at Gate 9a, which was actually still locked when I got there, but some people who had arrived ahead of me, let me in from the snowy weather, where I was greeted by something I hadn’t encountered at the Rogers Center before: almost total silence. There were obviously some quiet conversations going on around me, but no cheers from the fans, no cracks of the bat from batting practice, and no music blaring over the PA systems. Greeting us were two tables for people to get and then give their tickets to enter, followed by a coat check. Once they began letting people in, we were greeted by servers bringing around free beer and wine and the food shops serving up free food. There was jerk chicken on a bun, hot dogs, sausage, and likely some other bits of food that I was too distracted to taste as I looked out onto the field to see a perverse sight. No dirt in the infield!

The stadium seats were eerily empty at first, so I walked down the concourse, trying savour the experience, and ended up at the Jays Shop which was all decked out in brand new Blue Jays gear after the uniform/logo change, and had everything on sale for 50% off. It was a can’t miss opportunity and I may have gone a bit overboard, but it was worth it, and for as busy and as packed as that shop was pretty much the whole event, I would say everyone agreed with me.

Just as I was about to pay, an announcement came that everyone find their seats as they were about to begin. I got a little ancy, but finally was able to pay while they were doing the introductions for Paul Beeston, John Farrell, Alex Anthopoulos and the MC for the night, Buck “Albert” Martinez. I was just finding my seat as Buck Martinez got the event started with a recap of the Blue Jays Winter Tour event.

Likely anticipating what was coming, Buck Martinez started off the Q&A portion of the event, and got the two big questions out of the way first, by asking the panel about Prince Fielder and then Yu Darvish. Not a lot of new information was revealed, but AA did put some emphasis on the fact that if Prince Fielder (read: Scott Boras) was willing to look at a three or five year deal, the Blue Jays would have been in. Beeston added that their previous maximum contract length would be three years, but they’ve increased it to five years. Beeston also touched on the fact that the Jays will begin to attract players (and fans) once the team really starts winning. Obviously players want to play for a winner, so there isn’t anything new there. After Buck’s two questions they opened up the floor to the fans. The first question was asked the Jays “as in any business, you have to have a plan. A 1-year plan, 3-year plan, and a five-year plan. What is Farrell’s one year plan, AA’s 3-year plan, and Beeston’s five year plan?” A fair question which could have been skirted around quite easily, but got a decent response. Farrell answered first stating that he really plans on giving the bullpen more defined roles this year, as last year there were many question marks and he felt he could’ve handled the bullpen better. I believe that handled the bullpen more efficiently will help the Jays, so it’s good to hear that this is something Farrell is looking at. Alex Anthopoulos was next, and basically stated he wants to continue to improve the team, and briefly reviews how much the team has already improved. He mentioned Dustin McGowan as a member of the rotation in an example, so maybe Dustin has an inside track to the rotation to start the year? Apart from that, AA would like to add a front-line starter or another bat – really anything that can help the team. Then Beeston stepped in, and gave AA another vote of confidence as he stated that he feels the team they have today is the best they’ve had since AA took over, and that the team last year was better than the team AA had his first year - “record notwithstanding.” Beeston then reassured us that the plan is to win a championship and to bring the postseason back to Toronto and that over the 5 years he envisions the team being in the postseason 2-3 times. This was great to hear, but as we all know, it was just another vote of confidence for his GM, and time will tell. Beeston continued with “once we’re in the postseason, we have just as good a chance as the other 9 teams,” perhaps revealing that the additional wild card may come into effect this season.

Another fan question from a “long time fan, who may not be fan after this season any longer.” He is disappointed that the Jays haven’t been able to land big name free agents, and used Carlos Beltran as an example. Beltran signed a two-year deal at $12 million per (and added that this was “cheap”) and doesn’t understand why AA wasn’t in there. Before I get to AA’s answer, $12 million a year would put Beltran as the second highest paid player on the Jays team JUST behind Jose Bautista, and more than doubles Ricky Romero’s salary. That isn’t a cheap addition. AA responded that he hopes the fan would have patience as the team grows, but that there are some players who don’t want to play on turf, don’t want to DH, and don’t want to switch leagues (from NL to AL), even if you offer them MORE money and MORE years. Sometimes even the best GM in baseball can’t always get the guy he wants, that’s just the nature of the game. This was followed up with a couple of other frustrated fan questions, and one question from a “long-time diehard Jays fan” who was doing a business pitch about his baseball academy, which came off as very unprofessional and I think caught AA off-guard, but he handled it well. So well in fact, that he started his answer off by asking why a long-time diehard Jays fan, came to the Blue Jays State of the Franchise wearing a Tigers jersey. Well played AA. Well played.

Following up to the comment about some players not wanting to play on turf, a fan asked about the possibility of bringing grass into the Roger Center. At first, I expected this to be immediately rejected, but Beeston let everyone know that they were looking into the possibility of maybe bringing grass in. It was a very non-committal response, but if they are indeed looking at it, that’s a good sign that Rogers wants to win, because I am sure it’ll be expensive and provides no guarantees that it will end up doing what they want, which is to help the Jays win games and to attract premier players. I doubt if this was approved, that it would happen in time for opening day this year, so likely 2013 is the earliest we’d see the turf replaced.

Questions continued for a bit longer without much of consequence being asked. One girl wants more female merchandise, another guy thought we paid too much for Rasmus (we REALLY did not) and a question on the Jays poor interleague record, to which Beeston suggested we may have reverse rules in AL/NL ballparks so that fans get to see “the other side of the game.” I both like and dislike this idea. I enjoy the DH, and I enjoy watching pitchers hit, but I think fans, for the most part, like their team, due in part to the league they play in. Most White Sox fans probably don’t care to see their pitchers hit, and I don’t know how many Mets fans want a DH. Regardless, full-time interleague play is coming in 2013 and it is something that will need to be addressed. Hiring Kevin Cash as an advance scout is a good start, but I’d like to see more.

Afterwards, Beeston gave some closing remarks and let fans know they can give him a call anytime. If he’s in his office, he’ll answer, if not, leave a voicemail and he’ll call us back. He invited us to e-mail Alex Anthopoulos as well. He thanked us for coming and that he’s looking forward to the season! Buck Martinez thanked everyone and invited us to retire to the concourse for more drinks and some really delicious ice cream. As everyone made their way back upstairs, I caught up with the boys from @BackinBlue2012 and gave them a quick interview which you can check out at www.backinblue.ca in their 5th Weekly Podcast! After the interview I went back upstairs where back on the concourse there was a media circus surrounding Alex Anthopoulos

John Farrell was being swarmed by fans,

and I couldn’t track down Beeston. So I was able to meet some of my twitter followers and chat Blue Jays! (Nice to meet you @JaysDome @HighSockMoho @Rallycap_andy @gcm_1979 @bluejays_giants @alanclough @BlueJaysBatBoy @FakeCitoGaston @NickHansen33 @bradjames41 @BackinBlue2012!) After chatting with all the fans, it was time to hit the road, so I packed up all my new merchandise and headed for the door, only to find Paul Beeston chatting with some people and taking pictures! So I had to get mine in!

And then it caught my eye, arguably the highlight of my night, Paul Beeston’s (gigantic) 1992 World Series Championship Ring. It was amazing, so I asked if I could grab a photo and he was all for it.

That’s what we’re after now, and it was a fitting way to end my first State of the Franchise event. A special thanks to Danielle Bedasse for everything, and a special thanks to the Blue Jays and Rogers for throwing such an event. It was one I won’t soon forget.

You can follow Brandon on Twitter @Bam_86. Comment below and let us know your opinion on the State of the Franchise event!

Jays Sign Veteran, Extend Flamethrower

The Blue Jays have signed 44-year old INF Omar Vizquel to a 1-year contract, while they have extended SP Brandon Morrow's contract for 3-years. Morrow will be paid $20 million over that span, with a $10 million Anthoption for a 4th year, and a $1 million buyout.

Vizquel is known as one of the best shortstops of all time, winning 11 gold gloves in his 23 year career. he has a career fielding percentage of .985, and a career defensive WAR of 13.3 according to baseball reference. Vizquel, ranks 5th all time in career TZR among shortstops, and will be a huge help defenziveley, if he makes the roster, or if he doesnt. If he does, he will be able to help SS Yunel Escobar, and 3B Brett Lawrie, both young fielders with a lot they could still improve on. If he doesn't make the roster, and Luis Valbuena or Mike McCoy does, then he could spend all of his season in AAA, helping Adeiny Hechaverria with his defense. Chris Woodward held a similar position last year, as he guided Brett Lawrie to the majors.

To put Vizquel's age in perspective, SS Yunel Escobar and 2B Kelly Johnson were both 7 years old during Omar Vizquels rookie year, Adam Lind was 6, and Brett Lawrie was not born.

Barring any further moves from AA, Morrow is going to be the Jays #2 pitcher this year, behind Jays Ace, Ricky Romero. Brandon is always up in the leader boards when it comes to K/9, and has the potential to be much better than Romero. Morrow will be making more than Romero, which is a bold statement by the Blue Jays Front Office, especially because Romero has proven he can be an Ace, unlike Brandon Morrow.

Since Morrow has signed and avoided arbitration, Casey Janssen is the only Blue Jays Player to still need arbitration, although I believe he will sign a 1 year deal with an Anthoption before his hearing in mid-February.

A report from Yahoo Japan says that the Jays are close to acquiring RP Koji Uehara from the Texas Rangers for TBA, but this report has not yet been confirmed by anybody with trustworthy knowledge.

Earlier this evening, a report from a major source said the Jays were one of the four finalists for reliever Francisco Cordero.

What do you think about these deals AA has pulled off tonight, leave your comments below, or on twitter @gideonturk or the offical bluejaysplus.com twitter @Bluejaysplus. Also, make sure to like the BlueJaysPlus facebook page

Updates

8:45 PM-Jerry Crasnick of espn.com reports that the Omar Vizquel deal is a minor league deal, with an invite to Major League Spring Training.

8:54 PM-Mike Wilner, of Sportsnet 590 reports that the talks between the Jays and Rangers have cooled for Uehara, because the Rangers are demanding too much.

9:10 PM-Ken Rosenthal of Fox, reports that the Rangers and Blue Jays are in trade talks for Uehara, but nothing official.

9:51 PM- Gregor Chisolm, of mlb.com has told me that "The club has some interest there (Uehara) but nothing official at this point".

“Alex, its Zaun on line 1”

Today on the 6:45pm segment of Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 the Fan, Bob McCowan was asking Gregg Zaun if the Jays should go after Prince Fielder (or should have during this offseason). I was flipping though the stations on a red light and my ears perked up once I heard Zaun’s voice. I think he does great color commentating for the Jays and can’t wait for the next month to fly by so we can hear him on the radio again called spring training games come February.

Ok back to the car ride, Gregg Zaun was expounding on how he thinks the Blue Jays “regressed last year”. I thought “hey if you’re going to say something like that, at least explain yourself.” He did before my light turned green.

(For the smart readers, you will scroll down and see that a month ago I wrote an article explaining why the Jays would not sign Prince Fielder. But I wanted to talk about Zaun’s comments and well you’ll just have to read on.)

Zaun noted that back in November; he looked through the free agent class of 2012, and saw that the Blue Jays had an opportunity to really upgrade. At the expense of the Red Sox and Yankees as well. He saw the two biggest needs for the Jays as a power bat in the middle of the lineup and a closer. He said that the Jays should have (since no one really knows if Alex is in on ANYbody anyways), been in on Jonathan Papelbon, Ryan Madson, or even Heath Bell. They did go out and do what Alex Anthopoulos does best – phones the GM of the White sox and make a trade – grabbing and/or stealing Sergio Santos.

So that takes care of Zaun’s need #2. What was his solution for the power bat? Gregg Zaun laid out his argument for signing Prince Fielder. Bob McCowan put forth the question as to when the Jays would be seen as contenders. In 2012, 2013 or would be 2014? Zaun (as if he could read Bob’s mind) said, “Exactly, even if the Jays don’t contend in 2012, they would still have Prince Fielder locked up for 6-10 years.” This is the one area I agree with Anthopoulos on, and disagree with Zaun. You cannot sign a baseball player who has a larger build than Ray Lewis to a 10 year contract. Its ridiculous. Yes he is only 27, and a top 15 hitter, but you just can’t do that. Now a 6 year deal I would love to see. To get a hitter like this from ages 27-33 is unheard of. Prince could get another deal after, and Toronto gets to see him hit 50+ homers every year for 6 years. I’ll take that all day long.

Gregg Zaun said this signing would solve two problems. Now that’s medium sized thinking. Toronto is not small market (see – population and ownership), nor do they want anyone to think they are big market (see payroll – which is now $70 and a half million, $27 million less than the 2008 payroll – the three years since Alex took over the team). Zaun said this signing would give the Jays a power in the middle of the lineup bat, and solve the mess in left field. No offense to Thames or Snider, but neither of them have put up the Adam Lind Left field numbers (111-34-122 numbers in 800 at bats as a LF).

Apparently Zaun and myself think alike. Sign Fielder and slide Lind over to left. Well maybe Zaun speaks for the thousands of Jays fans who also think this way. Imagine having a 3-4 lineup of Fielder and Bautista. Or a outfield of Lind-Rasmus-Bautista? That’s better than O’s, Rays, Red Sox and pretty close to what the Yankees have on paper in their outfield right now.

Well its still an option. To every Blue Jays fan, well except for Alex Anthopoulos. That is why, I am suggesting that Gregg Zaun ought to call Alex Anthopoulos first thing in the morning and explain on behalf of all Jays fans how this problem of another power bat can be solved.

I know it goes against everything you stand for, Mr. Anthopoulos, but instead of begging fans to buy more tickets and fill up the empty dome – sign someone worth driving down the Gardiner for. Sign Fielder, move Lind to left field. Redeem this abysmal offseason. Compete with the Yankees . Gregg Zaun knows what needs to be done. Every fan does as well.

Thank you Zaun, thank you for telling it like it is and call Alex please.

How Can You Not Be Romantic About Baseball?

How Can You Not Be Romantic About Baseball?

That is the ticket to the very first Blue Jays game I attended with my Dad. Wednesday, May 23, 2001. It was given to me this Christmas and was a real highlight for me, for all that it made me realize. Most of all, was that this was the game that cemented my love of baseball, and more importantly, of the Blue Jays. Almost 20,000 people attended that game which, at the time, was easily the biggest crowd I’d ever been a part of. I was 15 at the time and already really enjoyed baseball. I was a big fan of the Blue Jays and watched them on TV and listened to their games on the radio but seeing a game in person is a different experience all together. To this very day, I still love watching games on TV. I learn interesting things from the announcers, I enjoy all the stats and trivia they flash on the screen, and I love that I can leave my seat and not have to wait for a break in play to get it back. But there isn’t anything better than the atmosphere of really being there. That’s what that first game with my Dad showed me. I still remember the atmosphere over 10 years later. In fact, I remember one chant in particular.

David Wells was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 2^nd round of the 1982 draft, and then debuted for them five years late on June 30^th, 1987, and went on to play in parts of 21 seasons in the majors including two stints with the Blue Jays from 87-93 and again from 99-2000. The Blue Jays traded Roger Clemens to the Yankees for David Wells on February 18, 1999. At the time, Roger Clemens was my favorite player. So I was a little dismayed, but being a kid, I got over it pretty quickly, and David Wells forged two fairly successful seasons with the Jays, including what was likely the best season of his career in 2000 when he went 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA. But then it all turned around, as on January 14, 2001, the Blue Jays traded him to the White Sox in a deal that quickly became mired in controversy.

The total package was David Wells and Mike DeWitt for Kevin Beirne, Brian Simmons, and a prospect named Mike Williams, and the centerpiece, a starting pitcher named Mike Sirotka. Gord Ash, the GM for the Jays at the time, hadn’t made the deal contingent upon the passing a physical (practically mandatory today) and the result was that Toronto acquired a starting pitcher who was already injured, and would never play in the majors again. The mistake ultimately cost Gord Ash his job and the Blue Jays basically gave up David Wells, the all-star anchor of their rotation - for nothing, and Blue Jays fans knew it. So on Wednesday, May 23^rd, 2001, the Blue Jays fans finally got their chance to get some of that disappointment out of their system, and it all fell on David Wells.

Some nicknames can go two ways. David Wells was nicknamed Boomer, and during his time in Toronto, the Blue Jays fans embraced it, and used it as a rally cry during his starts. However, once he joined the White Sox rotation for nothing, it quickly turned the other way around. “BOOMER!” became “BOOOOOOOOO-MER!” with a great deal of emphasis on the Boo. There may have only been 20,000 people at that game, but it felt like the place was sold out when they were jeering Wells. It may have been the sound of those 20,000 jeering fans, taunting David Wells, raining down “BOOO-MER” chants that did it, but after that day, I was all baseball, all the time. Hockey took a backseat, and as any Canadian kid can you tell, that’s a big deal. It was all baseball, and all because of a game that my Dad and I enjoyed together. The Blue Jays won that game 9-6 and David Wells took the loss. He pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 8 runs (7 earned) while giving up 13 hits.

Strangely enough, those tickets were gifts from my Dad’s brother. He got them from the company he works for, because they had season tickets to the Jays. I believe that he and my brother may have also come along, but all I remember is my Dad and I. Funny enough, as fate would have it, in late 2008 I joined the very same company, and have access to those very same seats, for any game I wish. Like a lot of things, I owe my love of baseball to my Dad. So if you are a fan of baseball thanks to your Dad, let him know. If you enjoy these articles that I write, thank David Wells and my Dad, and let me know!

Let's hear about some of your first game experiences in the comments section!

You can follow Brandon on Twitter @Bam_86

Offseason Update

Happy New Year! Its 2012, and the time has come to look at the Toronto Blue Jays offseason so far. Toronto entered the offseason needing a second baseman, backup catcher, DH/first baseman, a bullpen, and a top three starter. Let’s see how they did.

Second Base

Kelly Johnson surprisingly did not get any significant offers from any team, and was one of the three players who accepted arbitration this year. With Johnson, the Jays got the best second baseman available, without giving up prospects, or overpaying.

The Verdict – A

Definitely a win for Toronto, despite the potential draft pick Johnson would have netted had he signed elsewhere.

Backup Catcher

It was widely accepted that Alex Anthopoulos would not re-sign Jose Molina. Molina, who had been a solid backup and a good veteran presence, was a type B free agent, meaning that he would net the Jays a supplemental round pick if he signed with another team. Alex loves collecting picks, so it was no surprise when Molina signed with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Jays quickly filled the hole, bringing in Angel veteran, and Mike Scioscia favorite, Jeff Mathis, for lefty pitcher Brad Mills. Mills did not figure in to Toronto's plans, as he was buried in a Toronto system filled with young, talented, high-upside arms.

The Verdict – C+

I’m calling a win here. The draft pick is nice, Mills was expendable, and Mathis is a very solid defensive backup. He doesn’t need to be a great hitter, as he does not project to start often. If Arencibia does get hurt, it will be D’arnaud, not Mathis, who starts.

DH/First Base

By picking up Encarnacion’s option, Anthopoulos made it clear that he was happy with his first base and DH tandem of Edwin and Lind. Many Jay’s fans are disappointed that Toronto did not pursue bigger names such as Pujols and Fielder.

The Verdict: B-

The decision to stand pat was neither a win nor a loss. I am not a Fielder or Pujols advocate, as I believe the contracts necessary to lock them up would have been damaging. Contrary to popular belief, the Jays are not looking to spend a bundle of cash, and if they were, I would rather it be spent on a premium position. Give Alex credit for standing pat. Lind and Encarnacion are poised to have very good seasons, at a great price. Still, it would have been nice to see a sure threat along with Jose in the middle of the order.

Bullpen

Alex’s first big move of the offseason was the acquisition of Sergio Santos for Jay’s top pitching prospect, Nestor Molina. The deal allowed Toronto to add a closer who is young, talented, and controllable, with a high ceiling. The only downside was giving away Molina, a very talented young arm. In addition to Santos, Toronto signed veteran lefty Darren Oliver, and brought back Jason Frasor, also from Chicago, for a couple of low level prospects. The three of them will be in charge of the late innings, along with Casey Janssen. They represent a solid upgrade over last year’s back end, Fransisco, Rauch, and Dotel. Toronto also received two type B picks when the Mets signed two of last year’s trio.

The Verdict – B

Santos should be a fixture for years. Toronto still lacks a setup man, but looks solid. The draft picks should make up for the loss of the prospects, and the team should see an improvement in the bullpen after it blew 25 saves last year. Oliver was a bit pricey, but the Jays desperately needed a lefty. The only thing preventing me from saying that this was a huge win is Santos’ lack of experience.

Starting Pitching

The teams that win are the ones with the best pitching. After a tough year that saw Cecil take a step back, Drabek fail to stick, Jo Jo Reyes, and Morrow unable to take the next step, Toronto was in serious need of a top tier starter to stabilize the rotation. Toronto has been linked to just about everybody, Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos, Matt Garza, and Yu Darvish. However, they were unable to get a deal done, and in the case of Yu Darvish, were outbid by the Texas Rangers. As of now, Toronto’s projected rotation for the coming season is: Romero, Morrow, Cecil, Alvarez, and McGowan.

The Verdict – F

I wouldn’t have liked the price it would have taken to acquire any of these pitchers, and I think Garza is stupendously overrated. That being said, Toronto NEEDS a starter. If it meant posting more for Darvish, or making a legitimate offer to Edwin Jackson, or giving up an extra prospect in a trade, Toronto needed to do it. If they enter the season with the current projected rotation, Alex will have failed to fill his team’s biggest need. However, in Anthopoulos’ defense, any acquisition would have meant overpaying. Perhaps the best strategy is to wait for the plethora of young, talented pitching prospects to reach the majors. But the facts remain. Toronto is not a contender with its current rotation.

Final Verdict – B-

Although the Jays did not have the exciting offseason that many predicted, they filled most of their needs well. If Morrow steps up his game and Drabek rebounds, we could be watching this team in October.

Agree or disagree with any of my assessments? Leave a reply!

Q and A with the Newest Blue Jay, Darren Oliver

Today, Monday January 9th, the Blue Jays announced the signing of LHP Darren Oliver. I had the pleasure of interviewing Oliver this past week, and you will get to see that interview after this brief introduction. In order to make room on the 40-man Roster for Oliver, the Blue Jays DFA'd Utility Man Mark Teahen, which means the Jays now have ten days to release him, trade him, or send him to the minor leagues. Oliver,41, is entering his 19th season in the MLB, but has posted his 4 lowest ERA's in his career, in the past 4 years, all in order. AA signed Oliver to a 1 year, $4 million deal with an Anthoption for 2013 worth $3 million. For those of you who do not know what an anthoption, it is the club friendly options added to almost every player contract AA signs. Now for that interview.

In 2008, at age 37 you transformed from being a mediocre relief pitcher, to being one of the best in the game. How did you do it, was it a change of mechanics?

It helps to be on a winning team like I have been on the past 6 years. The older you get, the wiser you get, I study the game a lot more now because I don't have the same stuff as I did 10 years ago.

What do you think of the new Blue Jays jerseys?

I haven't looked at the uniforms up close just yet, but I'm sure they're nice.

Which number will you being wearing for the Jays in 2012?

As of right now it looks like #38, the number I wore with the Angels from 2007-2009

You were brought in by Alex Anthopoulos this off-season, along with two other fantastic relief pitchers. These three moves have quickly transformed the Blue Jays bullpen into one of the best in the game. What team in your career have you been on that has had the most dominating relief corps?

It is hard to judge bullpens from year to year. Usually if the team has success, the bullpen is pretty much good. Most of the bullpens I have been a part of have had really good guys that made the season fun!

Was Texas being the number one hitting ballpark in the MLB a major reason why you decided to come to Toronto instead of going back to Arlington?

No, it wasnt.

What was it like growing up with a father who played in the Majors?

It wasn't a big deal to me. Not like it is today. Players back then did not make much money and the media exposure was minimal. I just looked at my Dad being my Dad, just like my kids!

What is your secret for being able to continue to play when you are 41, an age that is considered old when it comes to baseball?

I have a friend who is a doctor and he always tells me to pick your parents well. Got to have good genetics I believe.

Are you good friends with anybody on the Blue Jays?

I played with Jeff Mathis for 3 years in Anaheim.

Is the biggest plus about pitching for the Jays that you don't have to pitch against Adam Lind, a player that absolutley destroyed Ranger pitching, or is it that you don't have to pitch against arguably the best player in the MLB in Jose Bautista?

There are a lot of good players besides Lind and Bautista... lets just say I am happy they are on my team.

Many players do not want to sign with Toronto because they do not like the city, was this a factor in your contract negotiations?

Toronto has always been one of my favorite cities! Good food, clean city, friendly people... I also get to go to my favorite restaurant now too! (Barbarians Steakhouse)

Stay tuned to BlueJaysPlus, as hopefully I will be able to conduct more interviews with players throughout the season. Comments are welcomed below, or on twitter, where you could find me on @BlueJaysPlus

Is Kenny Williams on AA's Speed Dial?

Jason Frasor is coming back. Frasor was traded back to the Jays on Sunday for two minor league pitchers. The all time leader in relief apperances for the Jays, Frasor was trdaded to the White Sox in July, which was part of the trade that sent Colby Rasmus to Toronto from St. Louis. The two minor league pitchers that were sent to the Sox were Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb. This is AA's third trade with Kenny Williams, the GM of the White Sox, since July 27th, when Frasor was originally traded. The second trade occured last month, when the Jays sent pitching prospect nestor Molina to Chicago for Closer Sergio Santos.

Before being traded to the Sox in July, Frasor had a sub 3.00 ERA, but stuggled in Chicgao, as he posted a 5.09 ERA with a WHIP of 1.755. Jaye pitched in Bluefield last season while posting a 3.22 ERA, with 49 K's in 54.0 innings. Webb piched in Bluefield and in Lansing in 2011, and put up horrific numbers. He had an ERA of 5.48, and allowed 14.2 baserunners per 9 innings.

This is yet another relief pitcher added to the mix in the Toronto bullpen, which was absolutley horrible last season. AA picked up Darren Oliver off of the free agent market last week, traded for Santos last month, and now has gotten Frasor back. Don't be surprised if the Jays new revamped bullpen is in the top 5 in the MLB next season, because it is made up of 7 pitchers that mesh perfectly. This was an amazing trade for the Jays, and this is what the I believe the bullpen would look like, if Opening Day was today.

Sergio Santos
Darren Oliver
Casey Janssen
Jason Frasor
Joel Carreno
Carlos Villanueva
Jesse Litsch

This was yet another acquisition made by AA, that nobody saw coming. Frasor, along with Oliver, Janssen, and maybe Carreno, will likely all act as setup men for Sergio Santos.

Feel free to comment below, or follow me on twitter, @Bluejaysplus.