Two Months of Moves Under Alex "The Great" Anthopolous

*List Updated as of 23 Dec 09

Alex Anthopolous took over at the helm for the Jays a mere 2 months ago, and already his impact can be felt throughout the organization. A Summary of his transactions in this short period of time are as follows:

Late October (pen addition)

• Claimed RP Sean Henn (28 yrs old) off waivers from the Orioles

November (fixed the infield, protected the right players, and added depth + speed)

• Signed SS John MacDonald (35 yrs old) to a $3,000,000 2-year deal
• Signed SS Alex Gonzalez (32 yrs old) to a $2,750,000 1 yr deal with option for 2011
• Protected both 1B Brian Dopirak and SP Reidier Gonzalez by placing them on 40-man roster
• Claimed INF Mike McCoy (28 yrs old) (who stole 40 bases in AAA in 09) off waivers from Colorado
• Claimed INF Jarrett Hoffpauir (26 yrs old) off waivers from the Cardinals

December

• Claimed RP Zechry Zinicola (24 yrs old) as rule 5 from the Washington Nationals
• Signed C John Buck (29 yrs old) as a FA from the KC Royals (quickly) for $2,000,000
• Signed C Raul Chavez (37 yrs old) to a minor league contract, which gives the Jays flexibility to have him in AAA and depth at C
• Signed OF Joey Gathright (28 yrs old) to a minor league contract as OF depth
• Resigned 3B/OF Jose Bautista to a $2,400,000 1 yr deal, avoiding arbitration
• Signed SP/RP Lance Broadway (26 yrs old) as a FA
• Traded SP Roy Halladay (32 yrs old)  and $6,000,000 to the Phillies in return for OF Michael Taylor (25 yrs old), SP Kyle Drabek (22 yrs old), C Travis d'Arnaud (20 yrs old)
• Traded OF Michael Taylor (25 yrs old) to OAK in return for 1B/3B Brett Wallace (23 yrs old)
• Signed FA C Ramon Castro (33 yrs old) to split time with John Buck
• Traded RP Brandon League (26 yrs old) and OF Yohermyn Chavez (21 yrs old) to Seattle in return for SP/RP Brandon Morrow (24 yrs old)

Alex is also responsible for letting Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas walk, instead of resigning them, which has or will net the Jays the 33rd, 45th, and 68th overall picks in the 2010 draft.

As related to 2010, when you add up the money sent to the Phillies, and the signings of Buck (2m), Gonzalez (2.75m), MacDonald (1.5m), and Bautista (2.4m), and subtract it from the salary they save from dealing Doc (9.75m), the Jays end up with $1,150,000 less in salary even with the addition of a starting SS and C.

When Alex took over, the Jays were weakest at SS, C, and in being held up by a potential Doc deal. In 2 months, he's taken care of all of those things, has added young and projectable players that fulfill exactly what the Jays needed this offseason. He's not done yet, obviously, but as we head into the Christmas break, we can rest assured that the Jays are finally headed into a new direction. Once filled with youth, excitement, and the potential to grown into something magical in the very near future.

Alex Anthopolous Chat Info

I'm pretty certain every Jays blogger will be sifting through the chat AA held with fans a short while ago. I picked up on 3 very telling points that I thought I'd share, and enjoyed getting to know exactly what direction Alex sees the team going in from here on out.

Here are the 3 points that stood out in my mind:

1. When asked about whether or not he'd include some top-end pitching talents like Cecil in a trade, he responded with "Our young pitching is very sought after and though we'd like to keep all of them I'm very open to moving any player if it can make us better in other areas."

Translation: we have some pitching depth and would be open to dealing some in order to resolve our issues elsewhere. I would like to think that Alex would be more open to dealing Ricky Romero than Bret or Marc, but you never know. It's interesting that even after dealing Doc, he's open to moving a SP. On a similar note, later on in the chat, he added that the organization view Zach Stewart as a SP and with a ceiling as a #3 starter. I guess that would make him a #1 starter on our staff. And he later adds that the Jays need to resolve the left side of their infield, with Brett Wallace viewed as an above-average 1B defensively.

2. When asked about his thoughts on Aroldis Chapman, Alex responded with the fact that the Jays had sent 2 scouts to watch him pitch last Tuesday. He added that "we will be on top of every amateur player that is available".

Translation: Too bad the session went so well that he'll be priced out of our range, because we would have loved to come out with a surprise offer. If he had shown mediocre stuff that needed polish, and his price had remained in the 5 - 15 million range, the Jays may have wanted to move in. But there's just no way they could be expected to fork out 30-40 million for the Chap.

3. My favourite, he was asked about keeping quiet instead of speaking to the media and the fact that some U.S. networks seemed to be more effective in getting information about ongoing negotiations. He responded with "It's important to me that I treat everybody fairly and also extremely important that I don't lie to anybody. That being said, with the nature of these jobs it's very difficult to be completely candid. So, if I'm faced with lying or not commenting, I'll choose to not comment every single time. Also, over the years that I've been a part of trade talks, I've seen a lot of trades fall apart because of reactions to reports in the media. I certainly understand that there is interest from the fans and the media is just doing their jobs but from my perspective, it makes it easier to do my job which is to make the best trades and signings that we can."

Translation: Suck it up everyone, it's not going to change, and it makes me a better GM. I really do believe that the way the previous Doc negotiations were handled fell through the way they did simply because every time a team was rumoured to be offering players X-Y-Z, their fans and media threw fits and talked about the "rental" of a player. Dealing through the media just isn't smart. I'd say that some GMs are so uncomfortable dealing without knowing how their fans and media will react, that they actually leak the information out themselves and react accordingly. Either have the kahunas to make the deal, or don't, but either way it has nothing to do with the fans or media until the deal is done. Then it can be dissected as much as possible.

I'd also like to add that at the end of his response, Alex say "it makes it easier to do my job which is to make the best trades and signings that we can." We. It's a terms that has not been used very much in Jays language in recent years. The old GM seemed to have it his way or the highway, and it was detrimental to the efforts people under him made to gather information on players, imo. Alex has a team concept in terms of finding talent and weighing options, and I do believe he;s made a ton of smart choices so far, including leaving the media and us fans to wait for news of trades and signing until they actually happen.

Dawn of a New Jays Era

I'd like to start off today's post with a statement: Roy Halladay was brought up right. His parents did an outstanding job. Here's a guy who could of gone through this trading ordeal two or three times, but he decided instead to extend with the Jays because he thought "maybe we can win". They could not, so he politely asks for a trade, extends with that team at a reduced "discount" rate - something most top 5 pitchers would never dream of doing because their greed blinds them - and allows the deal to happen. In doing so, he allows the Jays the opportunity to quicken the process of rebuilding without him, since they get players close to MLB ready instead of draft picks, and it also gives him a chance to win sooner. Thank you Doc, and thanks to your parents for raising you the right way. Thanks for the 11 years of professional, dedicated, and outstanding work. You'll be missed by all Jays fans and players to be sure, and hopefully will be recognized some day with the retiring of your number. You have my vote.

 Now, I certainly hope all of the Jays young guns were taking notes during this entire ordeal, and I mean all of them. How he went about things, dealt with the media, prepared each day, his training regimen, I hope it all sticks in their minds so that they get a chance to become great as well. As of this moment, the rumored added pieces of Kyle Drabek, Michael Talor, and Travis d'Arnaud (ranked 2,3,4 as Phillies prospects this off season by BA) add depth to the Jays and should allow for one hell of a pitching staff in the not too distant future.

I have one question for you all: How in the world did Alex Anthopolous have the time, never mind the inclination, to go out and sign C Ramon Castro while all of this 3-way dealing was going on? Couldn't it have waited? It now looks like since he's been signed to a major league contract and Raul Chavez got a minors deal, that Raul will be headed to AAA in support of JP Arencibia. Nice move which provides depth at a very cheap rate and allows for the growth of a young player who could become great!

Here's our 2011 lineup without all of the other expected trades Alex is likely to make. It looks well balanced to me, although it lacks speed and a lead off hitter.

2B - Aaron Hill 
RF - Michael Taylor
LF - Travis Snider
DH - Adam Lind
C - JP Arencibia
CF - Vernon Wells
3B - Edwin Encarnacion
1B - Brian Dopirak
SS - Alex Gonzalez

When you consider the fact that all of the guys 1 through 8 can hit 20+ HRs per season, it looks pretty good! But....What I don't get, is that with the pieces available from Seattle, why take d'Arnaud instead of a guy like  SS Carlos Triunfel? Or even their 3B Alex Liddi who tore up HiA this past season (although in High Desert, which always boosts stats). We have nobody that is close to ready to take up those positions, although judging from how quickly and effectively Alex has operated, that should be addressed when necessary. What I like about adding Taylor is that he allows Snider to shift to LF, a much better spot for him. What I don't like, it leaves Wells in CF so long as we gulp up his contract. Michael Taylor will produce like a Mike Cameron in terms of power and speed (25/25) but will do so while hitting for average, which makes him a future star. I'd like to see him develop into a Torii Hunter or Jayson Werth caibre player, who do everything well defensively and offensively.

The 2011 Rotation:

1- Ricky Romero
2- Bret Cecil
3- Marc Rzcepczynski
4- Shaun Marcum / Zach Stewart if Shaun not healthy
5- Kyle Drabek

Others: Jesse Litsch, Scott Richmond, Dustin McGowan (may head to the pen), David Purcey, Brad Mills, Reidier Gonzalez, Zach Stewart, Luis Perez

I love the potential of that rotation. When you add the fact that by then Henderson Alvarez and Chad Jenkins should be knocking on the door, it makes me smile like a kid in a candy store!

So, what does that leave Alex with to fill our 3B and SS deficiencies? He has the extra starters from the list above, as well as pending FA relievers (after this season) of Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Brian Tallet,  Jeremy Accardo, Shawn Camp, as well as Lyle Overbay. These names provide us with a ton to speculate about and the rest of the off-season to wonder who will be traded where, if traded at all. Alex may decide to keep Frasor and Camp, but the remainder, along with some starters, may be on the move very soon.

Alex also has the following picks to work with in 2010 draft: 11th, 33rd (for losing Scutaro), 38th (failure to sign James Paxton), 50th, 67th (will be official when Lackey signs, we get this pick instead of 29th from Boston), 69th (failure to sign Jake Eliopolous), 82nd, and 102nd (for failure to sign Jake Barrett). They'll get one more pick in there (30-40 range) when Rod Barajas signs elsewhere. That gives Alex a total of 5 top 50 picks, and 9 top 100 picks. Remember, there are 30 teams in MLB, so if things were split evenly, the Jays would get 3 picks in the top 90 instead of the 9 they'll have in 2010. That's a ton of talent to add to any team's minors system and one that Alex Athopolous is making sure he'll be ready for by spending a lot on scouting and development.

Alex's accomplishments in such a short period are outstanding and I tip my hat to him. Within 2 years he will be responsible for a very competitive and exciting team. The Toronto Blue Jays finally have direction and thankfully it comes from the top. It's the dawn of a new era, and one I'm very thankful to be able to witness.
Thank you Alex "The Great" Anthopolous.

Spend it Like You Stole it Alex!!!

 You're a bit surprised that today's new are not about the winter meetings? Hey, so am I, but this is huge.
Mr. Bob Elliott reported in the Toronto Sun today, that the scouting world has been made aware of the intentions for the Jays to spend $16 million during next year's draft!! Sure, this more than covers the bonuses that will be given to the 8 or 9 draft picks the Jays will have in the first 3 rounds, so where's the remainder going? To obtain International talent, that's where. The Jays are finally realizing that there's a reason teams like to be heavily involved in the International market.

The Jays will be drafting in the 11th spot in 2010. If everyone remembers the 2009 draft class, SP Tyler Matzek fell to this exact spot because he was deemed too hard to sign and too expensive. The Rockies put up the cash for a player that was deemed by some to be the top high school pick and arguably the second best arm after Stephen Strasburg, with a $3,900,000 bonus. The Jays may be hoping for something similar to occur in 2010, when they get the 11th overall pick.

For argument's sake, let's say that they do pay $4,200,000 (due to inflation...lol) for that 11th pick.
 11th pick bonus (16,000,000 - 4,200,000 = 13,800,000)

For now, they also hold the 29th overall pick, which cost the Yankees $2,200,000 for Slade Heathcott (big time over slot).We'll call it 2,300,000 for the Jays in 2010.

29th pick (13,800,000 - 2,300,000 = 11,200,000)

The Jays also have 2 sandwich picks that should cost approximately 900,000 to 1,500,000 depending on the talent that falls to them. Let's average this out to 1,200,000 per pick for a 2,4000,000 total.

2 x Sandwich picks (11,200,000 - 2,400,000 = 8,800,000)

That leaves the Jays with $8,800,000 to spend on the remaining 4-5 picks they'll have in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. They have 4 picks in those rounds right now, 5 once Barajas signs elsewhere.
For argument's sake, let's say these average out in cost to $750,000.

5 x 2nd and 3rd round picks 5 x $750,000 = $3,500,000 (8,800,000 - 3,500,000 = 5,300,000)

I'm not exactly sure how much the remaining rounds will cost the Jays, but with the approximate money remaining of between $3,000,000 to $5,300,000, chances are that this figure of $16,000,000 isn't that far fetched in part due to the Jays having so many high-end picks. It will still allow the Jays to pickup 2 or 3 high-end International FA, which could have a big impact on the minors system overall.

Alex is going to put his money where his mouth is in 2010, in his scouting department. If he can reap the rewards in that area for the Jays, AND land some nice prospects for Doc and others, this could be the turning point fans have been looking for. Whatever the case, it's an excellent first step to refurbishing the Jays.

Why Alex is Right to Spend Big on Scouting

This is a tale of 2 cities. One has had success recently, the other has not. In order to prove why the Jays desperately needed both a change in GM and influx of cash in their scouting department, I will compare the Tampa Bay Rays drafts from 2001 to 2005 to the Toronto Blue Jays Draft from 2001 to 2005. I chose 2005 because most of the players chosen up to that year have either made it to MLB or are knocking on the door, and all players chosen to that point had enough chance to prove their talents.

Listed are players who have had, or are arguably expected to have, an impact in MLB (whether with the team who drafted them or not), with the round drafted in brackets.

2001 Draft (very weak class)

• Jays Impact Picks: Gabe Gross (1), Brandon League (2)
• Rays Impact Picks: Dewon Brazelton (1), Joey Gathright (32), Chad Gaudin (34)

2002 Draft

• Jays Impact Picks: Russ Adams (1), David Bush (2)
• Rays Impact Picks: BJ Upton (1), Jason Pridie (2), Elijah Dukes (3), Wes Bankston (4), Johnny Gomes (8), Jason Hammel (10), Mike Pelfrey (15), Jacoby Ellsbury (23)

2003 Draft

• Jays Impact Picks: Aaron Hill (1), Shaun Marcum (3), Thomas Mastny (11)
• Rays Impact Picks: Delmon Young (1), Andrew Miller (3), Chad Orvella (13), Adam Ottavino (30), Wade Leblanc (36)

2004 Draft (best Jays Draft Class in the decade)

• Jays Impact Picks: Zach Jackson (1), David Purcey (2), Casey Janssen (4), Adam Lind (5), Jesse Litsch (24)
• Rays Impact Picks: Jeff Niemann (1), Reid Brignac (2), Wade Davis (3), Jacob McGee (5), Andy Sonnanstine (13), Cale Iorg (16), Daniel McCutchen (29)

2005 Draft

• Jays Impact Picks: Ricky Romero (1), Robert Ray (7), Reidier Gonzalez (19)
• Rays Impact Picks: Wade Townsend (1), Chris Mason (2), Jeremy Hellickson (4), Clayton Mortenson (25)

The Result? Well, it took some time to let the 2002-2004 guys mature, but 2008 proved huge dividends for the Rays. These drafted players came to impact their clubs most, and the Jays piggy bank could no longer keep up with the costs of the team. Tampa finished at 97-65 while the Jays finished at 86-76. The difference, if you'll notice, is exactly what Alex Anthopolous said the Jays need to accumulate in wins in order to win in the AL East. 2009 held the same win spread of  close to 10, with the Rays winning 84 games while the Jays won just 75.

If adding to the scouting department' skills and knowledge adds 10 wins per season, it's definitely something worth doing. With a scouting program that produces assets the way the Rays do, the Jays could do some serious damage in the AL East because the Jays budget is about 10 million greater than the Rays, allowing the Jays to either keep players a little longer, or acquire more pieces through FA. I'm truly glad that Alex has invested in scouting, and look forward to the time when we can evaluate this investment as I've done above.

Winter Meetings Prelude

An interesting note in today's Richard Griffin column,

"Anthopoulos admitted this week that there have been inquiries about some of his starters other than Halladay and that the possibility of young guys on the move would be there if the return was what the Jays were looking for. He might give teams a choice from among that group. Remember, when the Halladay deal is finally completed there will likely be a mid-rotation starter included to make the picture even more crowded."

Well, isn't that a daisy. How many scenarios can people cook up from that one, and which starters would he be willing to deal? My pick is Ricky Romero, who the Mets and others would definitely have interest in. Why not deal him if the Jays don't expect to compete? He's the most mature of the bunch, has the most market value as a result, and can help a team win in 2010. Scenarios are endless, but the Mets, Royals, Brewers, and Mariners stand out due to their needs for starting pitching.

Everyone still expects the Yankees to land Doc, and their latest attempt to make people believe they have a limited budget is simply posturing so they can get more for less at the meetings. Whether through an agent or through trade, the Yankees can claim they are trying to control costs - right. They said the same thing last year after signing CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, just before signing Mark Texeira.

Here's what I know for sure before the meetings:

1. Alex will be the focus and will put his first stamp on the Jays at these meetings. If he deals Doc and others, he'll be examined to the nines by all baseball analysts and bloggers. The outcome of these deals will determine if he's the GM long term, or short term.
2. Jesus Montero has no place to play in NY, other than at DH, or C once Posada retires - but nobody expects him to remain a Catcher at his size and "agility". So, he is a huge piece the Yankees may be willing to move.
3. The Red Sox need a big hitter. Whether it's landing Bay, Holliday, or Adrian Gonzalez, that's their #1 focus. Until they get one of these players, they can't make a deal for Doc without jeopordizing their offense. 
4. The Red Sox can't afford to trade for both Adrian Gonzalez and Roy Halladay. So, if Bay and Holliday sign elsewhere, you can scratch them off the list of Halladay suitors.
5. The LAA want to prove to their fans that they can win in 2010. They have Mike Napoli to deal since Jeff Mathis and Hank Conger are capable catchers, but can no longer deal Wood to the Jays since Figgins has signed in Seattle. The next best piece offensively in a deal, for the Jays, is OF Mike Trout who is very unlikely to be dealt. This makes a deal with the LAA a little less likely to occur.
   
6. The NYY, knowing the plights of BOS and LAA, will not part with 3 of Chamberlain, Hughes, Montero, and Jackson unless situations change. I could see 2, but not 3. Why would they pay more if no other teams are bidding? If you're the Jays, which 2 do you ask for? Unless one of the other 2 teams settles their situations (Holliday signs in BOS, for example), you can expect Doc to stay put.
7. Doc may be more inclined to agree to a deal in the AL since he's not much of a hitter or runner.
8. Doc may also be more inclined to sign a deal with a team that holds spring training in Florida (so some people say), making both LA teams, the White Sox, and the Mariners a little less likely to land Doc.
   
9. Lyle Overbay will be dealt ASAP to the highest bidder.
   
10. Others, such as two major pieces with expiring contracts in 2010 in Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, as well as Brian Tallet, Scott Richmond, Jeremy Accardo, and Jose Bautista may also be on the move.
    

Oddities:

Could Vernon Wells be dealt to the Yankees if a Doc deal can be made to include Austin Jackson in a deal? The Yankees could pass on Damon, and would be more inclined to deal 3 major prospects. In tis case, Phil Hughes, Jesus Montero, and Austin Jackson would go to the Jays, with Doc and Wells going to the Yankees.

Would a 3B Mat Gamel and OF Caleb Gindl for Ricky Romero and Edwin Encarnacion swap work with Milwaukee? They can actually afford Romero, and the Jays could use a big bat at 3B/1B and a young 5 tool OFer. Just a wild throw, but the Brewers are pretty desperate for pitching and don't have an excessive amount of money to throw around. Dealing Romero now makes perfect sense, because who knows how long he can go before an injury, there are a ton of guys who can take his spot in the rotation in the near future (Zach Stewart, Jesse Litsch, Reidier Gonzalez, Bobby Bell, David Purcey), and he is more affordable to more teams which drives up the price teams would be willing to pay for him.

As for Doc, my wild card team in his chase is the Chicago White Sox, but I doubt he would accept a deal there - unless he surprises us as Peavy did. A Peavy-Halladay-Danks-Floyd-Buehrle rotation would nix the chances of any other Central team winning for sure, and the White Sox do have Dayan Viciedo, Dan Hudson, and Tyler Flowers to offer - all positions that the Jays are looking for in return. Add the fact that their GM is Ken Williams and you never know what could happen.

Jays/Alex Targets?

All minor leaguers and young MLB Players.

Should be fun to watch and listen to in the days ahead. Let's hope it's an active meeting, and not one that reflects the slower lifestyle Indiana brings to the table in comparison to the 2008 location of Las Vegas!

Jays GM Has Grasp on Reality.....Finally!!

I don't know why they would do it since he's no longer the GM of the club, but JP Ricciardi was interviewed on MLB Home Plate yesterday and asked what he would do if he were still the GM of the Jays. WHO CARES?? In perfect moronic fashion, he went on a rant about how it's all black and white, either you spend like the big boys at the $100 million or more level, or you try to have 1 or 2 players who are stars and a $40 to $60 million budget and get lucky once a decade.....phew, good thing you're no longer our GM JP. And who's going to hire you after hearing that? I guess the Twins, Rockies, Rays, Braves, and Marlins are doing it all wrong then. I repeat my opinion of JP, he may be knowledgable about baseball in general, but he has no clue as to how to build a winning team without a Yankee or Red Sox budget. A six year old could build a winning team with their budgets, so that's no great honour.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, as reported by Robert MacLeod of the Globe and Mail, Alex Anthopolous stated the following, in complete contrast to how JP would have described his team were he still GM:

“Right now, it's a 75-win club with a lot of good, young players that needs to get better,” he said. “And I think there's a lot of areas that we can get better. And I think it's a lot bigger than any one player.”

Thank you Alex "The Great" for saving us Jays fans from the repeated mistake of over valuing the Blue Jays. I feel that the new Jays GM evaluates players differently (maybe he actually likes Adam Dunn....lol) and has a better grasp on what it's going to take for the Jays to surpass the Yankees and Red Sox. This is further supported in a video report by Ken Rosenthal, where he stated that Alex wants to build a 95 game winner, not an 85 game winner as JP would do. Finally!!!

As for his take on the catcher position, he seems patient and willing to wait until the prices settle down a little. He described it as follows:

“We're going to have to find somebody one way or another,” Anthopoulos said. “And we have guys in mind. We've already inquired on some in respect to free agency. The price for us right now does not fit so it's one of those things we're letting the market play out.”

 Chances are Alex has a ton of irons in the fire and is doing it the right way, waiting until a team comes down in price.

Note: Jon Heyman reported yesterday  that Toronto officials gave the Yankees a list of players they like that is as obvious as can be: Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero. They did add that they may not be looking to land all four and that they're simply the players that they're interested in as a starting point. Well, they better be the ones mentioned. We need 2 of them at a minimum and more prospects to go along with those 2, imo. Jon goes on to say that nothing is expected to happen until the winter meetings at the very least.

Who will the Jays add in the OF?

Jordan Bastien reported today that the Jays intend on adding a player to the OF rotation that currently consists of Lind - Wells - Snider. The major statement made in the report is as follows: " If Scutaro accepts, Anthopoulos said he would have playing time in the outfield. Scoot would prefer to stick with shortstop or second base. Toronto will be looking for outfield help this winter, and Anthopoulos said the Jays have not discussed and don't plan on discussing moving Vernon Wells out of center field."

So, where does that leave us?

Current option #1 - Marco Scutaro accepts arbitration, goes through that painstaking process, gets paid and mans left field or right field instead of an IF position. He becomes a super utility player who can also man 3B, 2B, SS when needed. This option is very unlikely to occur because Marco wants to cash in on his amazing season, and who can blame him after all the hard work he's done to make it.

Current Option #2 - Sign a FA outfielder. Since the Jays are not planning on moving Wells at all, they can acquire a left fielder or right fielder. The best options out there that the Jays can afford include guys like Xavier Nady, Reed Johnson, Randy Winn, and Fernando Tatis. Nady and Tatis are both Type B FAs, but neither was offered arbitration. Clearly, Xavier Nady has the most upside and can hit 25+ HRs while driving in a ton of runs, but may opt for a better option than the rebuilding Jays, unless he feels like he'll get more playing time and exposure in Toronto than he would elsewhere. If he does well, as Marco did this year, he gets paid. I'd love to see the Jays sign Nady to a 1 year deal and see how it goes. He might cost a bit more than the others, but should be able to give you a lot more as well. That is, if he pans out when doctors look at that shotty elbow.

Current Option #3 - Make sure that when we deal Lyle Overbay or Roy Halladay, we get an MLB outfielder in return as part of the package. The possibilities here are endless, but if the Jays can find a catcher on the FA market, adding an outfielder may become their priority in Lyle Overbay trade talks. Would an Overbay for Felix Pie deal be worthwhile? Just a thought.

Current Option #4 - Promote from within and hope for the best. What could be better than remodeling the Blue Jays by adding youth, instead of recycling some oldies. And no, I'm not speaking of guys in AAA like Jason Lane or David Dellucci. Nor am I mentioning Joe Inglett or other infielders thrown out there as patchwork. I'm talking about CF Darin Mastroianni (pictured above). Darin will be 25 in 2010. He played in HiA and AA last season and had 70 SBs between the 2 levels. His OBP was outstanding at .398 overall, and he walked almost as often and he struck out (76/83). He kept up this performance in the AFL this year, with a .368 OBP, 8 walks and 5 strike outs. He's the kind of guy would could really become a spark plug for our offence, and could potentially become a fixture at the top of the lineup. Sure, skipping AAA altogether without a full season in AA is not done often, but do the Jays really have much to lose in this case? The pressure would be a little heavy, but entering a scenario where the organization is ready for growing pains may be the perfect time to do this kind of thing. He would become a CF in this case, and Wells would rightfully shift to RF or LF, where he belongs.

Personally, I don't mind any of the options since they all have their upside and downside. One thing is for sure however, by making that kind of statement, Alex is admitting that he isn't comfortable with the outfield he currently has - most likely due to their generally limited range and sloth like speed. Alex seems to be emphasizing great D to go along with offence as well as to help his young pitching staff out. Smart man.

Alex taking a page out of the Expos notebook

For those of us who were around to experience it, the Expos scouting department was able to leave all other departments in the dust when it came to churning out prospects. Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Vladimir Guerrero, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, ect.. ect... there are so many players that the Expos were able to identify earlier than other teams that it allowed them to be competitive despite a minute MLB budget. The reason: the scouts were happy, numerous, and able to spend appropriate time on each prospect to properly evaluate his potential.

This article gives me hope that Alex will be successful in maintaining a constant stream of prospects in the system that will allow the Jays to remain cheap, competitive, and enable them to beat the big teams without spending over $100 million. Stated by Alex himself "If we can get the best in scouting and the best in player and development, ultimately that will result in better players and a better product on the field. That being said, we're also going to move toward restructuring the way we do our pro scouting and the way we do our amateur scouting." However, the most important thing he mentions is "We're going to have new layers of scouts. We're going to really be doing some things that haven't been done in the past with other organizations." Alex got his start with the Expos, watched and learned how they were able to get a good handle on so many prospects, and is implementing many of those lessons learned to the Jays scouting system.

His plan, in point form, is as follows:

1. Heighten the number of scouts (close to double) in the following ways;

a. Will have a staff of 21 pro scouts who will work directly with Alex himself, up from 10;

b. Domestically (U.S. and Canada), he is adding a layer of Regional cross-checkers and National cross-checkers that will supervise and maintain the focus of area scouts and provide area scouts with more time off. Matt Briggs, Dan Cholowsky, and Tom Burns have already been transferred into the Regional cross-checker role, as they were previously area scouts for the Jays. In total, there will be a total of 5 Regional cross-checkers, and 3 National cross-checkers.

c. All scouts will get more time off and better benefits overall, as well as a raise to keep them as some of the best paid in all of MLB. Scouts are notoriously disloyal because they are constantly poached by other teams in return for small raises or incentives, therefore Alex is hoping to stem these losses and build a team that is both loyal and more dedicated to ensuring the Jays system becomes the best in MLB. Brilliant;

d. The number of area scouts will grow from 14 to 25. This means that each scout who was previously responsible for up to 5 States will now be responsible for 2 or 3. It means more time spent talking to their families, coaches, and getting to know them more effectively. It also means less travelling or wasted time, and closer relationships with locals in each community. Trust will increase with coaching staffs, and assessments will be more thorough. Add to this the fact that Regional and National cross-checkers will provide them with a conduit to Alex without the need for them to travel to Toronto to do it themselves, and you've got a much more effective system.

Overall, I absolutely think that Alex has hit the nail on the head here. Sure, he could try to buy whoever is supposed to be the best International FA out there, or spend a ton of money on bonuses, but the real value lies in those players who don't know that their potential is so high and that cost a small amount of cash as a result. If they don't expect much, and turn out to be stars, you've got one hell of a great investment. If this move costs Alex 5 million to enact, and results in 3-10 players being found that otherwise may have been overlooked, that's a ton better return on investment than what the Red Sox have gotten for their investment in Dice K or what the Yankees gave up to buy Kevin Brown and Jarret Wright. I certainly hope this move works out and that opinions will flow up regardless of how Regional and National cross-checkers feel about a scout's opinion. If communication is effective and high quality scouts are drawn by this new system, the Jays may finally be able to build a dynasty of their own. One that I, for one, would love to follow as they grow into icons.

Here's to hoping that this move is the start of a journey to our next World Series win!