What the Depth Chart Tells Us

The post Doc trade and pre-Christmas offensive position depth chart is as follows:

• C: John Buck - Ramon Castro - Raul Chavez - JP Arencibia
• 1B: Lyle Overbay - Brian Dopirak - Randy Ruiz - Brett Wallace
• 2B: Aaron Hill - Jarrett Hoffpauir - Mike McCoy - Brad Emaus
• SS: Alex Gonzalez - John MacDonald - Mike McCoy - Jarrett Hoffpauir - Jose Bautista
• 3B: Edwin Encarnacion - Brett Wallace - Jose Bautista
• LF: Adam Lind - Jose Bautista - Mike McCoy
• CF: Vernon Wells - Mike McCoy - Jarrett Hoffpauir
• RF: Travis Snider - Jose Bautista - Mike McCoy
• DH: Randy Ruiz - Adam Lind - Brian Dopirak - Jose Bautista - everyone else

What does this depth chart tell us? Well, first it tells us just how useful Mike McCoy, Jose Bautista, and Jarrett Hoffpauir are going to be off the bench. I posted about Mike McCoy's wealth of experience at all positions at Jays Journal at FanSided.com. It also tells us that the Jays are fairly well set all over the diamond, but will have to move Lyle Overbay if they're going to give Brian Dopirak or Brett Wallace a chance to earn the 1B spot in 2010. With the 3 guys behind him holding the power that the Jays desperately need, it shouldn't be long before he finds his way out of Toronto.

Although LF is fairly well set overall, and I do expect Mike McCoy to get lots of playing time there due to his speed and coverage in the OF, the Jays could definitely use a new RF in order to shift Travis Snider to LF full time. I'm not sure if the Jays will be on the lookout for a new RF on the FA market, or whether they want to acquire one through trade, but the fact that the 40-man roster is full would tell us that the trade option may be most likely.

Any ideas on who the Jays could target to fill the RF spot?

Lyle Overbay Destinations

I think the Roy Halladay Blockbuster is getting plenty of coverage at this point, so I'm going to shift gears and look at where Lyle Overbay (picture from Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) could wind up now that he has the following guys threatning to take his spot: Randy Ruiz, Brian Dopirak, Brett Wallace, David Cooper. Overbay has $7 million remaining on his contract and becomes a FA after the 2010 season. Here are the best 3 possible destinations I could come up with:

1. Atlanta Braves - Sure, we can dream about getting a return like Yunel Escobar from the Braves, but we'd have to give up a whole lot more than 1 year of Overbay to make it happen. Although, you have to wonder if they'd consider it with Alex Gonzalez and a good prospect included. I seriously doubt it, but you never know. It is possible we could get 2-3 prospects in return, but if we're looking to fill either the CF or SS voids, they're not the best tango partners. They do need a guy like Overbay though, since they're looking for a good bat at 1B that can hold the spot for 1 season. Afterwards, they plan on passing the position to AA prospect Freddie Freeman. Possible return: OF Brandon Jones, SP David Francis, and SP Cole Rohrbough.
2. New York Mets - Although they're considering bringing back Delgado, Overbay makes a lot more sense for the Mets. He's younger, a better defender at this point, and a lot cheaper as well. He could be extended at some point should the Mets be happy with his production. Possible returns: SS Reese Havens and SP Dillon Gee.
3. Seattle Mariners - This team makes the most sense. They want to win this season and love to get guys who play great D. Also, having resigned Jack Wilson through 2011, they're pretty set at SS. The Jays could sweeten a deal with Scott Downs and a prospect, and land a top-prospect like Carlos Triunfel from the Mariners in the process. Adding Downs to the M's pen provides depth and experience they need that would cost them more on the open market, and adding Overbay gives them a much better defensive infield.

Overall, the only other teams I can envision wanting to pay a price for Overbay are the Orioles and the Giants. However, I do believe the 3 teams above will be willing to pay more, and once all of the paperwork and announcements are don for the Halladay deal, I'd look for this deal to become a priority for AA and the Jays.

Jays "Mildly" Interested in Ryan Doumit - C PIT

 Based on a recent report by Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, the Jays are said to have mild interest in Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, who will be 29 in April 2010.

Ryan Doumit is currently in the midst of serving a 3-yr 11.5 million dollar contract. Based on what is listed on Cot's, Ryan is owed $3.65 million in 2010, $5.2 million in 2011, with added club options for 2012 and 2013 that hold a $500,000 buyout. The Pirates have their 2009 #1 draft pick Tony Sachez waiting to become the catcher in Pittsburgh as soon as he is ready, which may be as soon as 2010. They also have a cheaper option in Jason Jaramillo who proved he could do the job full time last season, and the newly acquired Jeff Clement to share the role with.

What could acquiring Doumit cost the Jays? Lyle Overbay would be an option and would actually end up costing the Jays less, but are the Pirates interested in Overbay? They've recently been linked to other players such as Rick Ankiel who could play RF or 1B, depending on who is better in the OF, him or Garrett Jones. If they don't sign Ankiel, they could easily place Overbay as their 1B. The spoke in the wheel for the Jays is that the Pirates still believe Jeff Clement can win the 1B job outright, although I'm not sure he's their best option. Lyle has played in the NL Central before, with the Brewers, and does come off the books in 2011. So, once the Pirates bring up Pedro Alvarez and start moving people around, Lyle's obligations will be gone, and Doumit won't be in the way of either Tony Sanchez or whoever is manning 1B, if they trade him.

If the Pirates feel they're better off going with another option at 1B, or the Jays and Pirates can't agree on value since Doumit did have concussion issues in 2009 and costs a bit more over 2 years, the Pirates could ask for some pen help such as Brian Tallet, who is a cheaper option at just over $1 million.

So, what do we get if we deal Overbay or Tallet for Doumit?
We get a 29 year old switch-hitting catcher who can also fill in as a 1B when needed, who can easily hit over .270 each season, can hit around 15 HRs, has a decent OBP (.357 in 2008 - when healthy) and also hits a lot of doubles for a catcher. He's an ok defender, but won't win any awards for his play behind the plate. I'm not sure what his impact or personality is like in the locker room, but I haven't heard any negatives either. I'm pretty sure the Jays would be happier with acquiring a player like Ryan if there wasn't a second year on the contract at $5.2 million. Because like us, they have no crystal ball that can tell them that Ryan will return to form after wrist surgery and concussion issues and be worth that kind of investment. The question is, is he worth that much money for that output and the injury risk? I'm not sure, but with the other options sitting out there, he may have the most upside if he returns to form (higher reward), which would lead me to believe the Jays could trade him for a lot more than they'd give up to get him if he excels in 2010 and regains his power stroke with a healthier wrist.

The Jays are definitely kicking the tires on all catcher options, and some are already finding new homes. I'm a big Doumit fan and like the fact he could stick around 2 years as JP Arencibia makes his start in MLB. However, as was the case with Chris Snyder, the Jays are playing with fire in terms of acquiring players with serious health issues. Time will tell if a deal can get done. If you want to get to know Doumit a little more, see this fun question /answer blog post by jquist.