Virtually spending the Jays money

By Paul Bruno

We recently identified the needs in the Blue Jays’ roster as they face an off-season of retooling their roster.

Openings at catcher, shortstop, an outfield spot and some pitching help are on the wish list.

Today we fill out our wish list, bearing in mind that we will not just go out and buy the best available player at each position.

We have also kept in mind that adding a couple of Canadian-born players would be a gesture of goodwill that may help draw back some of the club’s disappointed fan base.

At the catcher position, they are supposedly still interested in speaking to Rod Barajas, who was the number one catcher here last year. Barajas hit for solid power (19 hr, 71 rbi) and has expressed his desire to return to Toronto. If he does, it will have to be at an affordable price. If not, here are some options, including a top rated player and a couple of more economical options, with last year’s salaries in brackets:

-Yorvit Torrealba (3.775 M) – 2 HR, 31 RBI, .291 BA in 213 at bats
-Ramon Castro (2.625 M) – 7 HR, 25 RBI, .220 BA in 155 at bats
-Miguel Olivo (2.70 M) – 23 HR, 65 RBI, .249 BA in 390 at bats

The Jays would like to replace Barajas’ power numbers and that makes Olivo most valuable, but the other two receivers are good fall-back options because they can add some offense with modest power (Castro) or hit for a better average (Torrealba). Olivo may be the only one who will likely command a big raise over last year’s salary.    

At shortstop, the Jays got a great year out of free agent Marco Scutaro and would only try to sign him back at a reasonable salary. He will get a raise over the $1.1M he made last year, in spite of his 34 years of age. If he doesn’t return to Toronto, here are some possibilities:

-Orlando Cabrera – ($4 M) – 9 HR, 77 RBI, .284 BA
-Adam Everett – ($1 M) – 3 HR, 44 RBI, .238 BA
-Chone Figgins – ($5.775 M) – 5 HR, 54 RBI, 42 Stolen Bases

Figgins would probably be the high end guy in this group, a great add-on to take over the lead-off spot in the order and could play shortstop, among a number of other positions. Everett is a slick defender, but doesn’t have a big offensive upside. He would be a little better version of John McDonald. Cabrera represents a Scutaro clone and it will be interesting to see which of the two veterans gets the bigger deal. 

The Jays could use another solid outfielder and here are a few options:

-Rocco Baldelli – (1.5M) – 7 HR, 23 RBI, with a .253 average in only 150 at bats
-Jason Bay – (7.5M) – 36 HR, 119 RBI, 13 SB, .267 average
-Scott Podsednik – (500 K) – 7 HR, 48 RBI, .304 average, 30 SB
-Fernando Tatis – (1.7 M) – 8 HR, 48 RBI, .282 average in 340 at bats

Baldelli has probably never amounted to the player many expected. But, his numbers in limited playing time reflect a possibility for more in a lower-pressure environment than Boston. Bay is Canadian-born and could become the next face of the Jays if they think they could fit him in at the higher end of their salary structure. Podsednik is in line for a huge raise and is a solid lead-off option. Tatis has decent power and can hit for average. He might appreciate the multi-cultural aspect of Toronto.

Starting pitching is an issue due to the rash of injuries from last year and the uncertainty around Roy Halladay. Assuming Roy is dealt, we look at some veteran free agents below:

-Rich Harden – (7 M) – 9 Wins, 4.09 ERA, in 141 innings pitched
-Eric Bedard – (7.75 M) – 5 Wins, 2.82 ERA, in 83 innings pitched
-Carl Pavano – (1.5 M) – 14 Wins, 5.10 ERA in 200 innings pitched

Harden and Bedard have both dealt with injury troubles. Assuming they are over those issues, they would be good for the front end of the rotation and they are both Canadian. That’s more good P.R. for the Jays. They showed some interest in Pavano, who re-established himself as a viable option in any rotation. He will be looking for a raise, but won’t break any team’s salary structure.

Memo to Jays’ GM, Alex Anthopoulos—I hope this helps you…