LAS VEGAS -- Wondering what the Blue Jays will look like in 2009? It seems they won’t be much different from the team that concluded ’08, minus people like Gregg Zaun, Brad Wilkerson and A.J. Burnett.
Economic factors -- notably the decline of the Canadian dollar -- have had a major impact on J.P. Ricciardi’s plans for the coming year. In September, there was a feeling the Jays had a decent chance at bringing Burnett back. That chance appears to have evaporated.
So, it will take a little creativity and perhaps a touch of reclamation to piece this team together.
With about $70 million already committed, it doesn’t appear as if the Jays wish to add payroll, regardless of the money they’re no longer obligated to pay Burnett. So adding a front-line player will require addition by subtraction.
Several players are off-limits, including Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, and Roy Halladay. Thanks to his questionable shoulder and hefty salary, Scott Rolen isn’t moveable. Ricciardi shot down a report suggesting he’d discussed a deal with the Mets involving B.J. Ryan, and essentially ruled out trading the closer to anyone. And the only other reliever making a reasonable amount of money is Scott Downs. Considering he may be moved to the rotation this season, we’ll rule him out too.
That would leave only one other well-paid player to trade: first baseman Lyle Overbay. The likeable Overbay is capable of hitting 50 doubles and 25 home runs, but a hand injury suffered in 2007 still seems problematic. As such, he was held to 32 doubles and 15 home runs this past season. In the American League East, that’s not good enough for a first baseman. Overbay has two years and $14-million remaining on his contract. He, too, would be tough to trade without a few good prospects thrown in.
That may be why -- as Jordan Bastian reported on www.bluejays.com -- the Jays have had talks with Carl Pavano. In four seasons with New York, he became the poster boy for wasted Yankee funds. But he did win 18-games in 2004, knows Brad Arnsberg well, and may be more suited to pitch in a less-scrutinized environment. Add in the fact he won’t cost a bundle, and there’s your pinch of reclamation.
Though the Jays have some good looking prospects, none of them seem ready for big league responsibility in 2009. Even Travis Snider may be better suited to spend a full year here in Las Vegas. That means the Jays may have to fill holes without actually spending money, and that’s not easy.
