Scott Carson

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 18th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.

Jays GM Alex Anthopolous has many things to consider ahead of the trade deadline.

It's time to accept the Toronto Blue Jays 2010 season for what it is: A rebuilding year with far more ups than downs.

And with the trade deadline just over a week away across the next ridge, it seems that Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has some key questions to answer before then. With his team still above .500 later into this season than many expected, they have finally fallen far enough back in both the divisional race and the wild card to eliminate any pipe-dream thoughts about the post-season.

Let the rebuild continue ...

With no one outside of his own inner circle privy to any trade discussions, we can only speculate based upon what we've all either read or heard. Scouts from the Yankees, Phillies, Tigers, Twins and Rockies have been following the team around on their current three-city, 10-game road trip to start the second half. I'm thinking that they were there to specifically see relievers Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp, outfielder Jose Bautista, catcher John Buck and first baseman Lyle Overbay.

Perennial playoffs teams like New York, Philadelphia and Minnesota are always on the lookout for relief help. Downs would fit in nicely on all three of those staffs. I'm also led to believe that the Rays and Red Sox may also have some interest in the left-hander.

The Rays have also been rumoured to be interested in MLB home run leader Bautista, who the Jays aren't actively shopping but would be foolish not to listen to any and all inquiries as the young GM continues the rebuild. But Double-A would have to get a nice parcel of players for the always grumbling public to endorse moving an All-Star slugger that the fans have taken a liking to. The one thing that may keep Bautista in a Jays' uniform is that Toronto’s asking price will be high and teams may not want to take on a player whose salary may jump to eight figures in his final arbitration eligible year and based upon one successful season in the majors.

The one asset that may draw the biggest haul could well be catcher John Buck, who is coming off an All-Star appearance. Buck -- signed to a below-market, one-year deal -- is a catcher whose defensive skills have improved immensely as the year moved along and he leads all backstops in home runs this season. The one team reportedly hot on his trail is the Tigers, who are getting an up-close look this weekend with the Jays visiting Comerica Park.

I'm also starting to hear that the Yankees and Phillies are also taking a look at Buck. Of all the position players, moving Buck seems the most obvious, especially with top catching prospect J.P. Arencibia ripping up the Pacific Coast League to the tune of .317, 28 doubles, 28 HR and 71 RBI through Thursday night's action. Trading Buck would allow the Jays to bring Arencibia to the majors under the tutelage of defensive specialist Jose Molina, who the club has an option on through 2011. And with good catching prospects lined up -- Arencibia (AAA), Brian Jeroloman (AA), Travis d'Arnaud (high-A) and A.J. Jimenez (low-A) -- it appears starting to advance these catchers up the organizational ladder would be in the best interests of the franchise.

Overbay is the one player that many had hoped would be moved, based upon his slow start to the season and his $7 million salary in 2010. But Lyle's been hitting .300 since the first of June and his defence, especially digging low-throws out of the dirt from third base, has made him a very valuable everyday player. Of all the contenders, only the Angels would view Overbay as an upgrade with Kendry Morales out indefinitely after breaking his leg during a walk-off celebration. Plus, with Overbay eligible to be a free agent after this season, the return for him in a trade would be minor at best so it's probably a good idea for the organization to just keep him where he is.

You might ask: Shouldn't they move Overbay out of the way to advance Brett Wallace up to the big club? Well, it seems Wallace has leveled off with Las Vegas. After hitting 11 HR and 33 RBI in his first 51 games, Wallace has hit just 5 HR and 20 RBI in his last 38 games.

With only eight days until the trade deadline, there are many options for Double-A to mull over. A lot on the line moving forward, as another general manager used to say.

Ou est Travis?

It appears that question will be answered early next week when Travis Snider, who hasn't swung at a major league pitch since May 14th, is poised to return to the Rogers Centre. When we last saw "The Next One" he was in the midst of an 11-game stretch in the first half of May that saw him go 17-for-42 (.414) with six doubles, 3 HR and 10 RBI. It was as good as he's looked in a Jays’ uniform and he looked ready to take over an everyday spot in the line-up. But he sprained his right wrist and was shut down until starting a rehab assignment with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays (Summer Rookie League) at the end of June. Since then, Snider made a quick stop in Dunedin for one game and has been with Double-A New Hampshire for the last two weeks and, based upon his last five games (9 for 22, 4 HR, 13 RBI), he appears ready to return to the majors.

Now, the dilemma: four players (Snider, Bautista, Lewis, Encarnacion) for three positions. Not a bad predicament, but not exactly ideal when the four players have all been getting full-time action. The obvious one to sit would be Encarnacion, but he's been one of their top hitters since the All-Star break with a .345 average, 5 doubles and 4 RBI. Certainly a good problem, although it may be alleviated with Fred Lewis currently sidelined with an ankle sprain.

All hail The Hawk

They don't come around too often, but the induction of Andre Dawson into the Hall of Fame on Sunday should provide a proud moment for all Canadian baseball. And this from a guy who never cared much about the Montreal Expos, even before the Jays originally took flight, as Jerry Howarth says. But 'The Hawk' was one of the classiest players, with oodles of skill, to come down the pike during my lifetime. Sure he got most of his pub when he moved to the Cubs, but he was at his best playing on the concrete floor of the Big 'O' in Montreal.