The Blue Jays have settled on a coaching staff so what do they do now?
The life of a Major League general manager can be a daunting task, especially when you are Alex Anthopoulos and you are in charge of getting the Blue Jays back to the Promised Land.
Playing in a championship-starved city like Toronto, where its' teams annually languish near the basement of their respective leagues, means that the pressures are ratcheted up a hundred fold. Luckily, for the Jays' sophomore G.M., Anthopoulos has a few more links in his leash than the Leafs' Brian Burke or Raptors' Bryan Colangelo, the two men in charge of the teams competing for entertainment dollars down the street at the Air Canada Centre.
After taking over from J.P. Ricciardi during a reported 'mutiny' by the players towards manager Cito Gaston on the final weekend of the 2009 season, Anthopoulos has been allowed to rebuild the franchise under the watchful eye of veteran team president Paul Beeston. Not much was expected of this team in 2010. The pundits had them finishing in the basement of the ultra-tough American League East division, some even had them losing in excess of 100 games. But, as it turned out, they (including myself) were all wrong. The pitching, especially the inexperienced starting rotation, gelled quicker than expected and the offence muscled up to hit a Major League-leading 257 home runs, tied for third all-time. Those two factors led the Jays to an 85-win season. Unfortunately, that was only good for seventh in the A.L. and when only four teams can qualify for the post-season, it meant that the Jays failed to make the playoffs for the 17th straight season.
Despite that, optimism remains on the rise, buoyed by the fact that they finished with a 33-25 against teams that made it to the post-season in 2010. This is now Anthopoulos' team, including the bench staff that was brought in Monday with the hiring of Don Wakamatsu (bench coach), Torey Lovullo (first base) and Pat Hentgen (bullpen) to join incumbents Brian Butterfield (third base), Bruce Walton (pitching) and Dwayne Murphy (hitting) and new manager John Farrell.
But since the season ended, the Blue Jays roster has started springing leaks with catcher John Buck and first baseman Lyle Overbay now on the free agent market along with three relievers; Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs and Jason Frasor. But those roster spots won't be filled through free agency as the Jays don't look to be going after any of the top-level players on the market. At least not this off-season, but that's not to say that they won't be kicking the tires of some mid-range free agents.
When looking at that list there are some intriguing names that could fill the roster holes at economic prices. It looks like the catching situation will be handled from within. Jose Molina's option was picked up and with prospect J.P. Arencibia having done all that he can at the Triple-A level, it seems that position has been taken care of. Buck will likely get a contract offer but the Jays won't be into getting into a bidding war over a catcher with just one solid season over his seven MLB seasons.
First base, though, could provide some options. While talk of Adam Lind becoming the everyday 1B has cooled, they could take a run at Adam LaRoche (.261, 25 HR, 100 RBI), whose option was not picked up by the Diamondbacks. Ty Wigginton (.248, 22, 76) could also be a cheap option and he can play several positions.
As it currently stands, if Gregg, Downs and Frasor all move on, they might want to fill in the bullpen from within, with David Purcey and Josh Roenicke joining Shawn Camp in higher leveraged roles. But there are some interesting arms on the market. A couple of Rays' relievers - Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour - could be had at a decent price. Finding a lefty to replace Downs might be more difficult. One name that might pop into the equation is Joe Beimel, who made 71 appearances for the Rockies last season, posting a respectable 3.40 ERA. The one type of pitcher that I would like to see the Jays go after is a power arm that can come in and get a strike-out or two when needed. Last season's bullpen, while they were effective, tended to nibble leading to some late-inning stress.
They will need to find a closer, though, and that will cost them some money. I see a new closer arriving via trade. The one that catches my eye is Kansas City's Joakim Soria but that will likely come at the cost of prospects.
While this may not be the year to break the bank and go for it, we all know that Anthopoulos is a young man with a bigger, grander vision, where his team will not just contend next year, but on an annual basis. Sure the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays are being weakened by age and free agent defections and the impatient Toronto sporting public might not want to be told that good things come to those that wait. A plan is in place and based upon the improvements the team made in A.A.'s first go-round, I, for one, hope that the past will be repeated. As in the early 90's, when big names free agents like Dave Winfield, Jack Morris, Paul Molitor and Dave Stewart were brought in as finishers, to put the team over the top.
As it turned out, that was money well spent. The same could hold true again.
