This offseason may become one of the busiest the Blue Jays have had in many years.
They need a new manager, they have to decide who will play both first and third base and they need to determine whether to sign Jose Bautista long-term or trade him while his value will be as high as it will ever be.
Yet if you ask any pitcher on the staff they’ll tell you the one guy this team needs back, more than anyone, is John Buck.
While his 20 home runs and .281 average look nice on a resume, his ability to call a game is what makes him so valuable.
Caught in the middle of this is J.P. Arencibia, bar far the team’s No. 1 prospect when it comes to position players.
You see, Buck would love to come back, but not to split time with another catcher.
He feels, and deservedly so, he’s a No. 1 guy and if Jays’ general manager Alex Anthopoulos feels the same, Arencibia will have a hard time getting at-bats.
That would prove to be a disservice to Arencibia and the team.
So if the Jays do re-sign Buck for two or three more years they have to decide what to do with Arencibia.
The options include teaching him a new position (he’s been taking ground balls at both first base and third base during batting practice the last month, just for fun) or trade him.
After losing Brett Wallace, the thought of dealing away another top prospect doesn’t make a lot of sense, so that leaves option No. 1
I know Arencibia wants nothing more than to be a major league catcher, so it will be very interesting to see how this unfolds over the winter.
It’s not an easy decision and I’m glad I don’t have to make it.