New Jays closer Miguel Batista pitches to Vernon Wells during an inter-squad game at Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla. (CP Photo)

Frank Catalanatto, Shea Hillenbrand, Frank Menenchino and Gregg Zaun? They're all dirtbags. Corey Koskie is a Canadian dirtbag. In fact, if general manager J.P. Ricciardi had his druthers, the entire Toronto Blue Jays roster would be chock-full of dirtbags.

While most would consider being called a dirtbag a bad thing, Ricciardi regards the moniker as a term of endearment.

A dirtbag, says Ricciardi, plays baseball the "right way" – with both his head and his heart. A dirtbag will lay down a clutch sacrifice bunt to advance a key runner, or will slide hard into second base to break up a double play.

"It's is a guy who is willing to do the all the little things," explained Ricciardi in a phone coversation with CBC Sports Online. "It's playing hard."

"I don't think we're in a position where we can't play like that."

Ricciardi's gang of dirtbags finds itself in one of the toughest spots in all of baseball – caught in the crossfire between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Every year those bitter rivals, already two of baseball's best teams, spend whatever it takes to stay on top and within arm's reach of each other. Every year, the pennywise Jays must find a way to keep up.

"We know the division we play in," said Ricciardi when asked how his club matches up against the mighty Yankees and the World Series champion Red Sox. "We play in a division where you can go out and win 90 games and still finish 10 games out of first place.

"We just have to find a way to shorten the gap."

The talent gap between the Jays and the Red Sox and Yankees appeared to grow during the off-season. Boston re-tooled an already impressive lineup. New York added Randy Johnson, maybe the greatest left-handed pitcher of all-time. The Jays, on the other hand, lost their most dangerous slugger when Carlos Delgado signed a lucrative deal with the Florida Marlins.

Delgado was the engine that drove the Blue Jay offence for the better part of the last decade. The first baseman would annually post all-star statistics. He routinely eclipsed 30-homer plateau and it was just assumed he'd drive in at least 100 runs.

On the surface, it would seem the loss of Delagdo is a bad thing, but Ricciardi suggests it could make the Jays a better team in the long run.

"We didn't have financial flexibility in the past with Delgado here," explained Ricciardi. "We had $18 million (US) tied up – which was one-third of our payroll – in a no-trade contract. That's not a situation that gives you flexibility."

Ridding himself of that headache, coupled with the fact the Jays ownership has commited $210 million to salaries over the next three years, means Ricciardi now has the green light to add players to improve the team.

"This is an exciting time," said Ricciardi, who in the past has had to work with a $50-million payroll.

"We've bit the bullet for three years. Now that we're financially sound we can go forward and do the things we really want to do."

But their expanded payroll is still puny by Yankee or Red Sox standards. And without Delgado's productive bat in the middle of their lineup the Jays will be a much different team this season by necessity.

Toronto's focus will change from the long ball to small ball. Ricciardi's dirtbags will have to do all the little things – bunting, smart base running, sacrifices and timely hitting – to be successful.

"I think we got a lot of athletic guys on this team, we should be running, putting some pressure on the defence, putting guys in motion, hitting and running a little bit, trying to manufacture some runs because we can't rely on Delgado for a three-run homer anymore," explained Eric Hinske, who will assume Delgado's position at first base.

"We're going to be more of a contact lineup," added Ricciardi. "We're going to have to be really good at situational hitting. That's going to decide just how good we are offensively."

The Jays signed Manitoba native Corey Koskie and traded for Hillenbrand to help fill the void left by Delgado's departure. Both players are prototypical Ricciardi dirtbags – patient at the plate and good in the field.

"[Koskie and Hillenbrand's] bats will be great for us," said Jays outfielder Reed Johnson. "You can't replace a guy like Carlos Delgado, so you try to do the best you can. I think we did the best we could."

Ricciardi is also counting on established, but still youthful, starters like Vernon Wells, Orlando Hudson and Hinske to continue their development and help take up some of the offensive slack.

"We're at the point where a lot of our players are three - or four-year major leaguers and it's important they step up and become the players they can be," said Ricciardi.

Toronto's lineup will also include a handful of near-rookie players. Outfielders Alex Rios and Gabe Gross and shortstop Russ Adams will be in tow when the club opens its season against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Both Rios and Adams impressed Jays brass and fans alike during brief stints with the big club last year. And Ricciardi called Gross the most surprising player at the Jays camp in Dunedin, Fla.

"I can see us starting to turn the corner now because I see what's happening with the younger players," said Ricciardi. "We are at the point where we're going to bear the fruit of a lot of labour that we've gone through."

The loss of Delgado and the addition of Koskie has also forced the Jays to reconfigure their defence. Koskie, one of the best at fielding his position, takes over at third base from Hinske, who shifts around the diamond to play first.

The Jays are also solid up the middle. Adams and Hudson should develop into a dependable double-play combination, while Wells, Rios and Gross are all better than average outfielders.

"I think we're going to catch the ball really well," said Ricciardi. "This is the best defensive team we've had since I've been here."

Toronto's pitching staff will also take on a more youthful complexion this coming season. The starting rotation will include ace Roy Halladay, lefty Ted Lilly, Josh Towers and promising youngsters David Bush and Gustavo Chacin.

Ricciardi is confident both Bush, 25, and Chacin, 24, will have bright futures in the major leagues, but right now the Jays GM is reluctant to put too much pressure on the second-year pitchers.

"They give you a chance to win every night and that's all you can ask. They're going to develop as they go," said Ricciardi. "They got arms that are going to give us a chance and that's all we can ask for."

While contributions from Bush and Chacin would be a bonus, if the Jays are to be competitive they'll need Halladay to stay healthy.

In 2003, Halladay won 22 games and captured the Cy Young award as the American League's top pitcher. The Jays won 86 games that year. In 2004, Halladay missed nearly two months of action with a fatigued arm. He finished the campaign with a pedestrian 8-8 record and the Jays only won 67 games.

Halladay changed his off-season workout regime and has tweaked his delivery during spring training. So far, so good, according to Ricciardi.

"Halladay is throwing the ball really well," Ricciardi said. "He's healthy. The arm is fine and I think he's going to have a good year."

After Jays relievers blew 16 saves and lost an AL-leading 34 games in relief last year, Ricciardii also says he's "cautiously optimistic" that the bullpen will be a bright spot for the Jays this season.

The lack of a true closer has been the Jays' most glaring weakness over the last few years. During the spring, Toronto's brass, after some second-guessing, handed the job to veteran Miguel Batista. So far, the former starter has looked comfortable in his new role. Batista converted all five of his save opportunities after being moved to the bullpen last September.

"I just liked the fact I'd be able play every day or almost every day," Batista told USA Today when asked about his success as the Jays closer. "That's one of the things that bothered me when I was starting – I'd wait too long to pitch again."

Justin Speier is expected to be the Jays' primary set-up man. Jason Frasor, Vinny Chulk, Pete Walker and lefty specialist Scott Schoeneweis will also play big roles the Jays' bullpen. Fireballer Brandon League could move into the closer role if Batista faulters.

"If we pitch well enough, we have a chance to make things difficult for some teams," said Ricciardi.

Prior to the 2004 season, then-Jays manager Carlos Tosca boldly claimed his team would win 95 games. Tosca was fired by early August and Toronto ended up winning 38 fewer games than he'd predicted.

So it's understandable that his replacement, John Gibbons, is a little reluctant when asked how many games his Jays will win in 2005.

"You never predict how many games you're going to win," Gibbons said in an interview with CBC. "But, this is a special group here. I really believe that. I think they have a chance to surprise some people this year."

Ricciardi may also be feeling the pressure. He's in his fourth year with the club and so far his work has produced little in the way of results. Now with Delgado gone, and with more money available, Ricciardi is under the gun to make the Jays competitive and convince Toronto's fickle fans to show their support.

Ricciardi is a little more forthcoming than his manager when discussing the Jays' win-loss record. He expects the Jays to win at least 81 of their 162 ball games this season.

"We're going to be competitive and I'd be disappointed if we aren't .500 or better," he said. "This year could be a cornerstone for us going forward."