Off-season additions:
Pitcher A.J. Burnett (free agent), relief
pitcher B.J. Ryan (free agent), first baseman Lyle Overbay (trade with Milwaukee),
third baseman Troy Glaus (trade with Arizona), catcher Bengie Molina (free agent),
infielder John McDonald (trade with Detroit), pitcher Brian Wolfe (trade with
Detroit).
Off-season departures: Pitcher Dave Bush and outfielder Gabe
Gross (traded to Milwaukee), second baseman Orlando Hudson and pitcher Miguel
Batista (traded to Arizona), third baseman Corey Koskie (traded to Milwaukee),
pitcher Chad Gaudin (traded to Oakland), catcher Ken Huckaby (free agent, signed
with Boston), shortstop Frank Menechino (free agent, signed with Cincinnati),
pitcher Justin Miller (free agent, signed with Tampa Bay).
Probable Starting Lineup:
- Bengie Molina (C)
- Lyle Overbay (1B)
- Aaron Hill, (2B)
- Russ Adams (SS)
- Troy Glaus (3B)
- Frank Catalanotto (LF)
- Vernon Wells (CF)
- Alex Rios (RF)
- Shea Hillenbrand (DH)
Bench players:
- Gregg Zaun (C)
- John McDonald (SS)
- Eric Hinske 1B, DH)
- Reed Johnson (OF)
- Ryan Roberts (2B)
INDEPTH: TORONTO BLUE JAYSHey,
big spenders!The Blue Jays spent
big in the off-season -- a concerted effort to make it to the post-season. CBC Sports Online | Last updated Apr. 3, 2006
For many playoff-starved Canadian
baseball fans, even for some hardened pundits, this is The Year: the
year the Toronto Blue Jays shed their latter-day reputation as a perennial
also-ran and reclaim their original image as a well-run ball club
that had plans to still be in action come October.
Backed by the deep pockets of team owner Ted Rogers, Jays general
manager J. P. Ricciardi was busy in the off-season, gorging himself
like Homer Simpson at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The spending brought seasoned veterans like Troy Glaus and Lyle Overbay,
burgeoning stars like B.J. Ryan, and high-risk, high-reward players
like A. J. Burnett. They join a diverse collection of players, from
all-stars like Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells, to youngsters like Gustavo
Chacin and Alex Rios.
The result is a team with a substantially bigger payroll and substantially
fewer question marks.
So now it's down to business. The business of dealing with divisional
rivals Boston and New York -- two of baseball's talent and cash behemoths
-- as well as potential wild-card challengers like Cleveland or Chicago,
and that's just to get to the post-season.
Ricciardi's moves have players buzzing more about playoff chances
this year than in recent memory, and expectations are high that fans
will share that optimism. Looking ahead, here's the team Jays fans
can expect to see on the field this year:
STARTING PITCHING If healthy, the Blue Jays could boast the best 1-2 punch
in the American League with ace Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett.
Halladay was 12-4 with a league-leading 2.41 earned-run average in
July before a fractured left tibia cut his season short. He has only
worked 274 2/3 innings the past two seasons, so the 2003 Cy Young
Award winner's arm should be relatively fresh.
The oft-injured Burnett will miss his first two starts of the season
with an elbow problem after signing a five-year free-agent contract
worth $55 million US in the off-season.
Considered by many to have the best "stuff" in baseball, the 29-year-old
has never won more than 12 games in six-plus major-league seasons.
Burnett went 12-12 with a 3.44 ERA for the Florida Marlins last year.
Left-hander Gustavo Chacin was the lone Jays pitcher to make all his
scheduled starts a year ago, tying for the team lead in wins with
13 and throwing 203 innings.
The Venezuelan was a rookie-of-the-year candidate for most of the
season until hitting a rough patch in the final weeks.
Right-hander Josh Towers trimmed more than half a run off his ERA
in the second half (3.71 from 4.33 in first 17 starts) en route to
a 13-12 record and a team-high 208 2/3 innings.
Veteran Ted Lilly, 30, rounds out the rotation. The left-hander battled
an injured Achilles tendon, shoulder soreness and inconsistency throughout
the 2005 campaign (10 wins, 5.56 ERA) and begins this season with
back stiffness.
BULLPEN Toronto filled its biggest need in the off-season with the
signing of six-foot-six-inch closer B.J. Ryan, who saved 36 games
for the Baltimore Orioles last year.
The hard-throwing left-hander will be paid $47 million US over the
next five seasons to make Blue Jays fans forget about the inconsistent
Miguel Batista.
Ryan, 30, struck out 100 batters in 70 innings and posted a 2.43 earned-run
average.
Batista, sent to Arizona in a deal for slugging third baseman Troy
Glaus, had an ERA of 4.10 and converted only 31 of 39 save opportunities
in his first season in the closer role.
Right-handers Justin Speier (3-2, 2.57 ERA), Jason Frasor (3-5, 3.25
ERA) and Vinnie Chulk (0-1, 3.88 ERA) return as the set-up men.
Scott Schoeneweis struggled early last season but became a dependable
situational lefty as the year progressed. He finished 3-4 with a 3.32
ERA and 43 strikeouts in 57 innings.
Journeyman left-hander Scott Downs is expected to return to the bullpen
once Burnett comes off the disabled list.
Downs was one of the Blue Jays' surprises last season. He started
out as the long man in the bullpen filling in as a starter when ace
Roy Halladay and Ted Lilly went down with injuries.
The 30-year-old finished the season 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 26 games,
including 13 starts.
Veteran Pete Walker, 36, will pitch in long relief and make the occasional
spot start.
OFFENCE An offence that ranked 11th in the 14-team American
League in home runs (136) a year ago and fifth in runs scored (775)
should be much-improved with the additions of first baseman Lyle Overbay,
third baseman Troy Glaus and catcher Bengie Molina.
Both Overbay and Glaus were acquired through trades in the off-season
and can drive the ball. A doubles specialist, Overbay also has seen
his homer total increase from four to 16 to 19 in each of the past
three seasons. A career .285 hitter, he takes over from the inconsistent
Eric Hinske and will be the Jays’ No. 5 hitter.
Glaus, who spent the first seven years of his major-league career
in the AL with the Anaheim Angels, returns with high expectations.
The 29-year-old cleanup hitter is the power bat J.P. Ricciardi has
been seeking since Carlos Delgado departed via free agency in January
2005. Glaus posted 37 home runs and 97 runs batted in last year for
Arizona, despite playing the entire second half with a strained tendon
in his left knee. He replaces Manitoba native Corey Koskie, who was
dealt to Milwaukee in the off-season.
Molina, 31, was Ricciardi’s last notable free-agent signing of the
off-season. Coming off a career season with the Angels in 2005 (.295,
15 homers), the veteran backstop assumes the No. 1 job from veteran
Gregg Zaun (.251, 11 HRs in 133 games in 2005). Molina has good power
and drew a career-best 27 walks last season.
The new-look infield also includes Aaron Hill at second base –
replacing the traded Orlando Hudson – and sophomore Russ Adams
at shortstop. A natural shortstop, Hill hit .337 in the first five
weeks with Toronto after being recalled from triple-A on May 19. He
batted just .221 after the all-star break but possesses a solid batting
eye.
Adams, the Jays’ first-round pick in 2002, was among the top five
AL rookies in hits, walks, doubles, triples, stolen bases and RBIs
in 2005.
The outfield remains intact from last season, with Frank Catalanotto
and Reed Johnson platooning in left, Vernon Wells in centre and Alex
Rios in right.
Shea Hillenbrand, who hit .291 with 18 homers and 82 RBIs in his first
year with Toronto in 2005, will be the designated hitter. He also
can spell Overbay and Glaus at first and third base.
Infielder John McDonald, Hinske and Zaun will be the reserve players.
DEFENCE Much of the off-season talk about the Jays centred on how
the club loosened the purse strings to bolster its pitching and offence.
The departure of the team's best infielder was somewhat lost in the
shuffle.
Gold Glove second baseman Hudson was shipped to the Diamondbacks in
a deal that brought the Jays cleanup hitter Glaus. But Hudson's loss
leaves big shoes to fill for Hill.
Hill was shuffled around the diamond during his rookie campaign, spending
time at second base, third base and shortstop. He'll now have to get
used to patrolling the right side of the field on a full-time basis
and there could be some growing pains for the young infielder.
There are also some questions about Hill's double-play partner Adams.
The 25-year-old shortstop struggled defensively during his first full
season in the big leagues, committing 26 errors, the second-most in
the majors. The inexperienced double-play tandem will be under the
microscope if they can't gel early.
The rest of the Toronto infield is solid, but not spectacular. Glaus
takes over third base and veteran backstop Molina assumes the No.1
catching duties, taking over from Gregg Zaun. The Jays used Hillenbrand
and Hinske at first last season but now have a solid full-timer in
Overbay.
The outfield is a much more known quantity. Wells, a two-time Gold
Glove winner, is the anchor in centre. He’s joined by returnees Alex
Rios in right as well as Frank Catalanotto and Reed Johnson, who are
expected to platoon in left.
COACHING John Gibbons is entering his second full season as the Jays'
manager. Last year, Gibbons impressed with his ability to handle the
Toronto's youthful pitching staff.
He also helped foster a hard-nosed, never-say-die ethic in his players
that won over fans, even when the Jays weren't actually winning.
A player's coach, Gibbons has the loyalty and respect of his players.
It will be interesting to see how the easy-going Texan deals with
expectations built up during the free-spending off-season.
Brad Arnsberg is among the most respected pitching coaches in the
game and is a big reason why Burnett -- his former pupil when they
both were Florida Marlins -- eschewed offers from other teams to come
to Toronto. Setting Lilly right could be Arnsberg's biggest challenge.
Hitting coach Mickey Brantley took over from Mike Barnett part way
through last season and the Jays improved under his tutelage.
Brantley spent the spring getting to know the strengths, weaknesses,
mechanics and habits of three new key hitters – Glaus, Molina
and Overbay.
Beloved former Blue Jay Ernie Whitt is back as Toronto's bench coach,
fresh from his stint as coach of Team Canada in the World Baseball
Classic, while Bruce Walton is entering his forth season as Toronto's
bullpen coach.
SEASON OUTLOOK The expectations for the Jays are all over the map.
Some baseball prognosticators, players included, are convinced Toronto,
after a decade of futility, will post a formidable challenge to the
Yankees and Red Sox.
"J.P. has brought in pitchers and hitters to help out and that's just
what we're going to try and do," said Glaus.
"We're going to try to put this team back to the level it's been before
and the level it deserves to be."
But skeptics believe Ricciardi's shopping spree will net next nothing
for the Jays – no American League East crown, no wild card.
Oddsmakers have pegged the Jays' chances of winning their first World
Series since 1993 at 30-1.
Nine of the 10 baseball experts surveyed for ESPN's baseball preview
picked the Jays to finish third in the American League East.
On the other hand, CBC Sports Online's own content partner, The Forecaster,
pegs the Jays to win the AL East title, although that's as far as
they'd go in the post-season.
And then there's respected baseball writer Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports,
who boldly predicted the Jays will the AL East and baseball's championship.
"Congratulations, J.P.," wrote Rosenthal, "You're going to win the
World Series."
Win or lose, for the first time in a long while, the Jays are a lock
to be a compelling team on the field and a great story to read.
