MLB: Toronto Blue Jays

2008-11-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

Wanna know what the Blue Jays are doing for Spring Training? Here's the info.

2008-10-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tune in to see who wins the election on Tuesday, November 4th...

2008-10-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Get your season tickets here! The countdown has begun!

Rays vs. Jays

2008-07-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Tough luck, guys. It just wasn't happening out there. I wish we could win them all, but the saying says we can't. Them's the rules.

At least we have basketball

2008-02-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

Nice win against the Timerwolves yesterday, eh? I guess you could say we buried 'em in the snow! Okay, maybe not, but I know *I'm* feeling buried in snow. Only good thing about Feb. and March is Raptor games. *grumble*

I'm falling asleep here!

2007-08-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Sigh. It's hard to keep up the enthusiasm, you know, when there's not much to cheer for lately. I thought maybe the Oakland A's might give us someone we could beat, but nooo...

Even Baseball Historians can't seem to bring themselves to say much about the Blue Jays.

Go team...?

Is this really fair?

2007-06-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, are the Yankees THAT desperate? Seriously. How cheap is it to trick the third baseman into not going after the ball by pretending to be a member of his own team? And even worse... at one point, Rodriquez from the Yankees is defending the play, saying it's no big deal and everyone does it, and then the next, he's saying he didn't say "mine" at all, but rather said something more like "ha"?

Something's fishy here.

4 more weeks

2007-03-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

The Jays, Towers in particular, are are doing a little spring cleaning. I believe Towers has promise but will have to work hard to make the rotation this season. Josh can pitch and Gibbons thinks this will be his big year.

Not my problem -- darn!

2007-01-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

What would you buy with $24 million? I guess it’s not my problem—it’s Lyle Overbay’s, since the Blue Jays just bought his services for the next 4 years for that much money. My biggest issue is finding enough money for tickets to go watch him earn it. Well, at least I’ve got till April to save up.

We offered how much?

2006-12-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, looks like they've figured out what to do with all that extra salary money.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells has been given a "generous contract offer," rumored to be the sixth-highest salary offer ever in baseball. Of course, Wells isn't talking about the exact amount, although he did acknowledge it's enough to feed a small country for a year. (My words, not his. But still true.)

Will the golden goose lay? Let's hope so, if this goes through!

Who to fill those rotation spots?

2006-12-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

Well... so Ted Lilly picks Chicago over the Toronto Blue Jays. Then Gel Meche picks Kansas (although the jury's out on whether or not that was a good thing, given the salary he would have required). What to do now with all this money we're not going to spend? It's like window shopping at Christmas time....

Do we really get Frank Thomas?

2006-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

From canada.com:

"The Toronto Blue Jays, starting to reshape their roster for the 2007 season, are on the verge of signing veteran slugger Frank Thomas to a two-year deal."

I don't know about you, but that sounds awesome. I don't know how much they're looking to spend on him, but I'm betting it'll be worth it. Nothing sells tickets better than a two-time American League MVP pitching for the Blue Jays!

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

2006-11-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

The Toronto Blue Jays’ tentative schedule for 2007 is out on mlb.com. We get to start off with a bang—facing the defending American League champs, the Detroit Tigers in Detroit on Monday, April 2^nd. We play them the 4^th and 5^th as well, then head to Tampa Bay for a somewhat more relaxing weekend with the Devil Rays. They were 61 and 101 last year.

Our home opener on Monday the 9^th will be against the Kansas City Royals, who also had a rather pitiful (62 and 100) season in 2006. Still, it doesn’t pay to get overconfident, especially since you look that much more inept if you manage to lose to a loser. Actually, once they’re playing somebody else, of course, I’d love to see those teams recover and move up statistically. Wouldn’t you rather buy tickets to a squeaker than to a rout?

Nice game for Chris and the Raptors

2006-11-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

With 15 rebounds and 26 points, Chris Bosh led the Raptors to what I think could justifiably be called a rout of the Milwaukee Bucks. Final score was 109-92. I know it is early to start taking this kind of thing for granted...but I could sure get used to Toronto coming out on top, even if it's in basketball, not baseball. Go, Raptors!

Love what you got

2006-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

When I'm not rooting for the Toronto Blue Jays, I'm wishing I was one. Sigh. At least every once in a while you see a player who doesn't seem to take it for granted, like Brandon Magee.

"Brandon Magee knows being a professional baseball player is a job. He just doesn't want to consider it one.

"I try not to call it one, because when you like what you do, it's not really a job," Magee said last week."

If only they'd all be more into the sport for the sport itself, I think baseball would get a better rap overall, you know?

Let's look at something else...

2006-10-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

So I was driving on the Gardiner Expressway and couldn't help but just stare at the CN Tower and Rogers Centre. Is it just me, or do the Toronto Blue Jays have the nicest home stadium of any out there? Between that and the awesome view of Lake Ontario, it's just so nice it almost doesn't matter whether we win or lose.

Almost.:)

Who's behind the plate?

2006-10-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

So the Toronto Blue Jays have lost two spots on the roster, and they're trying to figure out who's going to fill the catcher position. Guess it's going to be either Bengie Molina or Gregg Zaun, if they get their wish. So who's going to get the ticket back this year? Personally I'm thinking they should bring Molina since his record's better, but they may go with Zaun since his salary is lower.

Then again, they could both say no and go free agent, so who knows?

Newest addition to the Toronto Blue Jays

2006-10-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Looks like Toronto's got a new catch - the Cincinatti Reds have sent infielder Trevor Lawhorn to the Toronto Blue Jays. Is he any good? I haven't been paying attention, but maybe I should have.

Any Cincinatti fans wanns clue me in on what to expect? Anyone?

Bueller?

February in October?

2006-10-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

So I thought *we* had it bad here in Toronto considering we got a bit of snow the other day -- then I read about Buffalo! What was that, 3 feet or more of snow in October? Insane. All I can say is if it spreads back up this way, it's a good thing the SkyDome has a retractable roof...

Condolences to the New York Yankees

2006-10-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

Along with baseball fans everywhere, I extend condolences to the Yankees and especially to the family of pitcher Cory Lidle, who died when his private plane crashed into an apartment building in New York City yesterday.

Because of the attacks on September 11, 2001, many people's first reaction--and that includes the U.S. military--was that the crash could have been an act of terrorism. The quick actions of first responders, from firefighters to the U.S. Air Force, should reassure Americans that some lessons from 9/11 have been well learned. We can all be glad that global politics had nothing to do with this. But we still grieve the loss of the young men (Lidle and his 26-year old flight instructor).

Damn Yankees

2006-10-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don’t know whether to cheer or cry looking back over the season. Sometimes it feels like a winning record is still a lifetime away from success, given the competition in our division. Even taking 7 out of 10 at the end of the season isn’t enough to get within striking distance of Steinbrenner’s deep pockets.

2006 AD in BC

2006-07-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

I’ve been in Vancouver for a little over a month and my stay is almost at an end. I haven’t found much time to write but have been keeping up with the Toronto Blue Jays as much as possible. I love that we are pretty much neck and neck with the New York Yankees at 47 wins a piece. I see great things happening in the near future for my team.

If you get the chance, visit Vancouver. It is a beautiful city that boasts a rich culture and a great variety of entertaining and artistic attractions. There is something for everyone in Vancouver.

Jays in good standing.

2006-05-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Blue Jays are just a few games behind the Red Sox and Yankees and this fan couldn’t be happier. I am a little concerned about our bullpen and all the injuries we are seeing but Brad Arnsberg has done a good job of keeping it all together. Our upcoming series are against the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox in that order. Hopefully these pitching challenges won’t turn into a problem for the Jays.

Yankees Towering over Blue Jays

2006-04-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Josh Towers did not seem up to the task in the Toronto Blue Jays struggle against the slug-happy New York Yankees. He lasted only 2 and 1/3 innings and gave up a whopping seven runs in that short time. Towers has had problems with various injuries and just isn’t playing as strong as he can lately.

Looks like a tough road ahead.

2006-04-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Blue Jays are putting up quite a fight early in the season. We have a 3-4 record, following a tough loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. On top of that Roy Halladay will miss his next start because of soreness in his forearm. He should be out for only one game but A.J. Burnett will take his place as starting pitcher on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox.

Get on the good foot.

2006-04-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well the Toronto Blue Jays home opener was a great time. We were victorious over the Minnesota Twins and it was primarily due to the efforts of pitcher Roy Halladay. The Twins got only five hits off him in over seven innings. The final score was 6-3 and from what I saw Halladay’s left leg is in top condition.

Don’t scare me like that!

2006-03-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Toronto Blue Jays fans got a little scare when it was announced that Justin Speier may have aggravated the injury that kept him out in 2005. He looked recovered yesterday as he threw a host of fastballs with no pain at all. The last thing we need to do is lose a great pitcher like him two seasons in a row. Speier is one of our most powerful weapons.

Blue Jays Fans Prepare for Super Bowl Action

2006-02-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

The NFL’s Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday and this Toronto Blue Jays fan will be watching the game from the comfort home. I have some friends who bought tickets to the Super Bowl and are flying out to Detroit tonight. I think all the hoopla is fun, but I’d rather watch it on my plasma screen TV.

No Decision

2005-06-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Give around of applause to Josh towers who pitched very well against the surging Cubs, the Cubs had won nine out of their last ten games before their series with Toronto. The Blue Jays ended up winning the series 2-1, with Towers pitching in the second game. In just 5 1/3 innings that Towers pitched in game two last night, he held the Cubs to three runs and four hits. Towers was not apart the decision and the win was given to Scott Schoeneweis.

Chad Gaudin

2005-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

Chad Gaudin will be making his debut pitching appearance for the Blue Jays in the upcoming game against the Seattle Mariners. As of now, Gaudin has no record to speak of for the season, but he was taken back from Triple A after keeping a 2.48 ERA with the SkyChiefs. He had a 4.28 ERA while pitching for Tampa Bay.

Team Report:

2005-05-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

- from FOXSports.com

The club replaced injured 3B Corey Koskie (broken thumb) with IF Aaron Hill, the organization's top offensive prospect. Shortstop is Hill's main position, but he'll share time at third with Shea Hillenbrand until Koskie returns in about six weeks. . .

Recently recalled Scott Downs will serve as the team's long reliever and a situational lefthander. He primarily will be reserved for when a starter gets knocked out early, but he also could be used for one batter early in games.

FIRST QUARTER GRADES: Offense: C. Other than slumping CF Vernon Wells, the club hit relatively well, though it lacks power. Hillenbrand was a big surprise. Pitching: C+. RHP Roy Halladay led the rotation; LHP Ted Lilly and RHP Dave Bush were a serious drag on the starters' overall efficiency. RHP Miguel Batista has been strong closing games. Defense: A. Was among the A.L.'s best in fielding percentage. Showed much improvement up the middle and in the corner infield spots.

Jays beaten by Mays

2005-05-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Joe Mays, Minnesota’s golden arm, took down the Blue Jays in a nine inning shut out. The Jays were able to get seven hits off of Mays in a 4-0 loss at the Metrodome. Rookie Gustavo Chacin struggled against the Twins and allowed four runs in the sixth.

The Jays now head home after having their worst road trip of the season. Hopefully the homestand will be a lot better.

Josh Towers

2005-05-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Josh Towers will be battling it out against Minnesota Twins pitcher Johan Santana. Towers is currently 4-1 and while Santana is 5-1. Towers began his pitching stint with the Baltimore Orioles, where he was not yet accustomed to his position. During that time, Towers held his worst ERA with a 7.90, but the Orioles barely used him. Currently, Towers holds a 3.12 ERA.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME:

2005-05-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

- from FOXSports.com

With his velocity down this season, RHP Justin Speier is working on a changeup. Speier's fastball touched 94 mph in the past, but it has been at 91 in 2005. That makes his 85-mph slider less effective. The reliever also has struggled with his split-finger fastball; it's starting out of the strike zone. A changeup would give Speier another offspeed option. Speier won't use the pitch in a game until he's certain he can throw it well.

Win War / Lose Battle

2005-05-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

The Blue Jays return home after a successful road trip to Baltimore. Almost sweeping the series, the Blue Jays lost in their final game against the Orioles. The final score was 1-5 due to a very Oriole-prone 8th inning.

Toronto was able to put in one run at the beginning of the eighth inning. The score had been a complete shutout up to this point. Sammy Sosa turned it around when he slammed out a two-run double that led into a three-run hit from Javy Lopez. The Jays were kept to no score during the 9th.

Team Report:

2005-05-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

- from FOXSports.com

The Blue Jays decided to switch hitting coaches last week at least in part to jump-start the career of RF Alex Rios. He hasn't made much progress as a big-leaguer, hitting just one home run in his first 510 at-bats. The club thinks he can develop more quickly if he learns to pull inside pitches instead of lining them the other way. . . .

C Ken Huckaby recently joined the team as Gregg Zaun's backup. Huckaby's role will be to catch once or twice a week, likely against lefthanded pitchers. Huckaby's strong suit is his defense, but Zaun, a switch hitter, is stronger against righthanded pitchers.

Jays and Rays

2005-04-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Blue Jays have been taking a beating recently. After having a really nice start to the season, the Jays have faltered a little and gone down a peg. The Jays were leading in their division, but not the Orioles have taken the advantage. As of now, the Jays are 11-11 and the current game is not looking too well either. At this point, the Jays are down 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth.

In their last game against the Devil Rays, the Jays won after a streak of 5 losses. This win coincided with the dismissal of former pitching coach Mike Barnett.

"I don't know if it was necessarily meant to send a message. I just thought it was something that needed to be done. It's too early to tell, but it was a good win for us. We definitely needed it."
- Toronto manager John Gibbons

Team Report:

2005-04-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

- from FOXSports.com

Two of SS John McDonald's first three starts came when RHP Roy Halladay was on the mound. But the Jays aren't committing to using the defensive specialist as Halladay's personal shortstop.

6-3

2005-04-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Out of three series, the Blue Jays have brought home three victories. In every single series as of yet, the Jays have been able to pull out 2-1 and take home the series, but not sweep it.

Unfortunately, in their last game against the Oakland A’s, the Blue Jays were unable to take the sweep. The game was won by the A’s in a score of 6-3. The A’s picked it up in the latter portion of the game and took it in the 8th inning with four runs.

The Blue Jays take on the Texas Rangers next.

Jays over Sox

2005-04-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Blue Jays took out the Red Sox in their last game 4-3. Throughout most of the game, the Blue Jays were holding a strong lead (3-1). The Sox brought it back around in the ninth inning, tying it up due to a hit from the caveman himself, Johnny Damon.

Afterwards with it being tied up 3-3 at the bottom of the ninth, Orlando Hudson doubled with a pop to left-field scoring Reed Johnson and winning the game.

This makes for the second win over the Red Sox and a good game for Ted Lilly. Lilly is just returning from off of the disabled list from shoulder tendonitis.

SCOUTING REPORT:

2005-04-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

- from FOXSports.com

CF Vernon Wells has the total package and is only getting better. Wells will be the team's main power threat this season. His main weakness is an aversion to walks -- he's an aggressive hitter who specializes in pounding off-speed mistakes. Wells can expect tougher at-bats this season. Without Carlos Delgado behind him, pitchers likely will treat Wells with greater care.

Roy Halladay

2005-03-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be prone to start Roy Halladay opening day. After having good games through Spring Training, his struggles with a tired arm seem almost to be a distant memory.

"Physically, I feel about as good as I've felt at the end of camp. I think it's important to monitor that and not take it for granted in the first month. I think we're going to be smart with it. If we need to take days off or back off on certain things, we're going to do it."
- Roy Halladay

Halladay was awarded the 2003 Cy Young Award. He only put in 6 starts during his exhibition season, one being stinted by rain.

BREAKOUT PLAYER:

2005-03-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

- from FOXSports.com

The Blue Jays had modest expectations for Gabe Gross, so they sentenced him to another month at Class AAA Syracuse before spring training games even started. But then something happened: Gross started pummeling the ball and crushed four homers in his first five exhibition games. The light is finally on for the former first-round draft pick, and he may force the Jays to change their mind before opening day.

Billy Koch Released

2005-03-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

Billy Koch, after attempting to begin his second tenure with the Blue Jays, has been released due to Toronto looking another way. Koch began his career being a first round pick with Toronto. After three seasons, he moved from Oakland (2002), to Chicago (2003), and finally to Florida (2004).

"What am I going to do, cry about it? I understand the game. If I had a piece of my puzzle that wasn't going to fit, that wasn't going to work out -- that had guys in front of him, guys that were going to do better in my mind -- I'd have no problem [getting rid of] him."
- Billy Koch

The Blue Jays watched him through Spring Training and felt that he didn’t fit into the frame of the team. Now, Koch will be searching for another team to take him under their wing.

Pete Walker’s Struggle

2005-03-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

After spending a season in Japanese play, Pete Walker is trying to return into the fold of professional ball. The Toronto Bluejays have accepted him in, but that’s only half of the bargain.

Walker has been recovering from herniated disks in his neck. As of now, all that remains are two small scars from the surgery. But to Walker, this meant coming out of the game for a while to recover.

"If I felt as good as I do now, I'd probably be making a lot of money in Japan now. I was throwing 82 or 83 [miles per hour], and it was a struggle every day at the park. It took acupuncture and all sorts of physical therapy just to get me out on the mound. It was a nightmare, but the good thing is, they paid me to get healthy. There were incentives to make and money to be made. I think that's why I pushed it a little bit and probably made things worse. Hopefully, in the long run, it works out."
- Pete Walker

Walker is currently about to turn 36. At first he believed his pains were natural signs of aging until a MRI proved him different. He will be fighting to get a spot on the rotation.

CAMP SURPRISE:

2005-03-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

- from FOXSports.com

1B Eric Crozier has been one of the hottest hitters in camp, impressing Toronto's coaches with his revamped batting stance and his light-tower power. The Jays wanted his feet wider and his weight balanced lower, which should allow him to drive the ball to all fields. He implemented those changes over the winter and has battered batting practice pitchers during the first two weeks of Spting Training. Crozier is expected to start the season at Class AAA Syracuse, but he could punch his big-league ticket with a couple big months.

Swing into Spring

2005-03-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

The Blue Jays annual “Swing into Spring” fan festival was held last Saturday during a flurry-filled day in Toronto. This daylong festival was held at the downtown mega-mall. It marked the opening of season ticket sales.

Pitchers Josh Towers and Ted Lilly were in attendance. They signed autographs for two hours while speaking with fans.

"This as an important function for the organization: to put something like this on, and let the fans know that we need their support. I think the way we played last year was certainly disappointing. We're going into this Spring Training in a way that we're not going to forget about last year, but rather use that to help us this year."
- Ted Lilly

Blue Jays Updates

2005-02-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

After being last in the east conference standings after last season, the Toronto Blue Jays are looking at updating their roster. How best to do it? Well one way is to up your salary cap. The Blue Jays have boosted it to $210 million for the next three seasons, giving a little breathing room to acquiring some new players.

As of now, a few people have been signed. Third baseman Corey Koskie has been signed on for 2005-2007, with the option in 2008. Pitcher Justin Speier has been signed on for 2005-2006, with a two-year extension that avoids arbitration. Also, John McDonald, short stop, has been signed for 2005.

First baseman Eric Crozier did not get too much play time last season, but we will see what the upcoming season has to offer. Being a power hitter, he has extreme potential, but we will see after half a season at Class AAA.

The Blue Jays record last season was 67-94.

Ready for Spring training?

2005-01-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

With spring training just weeks away, we thought it would be a good time to introduce all the new faces the Jays organization will feature this year. We will give you a closer look at all the players the Jays acquired during this off-season, whether it was signing a player to a major league contract, trading for a player, claiming a player off waivers, or signing a player to a minor league contract.

Shea Hillenbrand : 1B/3B

Hillenbrand was perhaps the biggest off-season acquisition for Toronto, because they had to give up a player (Adam Peterson). When the Jays let Carlos Delgado walk, General Manager J.P. Ricciardi said he will need two bats to make up for the lost production, and Hillenbrand was one half of that plan. Hillenbrand's best season was in 2003 when he hit 20 home runs and drove in 97 runs, however, he set a career high in batting average in 2004 by hitting .310. He also hit 15 home runs and drove in 80 RBI for the D-Backs in 2004. Hillenbrand is a very quiet but productive bat to have in your lineup, and we expect him to hit 17-19 home runs and drive in 85-90 runs, while batting in the .285-.300 range.

Corey Koskie : 3B

Koskie is the second half of the duo that was chosen to replace the productivity of Carlos Delgado, and was the prime offensive free agent target for Ricciardi. There is a major risk of acquiring Koskie, as he has been injury prone for much of his career, however, when healthy he clearly has shown the ability to handle the lumber. Koskie battled through mental frustrations in 2004, as he was never comfortable with his batting stance, until he looked back at tape from the 2001 season, and noticed his mistake. Koskie saw he held his hands higher than he did early in his career, and after making the switch he batted .280 and hit 11 home runs during his final 136 at bats of the season. When healthy, Koskie can be one of the best offensive third baseman in the league. He clearly has potential to hit 20 home runs, while driving in and scoring 100 runs, and stealing 20 plus bases per season. We project him as hitting 20 home runs, driving in 90 runs while hitting .275-.280.

Billy Koch : RHP

Koch was the first player that Ricciardi traded during his tenure as the clubs General Manager, however, did not hesitate to bring back the flamethrower as the Jays needed some help in the back end of the bullpen. It is not realistic to expect Koch to revert back to old form, as he has lost his blazing fastball, which he now throws in the 92-94 MPH range. Koch will have to prove in spring training that he deserves the closers role, and right now we don't see him being much more than a middle reliever. If Koch can keep runners off base by keeping the ball in the strike zone we feel he will be a successful reliever, as we see his command and wildness as his biggest problem.

Scott Schoeneweis : LHP

Many Jays fans were confused when the signing of Schoeneweis was announced, and could not understand why he will be getting paid $1.75 million in 2005, after going 6-9 with a 5.59 ERA in 2004. However, when you examine Schoeneweis' numbers closer, you would see he is not as bad as many think, as long as he is used correctly. During the past three seasons, Schoeneweis has held opposing left-hand hitters to a .222 batting average against, and his opponents batting average was .249 when he pitched out of the bullpen, as opposed to .283 as a starting pitcher. We feel Schoeneweis is overpaid to be a left-hand specialist, however, if he performs well out of the bullpen, nobody will question his contract.

John McDonald : INF

The Jays acquired McDonald in an off-season trade that sent minor leaguer Tom Mastny to the Indians in return for the utility player. McDonald will probably earn a back-up role for the Jays for 2005, however, we really did not see the reason this trade had to be made.

Chad Gaudin : RHP

Gaudin was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that sent catcher Kevin Cash to Tampa. We really like this move, as we feel Gaudin is a young right hander with lots of potential in his arm. The Jays have depth in the catching position, and anytime you could acquire a projectable arm, you must go ahead and pull the trigger. Gaudin could pitch as a starter and as a reliever, and we see him spending time with the major league club during the 2005 season.

Scott Downs : LHP

The Jays signed Downs to a minor league contract this past winter, and there really is no reason not to like this move. Downs could be considered one of those "AAAA" players, however, left hand pitchers are a luxury, and obtaining one for virtually nothing is a smart business decision. Downs will be making his way from Syracuse to Toronto in 2005, and will be available when called upon. He will be given a chance to win a spot out of spring training, however, his likely April destination will be Syracuse.

Seung Song : RHP

All major league waiver transactions are done via a network computer, and the Jays front office was quick to click the select button when they saw the Expos put this young reliever on the wire. Song, 24, has spent six minor league seasons with the Redsox and Expos organization pitching to a 41-24 record while posting a 3.19 ERA in 113 games, 108 of those being starts. We expect Song to be a decent major league pitcher if given the chance, and for a small waiver claim price, the Jays came out as winners here.

Matt Whiteside : RHP

The Jays signed the 37-year-old journeyman reliever for some depth in the bullpen for 2005. Whiteside has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors playing for Texas, Philadelphia, San Diego and Atlanta. We don't see Whiteside earning a spot out of spring training, and we expect him to pitch the majority of the time for Triple-A Syracuse.

Adrian Burnside : LHP

The Jays agreed to a minor league deal with Burnside this past winter, however, we don't expect the 27-year-old to have a major impact for Toronto in 2005. Burnside has a career record in the minor leagues of 41-59, and should pencil himself for Syracuse.

Spike Lundberg : RHP

The Jays agreed to a minor league contract with the 27-year-old this past December, and we would like to see him get a look come 2005, if the Jays are searching for some quality arms. Even though he was in his mid 20's, Lundberg pitched well in 2003 and 2004 at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He has a career record of 65-51 with a 3.65 ERA in 862 minor league innings. We expect him to begin 2005 with Syracuse, however, if his performance bears a promotion, and the Jays are struggling with what they have in the pen, we see Lundberg as a potential candidate to help out.

Michael Nannini : RHP

The 24-year-old was a former first round draft choice by the Houston Astros in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft, and was cruising through the minors until 2002 when he pitched at Double-A for the first time. In 2003, he repeated the Double-A level, although this time it was for Chicago, and performed much better. Once again, Nannini struggled when he pitched at Triple-A with Florida last season, however, being relatively young, we believe this was a solid pickup for this organization. Nannini will likely begin 2005 at AAA, and at age twenty-five he should not be considered a bust just yet. With that said, 2005 will clearly make or break Nannini, and in a low-risk, low-reward move, the Jays come out on top.

Jason Alfaro : INF

The Jays signed the 26-year-old infielder after be batted .325 with 13 home runs and 67 RBI for the New Orleans, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Alfaro has proven he can hit in the minor leagues with his career .278 average, and now it is time to prove he belongs in a big league clubhouse.

With the many new faces on the squad this year. Our season could go either way depending on how well these new players do. I guess theres nothing you can do know except hope and pray they all play together well enough to never play a season like last. GO JAYS!

Who’s Coming Back?

2005-01-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

With Spring Training soon about to be well under way, many fans are looking for answers. Who will come back and what can we expect from the upcoming year.

One of my top choices would have to be Jason Frasor, who has proved to be a great relief pitcher for the Blue Jays. Usually coming in at the eighth inning, Frasor has shown the potential to stay on and pitch with serious fervor.

Among Frasor, a new addition has been made to the base coaches: Mickey Brantley. Brantley, former base coach for the Mets in 1999, has been away from the diamond for approximately five years. He is taken in by the team as a first base coach.

Oh Canada!

Catcher Zaun declines arbitration

2004-12-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

Apparently, it was an offer he could refuse.

Gregg Zaun declined Toronto's arbitration offer on Sunday night and will be free to continue negotiating with the team through Jan. 9. If the 10-year veteran had accepted, he would've bound himself to the Blue Jays -- instead, he can talk to other teams until he finds an offer he likes.

That's quite a reversal of fortune for Zaun, who was cut last season in Spring Training by Montreal and subsequently inked a minor league deal with Toronto. After Greg Myers got hurt in late April, Zaun stepped into the big league starting role and responded with the best season of his career.

That development -- along with some others -- sunk the Jays into a tricky predicament. They traded Kevin Cash two weeks ago and are stuck with just one veteran catcher under contract: Myers, who missed all but eight games last season. Toronto also has top prospect Guillermo Quiroz, but the organization wants him to get some more time at Triple-A Syracuse.

That explains the team's ongoing interest in Zaun, who will turn 34 in the second week of April. The switch-hitter finished with the team's third-highest on-base percentage (.367) last season, and he also developed a rapport with Toronto's pitching staff.

The Jays would like to have him back, but the final decision rests with the player. If playing time is a major consideration, he'll probably return. Zaun had never broken 300 at-bats before, and he had played only 100 games in one other season. The opportunity to play regularly will be there again next season with the Jays -- whether he takes it remains to be seen.

Tentative Slate Begins in Tampa Bay on April 4

2004-10-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

The Blue Jays released their tentative schedule for the 2005 season, which opens in Tampa Bay and closes in Toronto six months later.

Opening Day for the team's 29th season is April 4, and the Jays will be matched against their closest rival in the AL East. The home slate starts four days later, when the Red Sox visit SkyDome. That's the first time the Jays have ever opened up the home schedule against Boston.

April might be a difficult month, because it features nine games against New York and Boston. It also has a brutal nine-game road trip through Oakland, Texas and Boston -- three teams that finished with winning records. The Jays have had three straight losing records in the opening month, and they're stressing the need for a quicker start.

The level of difficulty drops off a little bit in May, and things get interesting once the Interleague schedule starts. Toronto will play against Washington, which now houses the Expos, in May. In June, the Jays will travel to three parks for the first time.

One will be Wrigley Field, the longtime home of the Chicago Cubs. Another will be Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros play. Finally, the Jays will travel to Washington for the first time, where they'll play a series that should be played at RFK Stadium.

On the flip side, the St. Louis Cardinals will visit SkyDome for the first time, and the Milwaukee Brewers will play Toronto for the first time since they joined the National League.

Season tickets for 2005 are already on sale. Toronto fans that have paid in full for season tickets on or prior to December 4 will receive free round-trip airfare to Spring Training in Dunedin, Florida. They'll also earn the right to attend a private barbeque with Blue Jays players and club officials.

Jays rally, hang on for victory

2004-09-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The goal started small. The Blue Jays just wanted to score off Orlando Hernandez, who had stifled them for 17 straight innings before Wednesday night's game.
Seven outs in, they did exactly that. The stakes grew higher as the game wore on, and Vernon Wells found a way to cash in all of Toronto's chips. The center fielder lined a two-run triple in the seventh inning, chasing Hernandez and pushing the Jays to a 5-4 win. That was El Duque's first loss of the season, spoiling one of the league's best stories of the second half.

"Anytime you can beat him, it's something else," said Wells. "Are we the first team to do it? There you go. It's not an easy thing to do. He battles out there and he never gives in."

Hernandez (8-1) had shoulder surgery in May 2003 and missed that whole season, but he returned with his familiar flair intact. He won his first eight decisions, including one against Toronto. In truth, he pitched well enough to beat Toronto twice.

The right-hander shut out the Jays for seven innings in one start, eight in another and two in an outing abbreviated by injury. The right-hander kept the shutout streak alive for two innings on Wednesday night, but Russ Adams snapped it with a one-out homer in the third frame.

"He was on the tightrope all night," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "He managed to wiggle off a number of times. He just couldn't wiggle off in the seventh."

It didn't seem to matter. New York (95-57) led 3-1 at that point, a result of two early homers off Ted Lilly. Bernie Williams drove a two-run shot in the first inning, cleaning up out of the cleanup slot. One inning later, Ruben Sierra crushed a ball over the left-field fence, giving the home team a three-run lead. New York only got three more hits over the life of Lilly's outing.

"If you look at the games that Teddy has pitched against us, it was pretty much a carbon copy," Torre said. "He's got movement on the ball late, and when everybody thinks they've got him, they swing and it's not there. We saw that when he was here."

The road team, meanwhile, slowly worked back into the game. Alex Rios walked and stole second in the sixth inning, scoring on a single to bring Toronto (64-88) within one run. Rios stole two bases in the game, marking the first time in two months that the Jays took more than one extra bag. The last time they stole two was July 10 -- the last time an individual took two was June 2, done by Wells.

At any rate, the game turned and turned again in the seventh. The Jays earned the lead and then nearly gave it back. With two on and one out in the top of the inning, Wells sent a shot to the right-center field gap, bouncing past the fielders. He pulled in at third and scored on the next at-bat, a bloop ground-rule double from Carlos Delgado. Hernandez came out after the Wells at-bat, but he was still charged with all of the runs.

"You play in this place, it really gets you motivated. What can I say? They've been playing their [rear ends] off," said Jays manager John Gibbons. "[Hernandez] didn't seem as sharp tonight, and we were working pretty good. The big hit by Wells there was key."

New York chased Lilly (12-10) in the bottom half, courtesy of a one-out throwing error by the southpaw. Brandon League came in and walked Derek Jeter, then watched Alex Rodriguez load the bases on an infield single. In that tight spot, the rookie calmly worked his way out. He got Gary Sheffield on a check-swing strikeout and induced a harmless grounder from Williams.

"All that was going through my mind was put the ball in play, try to develop a double play," said League, who made just his second big-league appearance. "I got a strikeout instead, then a ground out. Whatever works."

"We've been playing good baseball," Gibbons said. "The bullpen's falling into line. The guys are doing a pretty job down there late. We beat a pretty good team tonight."

Justin Speier came in for the eighth, and his first pitch was knocked for an upper-deck blast by Jorge Posada. The Yanks followed that up with a double, then Speier got two strikeouts and a popup. After that, Miguel Batista mowed down the home team in the ninth. Toronto's closer got three outs on five pitches, earning his third save in three relief appearances.

"They're good hitters. Posada didn't give me one pitch to get my feet wet out there," said Speier, who's blanked the opposition in 17 of his last 19 outings. "That's the beauty and the enjoyment of pitching out of the bullpen. You've got to be ready right away.

"I'm just trying to make them hit the ball on the left side," he continued, explaining his approach. "If the punchouts come, that's good, but I'm just trying to make quality pitches right there."

The end result moved the Jays within one game of fourth-place Tampa Bay, and they'll have a chance to fix that over the next few days. Toronto gets a day off on Thursday and will continue the season with a three-game set at Tropicana Field, starting Friday.

Strike 3?

2004-09-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Toronto manger Joe Gibbons seemed some what vexed during yesterday's 8th inning against the Texas Rangers. Gibbons got "huffy" after a pitch thrown by Doug Brocail.

It was a full count for the Jays' pinch-hitter Alex Rios, when Brocail threw a high 3-2 pitch for a strike. Gibbons came out of the dugout to dispute the call, claiming it was to high. Soon enough, plate umpire, Darren Spagnadi threw Gibbons out of the came for the dispute.

Gibbons should really be upset with his 59-84 record rather than a would-be pitch to solve his problems. In the end you just can't win with an umpire. Never happens.

Go Jays!!

Keep On Keeping On

2004-09-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

This late in the season it's pretty easy to admit that our beloved Blue Jays are not headed to the playoffs. After fighting off a sweep from the A's, Toronto looks toward the future with youngsters Gabe Ross(LF) and Alex Rois(RF). Both young men are optimistic as well as their coaches for their up coming contribution to next years season.

With the debacle of the pitching this year, one has to give a pat on the back to Ted Lilly(9-10) Who has been pitching well this season. And David Busch(3-3) keeps on impressing the coaches. Keep on trucking Jays.

Go Blue Jays!!!!!!!!!

Toronto 4; Seattle 2

2004-09-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Blue Jays intentionally walked Suzuki in the seventh and escaped a bases-loaded jam, then Frank Menechino hit a tiebreaking homer in the home half to help Toronto beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 Wednesday night.

Menechino homered off Ron Villone (5-5) to lead off the seventh. After Vernon Wells walked and advanced to third on Villone's errant pickoff attempt, Carlos Delgado hit an RBI single to give Toronto a 4-2 lead.

Bush (3-3) allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings, while striking out six and walking three. The rookie right-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts, and in nine of 11 outings overall.

Blue Jays at a Glance

2004-09-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

Alright Blue Jays fans...here are the scores from Torontos recent games:

* Mariners 7, Blue Jays 5 Aug 31 (AP)
• Blue Jays 6, Yankees 4 Aug 29 (AP)
• Yankees 8, Blue Jays 7 Aug 27 (AP)
• Yankees 7, Blue Jays 4 Aug 26 (AP)
• Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4 Aug 24 (AP)

We broke our losing streak against the yankees on 8/29 but we just couldn't keep up a winning streak once we started playing against the Mariners. Their next two games are in Seattle and then we move onto Oakland for three games after that. Lets wish our team luck for these upcoming games!!

Jays face Sox

2004-08-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

From MLB.com:

Don't look now, but the Blue Jays have finally gathered some hard-fought momentum. The Jays have won three straight games, marking just the sixth time they've done that all season. Into that breach steps Boston, a team that has drubbed Toronto this season.
The Red Sox will send Pedro Martinez to the mound in the opener. Toronto will counter with Ted Lilly, who's in a bit of a tailspin. The southpaw has only won once in his last nine starts, but he's pitched at least six innings in each of his last eight outings.

This season series has already been clinched: The Blue Jays are just 4-12 against Boston, with a 3-4 record at SkyDome. They haven't won this season set since 2000 -- since then, they've racked up a 26-47 record.

Miller returns to rotation

2004-08-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Justin Miller will make his first start since late May tonight against the Indians. The Jays will be looking to trounce C.C. Sabathia, who has not been in top form since his return to the Indians' lineup after a bout with shoulder soreness. Miller will most likely be limited to 75 pitches tonight as he continues to work up strength in his arm. Let's hope Miller can add some sunshine to a dreary record in which we've dropped six of our last seven games.

Close Game; But We Won!

2004-07-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Blue Jays identified a shortcoming of the All-Star laden New York Yankees: left-handed relief.

Vernon Wells homered in the 10th inning and Carlos Delgado had a tying RBI double in the eighth to lead the Toronto Blue Jays over New York 3-2 Wednesday night.

After New York starter Jon Lieber walked Wells with two outs in the eighth, left-hander Felix Heredia came in to face the left-handed Delgado, who hit his tying double off the wall in right.

Wells homered off Scott Proctor (1-1) with one out as Toronto avoided a three-game sweep.

In the top of the 10th, Wells robbed Derek Jeter of extra bases with a running catch at the wall in center field.

Frank Catalanotto hit an RBI single in the bottom half.

Jason Frasor (4-3) pitched two innings for the win.

3rd Times Never the Charm

2004-07-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Blue Jays have lost two straight following a three-game winning streak.

Right-hander Miguel Batista will try to prevent the sweep. He has been one of the better pitchers in the AL over the last 2 1/2 months, going 9-3 with a 3.59 ERA in his last 14 starts.

Outfielder Vernon Wells, who homered Tuesday, is a career .350 hitter (69-for-197) with nine homers and 37 RBIs against the Yankees.

3 wins in a row

2004-07-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

We won 3 in a row against the Devil Rays at the Skydome. Maybe now we can use this momentum to take on the Yankees, who are coming off of a 2 game losing streak. Certainly this could help us close the 18 game gap between the 1st place Yankees and us. Damn. 18.5 really. Come on Jays!

Also this week:

The Toronto Blue Jays purchased the contract of right-hander Sean Douglass and recalled right-hander Micheal Nakamura from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

Douglass will start Monday night's game against the New York Yankees. He replaces former Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen, who retired on Saturday.

Douglass went 5-6 with a 4.75 ERA in 18 games at Syracuse, and also pitched for Baltimore.

Nakamura replaces Terry Adams, who was traded to Boston on Saturday. Nakamura went 0-3 with a 7.43 ERA with Toronto earlier this season.

Tonight's game is at 7. I'll be watching with my fingers crossed...

Blue Jays 3; Yankees 10

2004-07-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well Blue Jays fans, it seems more important than ever to show our team some support.

In their first meeting of the season, blue jays lost 3-10 on wednesday.

Lets hope that todays game will turn out much better for our toronto team to keep their spirits up for the next 18 games that they play against the yankees.

I'm taking over...

2004-07-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm Krista. I'm taking over Andrew's blog, since he has mono, and I'm a better Jays fan than he is.

So let's see... Our Jays are in dead last, 17 games behind the Yankees:

 	W  	L  	Pct  	GB 

 NY Yankees 	57 	34 	.626 	-- 

 Boston 	50 	41 	.549 	7.0 

 Tampa Bay 	45 	47 	.489 	12.5 

 Baltimore 	40 	50 	.444 	16.5 

 Toronto 	40 	52 	.435 	17.5

But, we beat Oakland last night, and have another game against them this afternoon, so hopefully we can get on at least a 2 game streak here. Can you call 2 games a streak? I think so.

Congratulations Lilly!

2004-07-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

After bouncing from team to team for so long, Mr. Lilly gets to play with the greats as The Jay's only representative. This is his first All Star experience and there will hopefully be many more to come. And with a few days of rest, perhaps the Jays(39-49) will start the series with Texas(49-37) on Friday with plenty of energy.

Go Toronto!

One more against Seattle

2004-07-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

This'll be a short post, since I'm at work. (nobody's looking over my shoulder at the moment, but that could change :-) Anyway, congrats to the Jays on the 2 defeats against the Mariners! Let's see if we can carry the whole series tonight! If Phelps is as hot as he was last night, we'll be in great shape to shut out the series, and carry some momentum into Saturday's game against Anaheim.

GOOD LUCK TORONTO!!!

Anyone Else Love the Blue Jays?

2004-07-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I'm an avid Blue Jays fan and I thought since I can't live in Toronto right now and attend games, I might as well pour that energy into a blog. I'm in Montreal for the next few months and while the Jays (38-46) are not having a spectacular season, they're far better than the Expos (28-55). This city is so void of good baseball that I'm forced to get my baseball kicks online. OH well, whatcha gonna do, eh?

So this blog will be all about the Blue Jays, with their news and my thoughts. It sounds like a lovely combination, doesn't it? Hope you enjoy my blog :-)

GO BLUE JAYS, GO!!!