Newf
11-28-2009, 04:30 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO -- Marco Scutaro's days with the Toronto Blue Jays are all but officially over and catcher Rod Barajas is pretty much set to follow the shortstop out the door.
Shortly after signing Alex Gonzalez to a US$2.75-million, one-year deal plus an option to fill one of his team's perennial headache positions Thursday, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed that he'll need a new stopgap to work behind the plate until prospect J.P. Arencibia is ready for the big leagues.
The chances of the well-liked Barajas, a free agent like Scutaro, re-signing with the club were "unlikely" he said, adding that the search was on for a replacement.
The agents for both Barajas and Scutaro told Anthopoulos the only way they'd be returning would be if they chose to accept arbitration from the club, something the Blue Jays must offer in order to receive compensatory draft picks once they depart.
The Jays intend to do that, but both are expected to decline the offer and do better on the open market, leaving the rookie GM with three extra draft picks, a major hole to patch over at catcher and no leadoff hitter.
"Catcher is definitely a priority," Anthopoulos said on a conference call. "We continue to look at free agents, at non-tender candidates, at trades. We'd like to look at some outfielders, it's definitely an area we can get stronger in.
"Those are the positions that stand out the most."
While beefing up both ends of the pitching is also on the to-do list, the addition of Gonzalez (who is not the same Alex Gonzalez who played for the Blue Jays from 1994-2001) at least provides some peace of mind for the club.
Gonzalez is an excellent defender, something that was a priority given how young the pitching staff will be and that third baseman Edwin Encarnacion's defence is politely described as erratic. He offers some reasonable offensive potential, too.
The Blue Jays are believed to have also closely looked at Orlando Cabrera, but he is said to be seeking a deal similar to the $10-million, two-year contract the Seattle Mariners recently handed to Jack Wilson, and there are concerns about his defence.
Scutaro probably wants a deal in that range, if not richer, leaving the Blue Jays to focus on Gonzalez. Backup shortstop John McDonald agreed to a $3-million, two-year deal on Wednesday, giving the team a strong defensive pairing up the middle.
"It's really important," said Anthopoulos. "In this division, the one thing we can't do is give away outs, especially when you look at some of the lineups. ...
"There's no doubt we'd like to have a long-term solution with respect to someone who could be here for multiple years at a time and be part of the next core of players, but we're very excited to have Alex and we like the flexibility the contract gives us."
Gonzalez is the latest in a long line of temporary fillers thrown into the position, which was handled with aplomb by Scutaro over the past season and a half. Other spare parts plugged into the position in recent years have included David Eckstein, Royce Clayton, Chris Gomez, Mike Bordick, Ray Olmedo, Chris Woodward and Russ Adams.
A deal involving ace Roy Halladay might provide a much-needed long-term solution to the position, although Anthopoulos would only talk about the matter in general terms.
"Shortstop, ideally, is a position that we'd like to have a younger player that would be controllable for a while that we think could be a part of the core of this team going forward," he said. "Very difficult to acquire that type of player ... they're a currency."
Gonzalez, a 32-year-old from Cagua, Venezuela, batted .272 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs for the Reds in 2007. He missed 2008 with injuries and split last season between Cincinnati and Boston, posting a .238 average with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. He was much more effective once he got to Boston.
Anthopoulos also said that outfielder Travis Snider would have to make the team out of spring training next year, meaning he'll be on the lookout for some outfielders.
TORONTO -- Marco Scutaro's days with the Toronto Blue Jays are all but officially over and catcher Rod Barajas is pretty much set to follow the shortstop out the door.
Shortly after signing Alex Gonzalez to a US$2.75-million, one-year deal plus an option to fill one of his team's perennial headache positions Thursday, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed that he'll need a new stopgap to work behind the plate until prospect J.P. Arencibia is ready for the big leagues.
The chances of the well-liked Barajas, a free agent like Scutaro, re-signing with the club were "unlikely" he said, adding that the search was on for a replacement.
The agents for both Barajas and Scutaro told Anthopoulos the only way they'd be returning would be if they chose to accept arbitration from the club, something the Blue Jays must offer in order to receive compensatory draft picks once they depart.
The Jays intend to do that, but both are expected to decline the offer and do better on the open market, leaving the rookie GM with three extra draft picks, a major hole to patch over at catcher and no leadoff hitter.
"Catcher is definitely a priority," Anthopoulos said on a conference call. "We continue to look at free agents, at non-tender candidates, at trades. We'd like to look at some outfielders, it's definitely an area we can get stronger in.
"Those are the positions that stand out the most."
While beefing up both ends of the pitching is also on the to-do list, the addition of Gonzalez (who is not the same Alex Gonzalez who played for the Blue Jays from 1994-2001) at least provides some peace of mind for the club.
Gonzalez is an excellent defender, something that was a priority given how young the pitching staff will be and that third baseman Edwin Encarnacion's defence is politely described as erratic. He offers some reasonable offensive potential, too.
The Blue Jays are believed to have also closely looked at Orlando Cabrera, but he is said to be seeking a deal similar to the $10-million, two-year contract the Seattle Mariners recently handed to Jack Wilson, and there are concerns about his defence.
Scutaro probably wants a deal in that range, if not richer, leaving the Blue Jays to focus on Gonzalez. Backup shortstop John McDonald agreed to a $3-million, two-year deal on Wednesday, giving the team a strong defensive pairing up the middle.
"It's really important," said Anthopoulos. "In this division, the one thing we can't do is give away outs, especially when you look at some of the lineups. ...
"There's no doubt we'd like to have a long-term solution with respect to someone who could be here for multiple years at a time and be part of the next core of players, but we're very excited to have Alex and we like the flexibility the contract gives us."
Gonzalez is the latest in a long line of temporary fillers thrown into the position, which was handled with aplomb by Scutaro over the past season and a half. Other spare parts plugged into the position in recent years have included David Eckstein, Royce Clayton, Chris Gomez, Mike Bordick, Ray Olmedo, Chris Woodward and Russ Adams.
A deal involving ace Roy Halladay might provide a much-needed long-term solution to the position, although Anthopoulos would only talk about the matter in general terms.
"Shortstop, ideally, is a position that we'd like to have a younger player that would be controllable for a while that we think could be a part of the core of this team going forward," he said. "Very difficult to acquire that type of player ... they're a currency."
Gonzalez, a 32-year-old from Cagua, Venezuela, batted .272 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs for the Reds in 2007. He missed 2008 with injuries and split last season between Cincinnati and Boston, posting a .238 average with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. He was much more effective once he got to Boston.
Anthopoulos also said that outfielder Travis Snider would have to make the team out of spring training next year, meaning he'll be on the lookout for some outfielders.