Here’s a summary of what we “know” about the targets the Jays have on the roster and whether a deal is probable as we wait to see what kind of package the Astros receive in return for Roy Oswalt:

• I watched a pre-geam interview with Alex Anthopolous last night and got the sense that he has made his prices known and is simply waiting for others to get back to him. Interestingly, Jose Bautista’s agent has stated publicly that Jose loves Toronto and would love to work out a long term deal to remain here. The question is, at what cost Jose, and for how many years? It’s obvious that Alex Anthopolous’s mind is elsewhere right now since the agent also added that no talks have occured to extend Jose’s contract, but I doubt it will happen any more quickly now that his value is as high as it can get. Any GM would be smarter to wait until part of 2011 is in the books in order to see if Jose’s performance regresses at all, which would make signing him to an extension cheaper and possible over fewer years.
• With rumors of the Jays targeting the DBacks Kelly Johnson, Aaron Hill has admitted that although it’s not his top choice, he would be willing to make the move to 3B if necessary. Whoaa Aaron, what about Adeiny Hechevarria? Where would he slot in? I’m all for obtaining a great 2B, but chances are that if the Jays are looking at getting Kelly Johnson, you’re likely to be on the move Aaron, not moving to 3B. Just saying. I do agree that if Adeiny Hechavarria looks better at 2B, then moving Aaron to 3B makes some sense and the power does match the position, so it’s an intriguing proposition. I still doubt the Jays would land Kelly Johnson since it would be a “buy high” proposition that doesn’t seem to fit the AA profile.

You’re sitting in your war room as GM of the Toronto Blue Jays who will not make the playoffs in 2010, knowing full well that the trade deadline is less than a week away. You’ve got assets that are declining in value as the minutes tick, and others that are increasing in value. Each game played, AB, and pitch thrown has a clear impact on how attractive each one of your players is to other teams and has a direct impact on what value you can ask for in return. You are Alex Anthopolous, and as you watch the Jays clobber the Orioles one more time in 2010, you get the biggest gift a GM could ever ask for during these times: 2 HRs and a 4 for 4 day from a player who costs little, is controllable through 2011, and provides any acquiring team with flexibility on the field and a leader off the field. Merry Christmas Alex, enjoy you’re biggest trade asset.

The Jays drafted 56 players in the 2010 draft and have now signed 23 of them (41%) withg their latest 2 signings. The Jays signed 20 year old LHP Sean Nolin who was drafted in the 6th round, 186th overall, on the 23rd of July. They followed that effort with another signing, on the 26th of July, this time of 18 year old 2nd round pick (69th overall) 3B Kellen Sweeney. Both signings are significant and indicate progress on the part of the team in terms of getting all of the top picks under control. It’s a busy time of year for Alex Anthopolous and Jays executives as the trade deadline and the draft signing deadline loom close by.

Here’s a short list of the 10 highest picks that have yet to sign with the Jays followed the draft, or what you could call our 10 most wanted list:

1 – RHP William McGuire, 6′6″ 220 lbs, 1st rd pick, 11th overall

2 – LHP Griffin Murphy, 6′3″ 200 lbs, 2nd rd pick, 61th overall

I keep hearing about how the White Sox want to add either Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder in a deal. I’m smart enough to know that they won’t land Prince without making serious changes to the team, to the point of jeopordizing their playoff hopes or severely alterning their long term future. Therefore, Adam Dunn and Jose Bautista, in my mind, are the best alternatives for the White Sox, and other teams in search of offense, to chase.

To compare the 2 players, I will examine as many aspects of their profiles as possible.

1 – Stats

Adam Dunn: 352 AB/ 99 hits/ 27 DB/ 2 TR/ 23 HRs/ 63 RBI/ .281 AVG/ .369 OBP/ .565 SLG/ .935 OPS

Jose Bautista: 347 AB/ 84 hits/ 21 DB/ 2 TR/ 27 HRs/ 67 RBI/ .242 AVG/ .355 OBP/ .548 SLG/ .900 OPS

Edge goes to Adam Dunn in stats, mainly due to the average, hits, and doubles. Also, he has a historical base to point to that lets you know he’s more than likely going to keep his power numbers up at a minimum. Bautista, on the other hand, could regress. Otherwise their stats match up almost perfectly. I would say the edge isn’t big enough to give Dunn much of a lead.

It has been said over and over again that teams are balking at the asking price the Jays are setting in return for eventual Type A FA and great RP Scott Downs. Here’s a review of his situation for those unaware of the details:

• Scott will be a FA at the end of the year.
• Any acquiring team, or the Jays for that matter, can sign him if they want, but if they let him walk, they stand to inherit 2 picks: the acquiring team’s best draft pick (if not in top 15 picks it will be their 1st rd pick, unless that team signs another Type A FA that is listed as higher on the Type A Rankings list, at which time the pick moves down to the 2nd rd). No matter what, the team that let’s him walk will get a sandwich pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds of the draft, making the loss a 2 very high pick return.
• Downs is 34, has 9 years of major league experience, and has the following stats thus far in 2010: 4-5/ 2.41 ERA/ 41 IP/ 33 hits/ 10 BB/ 33 SO/ 1.049 whip. Interestingly, Downs also has 16 saves to his credit, showing that he can in fact “hold the fort” if necessary.

Here are some Jays minors notes as we begin the last week of July 2010:

• Adeiny Hechavarria is really beginning to get hot at the plate. The Cuban SS is hitting .349 with 4 doubles and 2 stolen bases during his 10 game hitting streak and now has a .295 average in AA this season. That’s a huge improvement over his sub Mendoza period in HiA.
• Eric Thames hammered his 19th HR of the season in AA and has a .432 OBP over his last 10 games.  The 23 year old outfielder will surely get a shot at AAA very soon.
• Adam Loewen hit his 11th HR of the year and joins Thames in terms of great OBP over his last 10 games with a .425 OBP.
• Merkin Valdez got the start last night for AAA Las Vegas and allowed 12 ER in 2 IP…..I’m fairly certain that this experiment is over and that Merkin will head back to the pen. The squad wound up losing that game to a football score of 21-4. Forget about it, move on.

It always makes me laugh when we read quotes from other team GMs who state that others are “asking for way too much” in return for guys like LH RP Scott Downs. They know very well that such a player has immense value, especially during a pennant run and playoff series, and that a healthy LH RP who will net you 2 very high draft picks at the end of the year deserves just that - 1 top pospect and 1 high-end prospect. This was supposed to work out fine by the deadline, when teams start looking clearly at their clubs and notice that they just don’t have the goods to go far, let alone guarantee a playoff appearance. I’m thinking of teams like the Mets, Phillies, Cards, Reds, and the Twins, who are all looking to strengthen their chances to make the playoffs.

Meet the newest relief pitching stud in the Jays minors: 21 year old RHP Dayton Marze.

Dayton is a 6′2″ 185 lbs RHP who was selected in the 14th rd of the 2010 draft by the Jays, out of Louisianna Lafayette University. He has since been pitching in the GCL and seems to be working as the club’s closer. Through 6 outings, Dayton has the following line:

6 GP/ 7.2 IP/ 7 HA/ 1 ER/ 1 BB/ 6 Ks/1.17 ERA/ 2.41 AVG against/ 2 saves

The interesting part of Dayton’s line thus far (although very short) is that close to half his IP have been against LHB and that he has only allowed 2 hits against them, for a .167 average against. RHB, meanwhile, are hitting .294 against him, which tells us how well Dayton is doing versus lefties, and how much work he has to do against righties.

In no way am I putting Dayton on the future list of potential closers yet, but he daws need some attention as he could become a huge asset in the pen if he can effectively shut down lefties at higher levels. At 21 years old, and as a reliever, Dayton could move quickly through the system and could reach HiA by the end of 2010 or AAA by the end of 2011. He joins a pretty great group of relievers in the Jays system that are knocking on the door and will replace one of those who will be promoted when trades occur or Free Agency takes hold.

Dayton deserves some attention, and should be on Jays fans radars.

Sure, I could sit here and bitch about another blown save by someone who should be raising his trade value if he wants to go to a playoff bound club, not lowering it, but I figure I’d rather examine Yunel Escobar’s impact with the club in such a short period of time.

After watching all 4 games he has played thus far for the Jays, I can say one thing without a doubt – Yunel is a baseball player with a well above-average baseball IQ and and well above-average ability. Both HRs he has hit so far were crushed and showed a lot more power than the Jays were “supposed to get” in this deal.However, it’s the bunt singles and D that have me loving his upside more and more every day. As the game began last night and Fred Lewis singled on the first pitch, Yunel was able to recognize that the 2nd baseman was following Fred Lewis to 2B as he tried to steal. So, instead of trying to drive the ball or crush it, he simply bunted it to where the 2B was supposed to be playing – hard enough to get by Kyle Davis, and got on 1B as a result. That, my friends, is not something that many players would recognize or would be willing to do, especially in the AL.

Alex Anthopolous is not only putting to shame all of the years JP Ricciardi put to “work” during his tenure in terms of the quality players he’s bringing into the clubhouse, but he’s also doing his best to ensure all of them are happy and comfortable when they get to Toronto. In Yunel Escobar’s case, it meant that Alex needed to ask Jose Bautista for help in getting the newest Jays SS comfortable in the clubhouse, and he apparently loved the fact that the Jays asked him to do so. He told Jordan Bastien in that article that he would love to stay in Toronto long term, but that he also understands that it is a business.

Jose must also realize that his value on the trade market has never been higher, and could also realize that when Adeiny Hechavarria is called up at some point in 2011 – and he will be – the very man he is helping “get comfortable” may be taking the one spot he could grab long term in the lineup, 3B. The Jays don’t really have any alternative but to move one of Adam Lind or Jose Bautista, and guess what – they have Adam signed for many years and his trade value is low, so I don’t think he’ll be the one moving. I say they have to move Jose Bautista because if they don’t, they’ll need to keep Travis Snider in the minors until they can find a spot for him in the lineup. He isn’t exactly the kind of guy you want sitting on the bench. For now, he’s been assigned to AA until he gets his timing back and moves are made. But, make no doubt about it, Alex Anthopolous is fielding calls about Jose Bautista from the LA Dodgers, the LA Angels, the Padres, and even the Cards who all need that 1 extra bat to make their run to the playoffs a little more potent.