Blue Jays Morning Brew: Happ, Anthopoulos, Sanchez, Ybarra, Rasmus

Where will left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ fit for the Toronto Blue Jays when he returns from the DL? Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Buehrle was outstanding and struck out eleven while Jose Bautista homered twice to lead the Blue Jays past the Rays last night. In case you missed it, here’s our recap.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet writes that it’s still unclear where left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ fits on the Blue Jays. GM Alex Anthopoulos stressed that he sees Happ as a starter and not a reliever but if Morrow and McGowan pitch well and stay healthy there might not be room for him in the rotation. His first day of eligibility to come off the DL is April 14th but, as Davidi tells us, he must pitch in games before that happens.

Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star sits down with Anthopoulos for their annual Q&A with the Blue Jays’ GM. Topics discussed (or I should say, asked about) include Ervin Santana, excitement about Lansing (ditto!), and reasons to be positive about the Jays (meh… just kidding… can we start planning the parade if they win a series in Tampa?)

A trio of excellent stories from Jared MacDonald of Jays Prospects – first, he talks with Aaron Sanchez about the young pitcher’s frustrating 2013 season, which was literally washed out at times. Next, he discusses the changes Sanchez committed to last season, which were both mechanical and mental. And finally, he sheds light on what made Tyler Ybarra suddenly a name to watch after the lefty reliever’s strong campaign in 2013.

Kyle Matte at DJF looks at what Colby Rasmus might end up commanding from the Blue Jays if they hope to retain his services in Toronto. He’ll be just 28 at the time and as Kyle points out could very well end up challenging the Jays’ notorious “five-year policy”.

Minor Leaguer of Bluebird Banter shares a life hack about how to keep your MLB.TV stream less delayed, which I found very helpful. I normally avoid using Twitter during Blue Jays’ games for this exact reason so being able to switch to standard view again might end up changing my life (for better or worse, I’m not sure).

And if you missed it on Opening Day, the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League is now available and can be purchased on Smashwords.com.