Jun 17, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Rajai Davis (11) celebrates their victory with first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays beat the Rockies 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Did I say panic last week?  What the hell was I talking about?

Thanks to a particularly cranky rant by The Score’s resident snot Andrew Stoeten, I feel I need to address this quickly and then move on.  Last week, I wrote “the Blue Jays need to panic.”  What I really meant was “play with urgency.”  The Jays needed to start playing with some urgency, some kind of importance.  It’s similar to “panic” but doesn’t have the same ring to it.  ”Panic” generally means chaos is involved and that’s not what I meant for this team.  Not before July 31st (trade deadline) anyway.  If the team fails, the front office SHOULD panic since this team was built to win NOW.  I had a nice long talk with some better baseball minds than Stoeten and they don’t think I’m crazy for thinking this way.  However, there’s no doubt Stoeten has a bright baseball mind.  He’s on The Score for a reason.  So I will not write him off like he did with me and that’s all I gotta say bout tha’ aat.

Since I wrote that article last week, OUR Jays (can I say “our” again?  They’re winners now, so it’s ok right?  Where’s my pink hat?) have not lost a single game.  That’s right baby!  6 wins!  Zero losses!  Victory… is… MINE!  I mean, I must have woke them up right?

Yea… right…  You have to give credit where credit is due and the Jays players are doing the work!  They are, in fact, playing with urgency and like a team.  The bats are doing their jobs.  The pitchers finally started doing theirs as well.  That picture up top is the epitome of what a team looks like.  That’s a team that suddenly looks like it’s having fun.  This is a team that has suddenly shown life.  While the skeptic in me says “Simmer down eh!” you cannot dismiss the fact that this run made things a little more exciting and brought back some hope.

I’m not going to get into the week that was because we have enough writers here, and everywhere else, that have it covered, but Buck Martinez said it right just two nights ago: “…this is a Jays team that (has) got(ten) hot at the right time.”  In a span of 1 week’s time, the Jays impressively picked up four games in the AL East (12 GB down to 8 GB) and four and a half in the Wild Card race (10 GB down to 5.5 GB) with five of the six straight victories coming on the road.  As Josh Menezes says, that’s “Pro-Gress!”

The most impressive part to this streak is the dominance of it.  Again, before we fans all go nuts and say “If we can beat (read as: DESTROY) the Texas Rangers, we can beat anybody,” just know that this was not the same Rangers team from April (17-9) and May (17-11.)  Their pitching rotation has been without Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando and their line up has been without 2B Ian Kinsler and 1B/DH Mitch Moreland.  Since Kinsler went on the DL May 19th, the Rangers have won only 10 out of their last 26 games.

The Jays did, however, beat Yu Darvish and his 1,439 different kinds of curveball (seriously, he’s got more kinds of curveball than Cool Hand Luc does ice cream.)  Not exactly an easy task, especially since most of North America thought there was no chance Esmil Rogers was going to hang with Yu-Know-Who (http://instantrimshot.com/).  The Jays did prevail however, and the Jays staff has been stellar in every game since.  The last five games have been particularly eye-opening because almost every Blue Jays starter produced a quality start (at least 6 IP, 3 runs or less)… and that’s really understating just how good the starting five have been.  Blue Jays pitching has allowed only four runs over the last 45 innings pitched.  The birds of the north were +22 in run differential.  They pitched two shutouts.  Blue Jays starters: 34 IP, 2 ER, 9 BB, 26 K.  Three of the starters had WHIPs under one. (Mark Buehrle 0.71, Rogers 0.86, Josh Johnson 0.95.)  Pretty damn impressive indeed.

Colorado is weakened too, but again, let’s give credit where credit is due.  We fans have been BEGGING Toronto starting pitchers to pick up the slack.  We’ve been begging for a consistent stretch since the Jays season began with pla… with high expectations.  This week, they answered the call.  Hopefully, here’s the first of several good stretches, because the Jays will need this if they want to start mentioning that “P” word I refuse to say right now.  That’s the goal.  That’s been the goal from the beginning of this season.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, but this team was… well, one off-season anyway.  I’m not saying things are good yet, but they’re definitely improving.  Still skeptical?  I’m a big fan of Jonah Keri.  Check out his latest The 30.  You guys should be pretty familiar to him no? (Special thanks goes out to James G for making me aware that Keri happens to be Canadian*)  His take is amazing and should leave you feeling good after.

February 14, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Darren Oliver (38) during spring training at Bobby Mattick Training Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays continued the carousel of bullpen arms today, announcing via Twitter that Darren Oliver would be activated from the disabled list tomorrow while Thad Weber was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo.

The @bluejays have optioned RHP THAD WEBER to @buffalobisons (AAA). LHP DARREN OLIVER will be activated from the disabled list tomorrow.

— Blue Jays-Official(@BlueJays) June 9, 2013

Oliver has pitched effectively this year, allowing six earned runs in 17 innings for a tidy 3.18 ERA. He’s been effective as a 42-year-old reliever but I question his role now that the Jays have fallen out of contention. If he can stay healthy he may still provide value at the trade deadline but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he hangs up the cleats after this season.

Weber pitched a clean five-pitch ninth inning today before being rewarded in similar style to Brad Lincoln yesterday basically being sent down for pitching well. But as over dramatic as it sounds, no big surprise. Weber had one bad outing and probably pitched well enough to stay. But obviously it would be Oliver going back to the big league bullpen. Weber is just another victim of the options game. He very well could be back in Toronto again.

Chien-Ming Wang is expected to make his first start as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. I think the next set of roster moves really depends on the health of Brandon Morrow. If he’s able to return after this week it would be huge to have another regular starter back in the rotation. The bullpen has been abused as previously documented here, and if the Blue Jays can just get some better production from the front end maybe the days of having a normal seven-man bullpen will return.

But until that time comes it’s probably best you get used to us trying to figure out the jigsaw puzzle of Blue Jays roster moves.

May 14, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) slides into home on a double by first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (not pictured) against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

According to ESPN’s Outside the Lines Major League Baseball is set to suspend 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, and *gulp* Melky Cabrera.

Since everyone knows that Mr. Cabrera has already served a 50-game suspension he’s in the clear….but it sure does seem like Major League Baseball is on a bit of a witch hunt no?

I’d be absolutely floored if Melky Cabrera was suspended because of BioGenesis. He’s already done time for it. #Bluejays #Jays #NothingNew

— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) June 5, 2013

I really hope the esteemed Mr. Wilner is right on this one, but in the OTL piece, it sure does seem like the MLB is going to go hard after these guys.

One source familiar with the case said the commissioner’s office might seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and other players, the penalty for a second doping offense. The argument, the source said, is the players’ connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous statements to MLB officials denying any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another.

If this really is the case…it seems to me that Melky could find himself in a spot of hot water, but I have a feeling the MLBPA might have something to say about this.

Updates to come as they are available!

Fielding has been a major reason why Colby Rasmus (28) has continued to be in the line up on a daily basis. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

As mentioned in my May 24th article (Blue Jays are Scoring in Ways We Dream About), I talked about how good the Toronto Blue Jays bats have been since May 5th.  At the time the article was written, the Jays had scored a total of 96 runs during that stretch and were 10-6 over their last 16 games.  The bats have been red hot.  And then there’s this guy.  The enigma. Colby Rasmus.

So it’s fairly obvious to everybody that the major reason Rasmus still gets to play everyday is because of his fielding skills right?  It’s certainly not for his enigmatic bat.  Colby has been a stud, almost Gold Glove worthy centerfielder for Toronto this season.  He has saved some runs very much in the same way Brett Lawrie has with his glove: making remarkable play after play.  Like Lawrie though, the bat has let Colby down so far… sort of.

On a team that has JP Arencibia getting noticed for his high strike out rate (58 K in 174 ABs), Rasmus has found a way to thwart even that record setting pace, with a record setting pace of his own (63 K in 156 ABs.)  Despite this, as well as batting .237 (.216 from May 5-24), Rasmus was #3 on the team in RBIs.  He had 11 hits in 51 ABs, three of which were via the dinger, yet drove in 10 runs.  How did this happen?

I decided to try and find some answers.  I thought “Cornrows must hit well with runners in scoring position (RISP) right?”  Unsurprisingly, I found this to be true.  Colby is 11 for 38 (.289) with guys on second and third.  He’s driven in 13 runs.  That makes him clutch right?

NO!  In fact, he’s as far from clutch as it gets.  With two outs, runners on base or not, Rasmus has been terrible!  In general, he’s hitting .170 with only four RBIs.  It gets worse though.  Late and close, he’s hitting .310 with a BAbip of .571.  This is by far and away his best stat.  However, put him up to bat with two outs and runners in scoring position late in the game: .125 (2 of 16) with 2 RBIs.  It’s mindboggling!

He’s not much better with no outs either. .240 BA, 19:3 K:BB ratio.

Down by a run, do you want Colby to bat?  Maybe this stat is why ol’ John Gibbons replaced Rasmus with Rajai Davis late in a close April game after Colby already had 2 hits:  .138 in a tie game (with 12 K in 29 ABs) and .239 when down by a run.  This is NOT a clutch hitter.  Yet he appears to be clutch!  There are NO answers.

It seems the best time to let Rasmus hit the ball is when he’s starting in CF (37 for 154 as a starter. 0 for 2 with 2 K off the bench) in Toronto (.279 vs .186 on the road), batting 7th (.275 vs .166 hitting anywhere else in the line up) when there’s 1 out and runners in scoring position (3 for 8 with 2 RBIs.)  I love stats… but all of this is making my head hurt.

What do you do with Colby Rasmus?  No, seriously.  I’m actually asking YOU what you would do.  Where would you place him in the order?  Do you start him?  Do you trade him?  Do you banish him to Romero-ville to work stuff out?  Oh, speaking of working stuff out, if you think Rasmus embraces the idea of change, I’ll leave you with this Carroll Rogers article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  It’s a good read, but pay careful attention to the advice Colby has for his rookie pitching brother Cory of the Atlanta Braves.  Time to go find some Advil…

*All stats from www.baseball-reference.com

May 18, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Travis Hafner (33) rounds the bases past Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Darren Oliver (38) after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Yankees win 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The pitcher himself was a bit more candid.

“It’s sore enough to where I can’t go out there and play,” he said, adding: “I’ve pitched through it a few times. Maybe I’m just getting old, who knows.”

Oliver also expanded on the injury a bit, saying that he has been dealing with it for a week to 10 days, and that he may be facing a stint on the disabled list if it does not improve quickly.

Oliver is coming off of a solid 2012 season in which he continued to defy father time, posting a stellar 2.06 ERA and a solid 8.3 K/9 ratio over 62 appearances and 56.2 innings pitched.

However, 2013 has not been quite as friendly. While the 42-year-old has been more than serviceable, he currently holds a 3.18 ERA and a 5.8 K/9 ratio over 17 innings this season. In his last two outings, he has surrendered 3 runs (2 earned), but struck out 5 in the process.

With the Blue Jays needing to make a roster move prior to Friday’s game, when rookie Sean Nolin is scheduled to be called up to start. The thought right now is that Ramon Ortiz will be designated for assignment, but Toronto could avoid that by adding Ortiz to the bullpen and placing Oliver on the disabled list.

September 13, 2011; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield (right) congratulates catcher J.P. Arencibia (9) after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

First it was John Farrell, who Boston was kind enough to send Mike Aviles in exchange for. Then it was Torey Luvullo, the Blue Jays first base coach that followed Farrell in order to become the bench coach of the Red Sox.

Now, the Red Sox have completed their trifecta, today naming Brian Butterfield as their third base coach for next season.

Butterfield was the third base coach in Toronto for the past three seasons, first under Cito Gaston and then under John Farrell. The Bangor, ME native and had been with the Blue Jays organization since 2002, earning tremendous praise as an infield instructor and bench coach during his tenure in Toronto.

Butterfield was a finalist for the Blue Jays managerial job in 2010, prior to Farrell’s hiring but had not been mentioned for the position this time around, perhaps because Alex Anthopoulos already knew his intentions to move on. The Blue Jays have confirmed intentions to talk with both Matt Williams and Tim Wallach for the position.

Aug. 10, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams against the Houston Astros at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks defeated the Astros 8-5 in 10 innings. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Williams is the second candidate confirmed for interviews, joining Tim Wallach in the quest to replace John Farrell in Toronto.

A 17-year veteran of Major League Baseball, Williams spent time with the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Williams is a five-time All-Star, four-time gold glove winner at third base, and was a member of the 2001 World Series Champion Diamondbacks.

As a coach, Williams has served the last two seasons as the third base coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks under Kirk Gibson. Williams is also in his second turn as a coach in the Arizona Fall League, this time serving as manager of the Salt River Rafters, which by coincidence just happens to be the team utilized by the Toronto Blue Jays.

When asked about his choice to manage in the Arizona Fall League, Williams had this to say to FoxSports:

“You jump at the opportunity. You get as much experience as you can,” Williams said. “It (managing) is what I want to do. Who knows if it will ever happen, but if you are never prepared. . . . It’s like taking B.P. or taking extra grounders. There may be an opportunity one day. There are not many of them. You want to be prepared if it does happen.”

If Williams brings with him the aggressive style, experience, and knowledge gained from working with Gibson, the reigning National League Manager of the Year winner, he could be an interesting candidate for the job.

Williams is also said to be a candidate for the open managerial position in Colorado, who are also represented on the Salt River Rafters.

August 23, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Kelly Johnson (2) in the field against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

That officially begins now, as players have already begun filing for free agency. For the Toronto Blue Jays, that also means that some players on the current 40-man roster will be declaring as well, with some likely to sign with other teams, which is allowed to start at midnight Friday evening.

The following Blue Jays are eligible to hit the market this winter:

Omar Vizquel – Shortstop – 60 Games, .235 Avg. 7 RBI

His mention here is merely a formality. The 45-year-old was on a one-year contract with the Jays, but he has already declared his intention to retire as a player and pursue a coaching career. Even if he had not, it was doubtful the Blue Jays would have looked to bring him back next season, veteran leadership or not.

Jason Frasor – Relief Pitcher – 50 games, 1-1, 4.12 ERA, 43.2 IP, 53 SO

It was another in a bevy of average seasons for Frasor, who returned to Toronto after being traded to the White Sox at the 2011 deadline. Frasor earned $3.725 in 2012 and Toronto could look to bring him back on a similar deal.

Carlos Villanueva – SP/RP – 38 games, 16 starts, 7-7, 4.16 ERA, 125.1 IP, 122 SO

Villanueva proved himself invaluable during the middle of the season, jumping into a starting role when injuries decimated the rotation. His performance made for an interesting argument about whether the Jays would be smart to resign him at a significant raise and make him a full-time starter. However, he went a combined 1-7 in August and September with a 5.37 ERA, likely showing that the increased workload was wearing on him. He’ll test the market and it will be doubtful that Toronto will meet his asking price or his demands to be a starter.

Kelly Johnson – Second Baseman – 142 games, .225 Avg, 15 HR, 55 RBI

There is really much to say here. Johnson was a huge disappointment for Toronto in 2012, setting the club strikeout record (159) in the process. This is an area of improvement for the Blue Jays, which they may have already addressed with the addition of Mike Aviles as compensation for John Farrell. Johnson will try to rebuild his career elsewhere in 2013.

Brandon Lyon – Relief Pitcher – 67 games, 4-2, 3.10 ERA, 61 IP, 63 SO

It is safe to say that Lyon was a welcome upgrade over Francisco Cordero for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 30 games for Toronto, Lyon was 4-0 with a 2.88 ERA and 28 strike-outs in 25 innings-pitched for the Blue Jays. At $5.5 million in 2012, Lyon may be a bit expensive as a middle-reliever, but he certainly earned the ability to come back in 2013 should the Jays wish to resign him.

Darren Oliver – Relief Pitcher – 62 games, 3-4, 2.06 ERA, 56.2 IP, 52 SO

At 41-years-old, Oliver just continues to get better and the Blue Jays knew that, signing him to a 1-year deal for $4 million and a $3 million option for 2013. There is no doubt that Toronto would love to have him back in 2013 and will likely exercise his option immediately. However, Oliver has hinted at retirement and the Blue Jays will want to get his commitment to next season before giving him theirs.

Rajai Davis – Outfielder – 142 games, .257 Avg, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 46 SB

Like Oliver, the Blue Jays own a club-friendly option on Rajai Davis for 2013. The trouble the team has is whether or not they are willing to pay $3 million to essentially a fourth outfielder, for speed alone. The choice to bring back that option may be one of the tougher choices Anthopoulos has to make this winter, but he’ll have only three days to make that decision.

Oct 1, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Andrew Bailey (40) pitches during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Yankees won 10-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

It appears that before settling on Mike Aviles as the center piece of the compensation coming back to Toronto, Alex Anthopoulos and Ben Cherington were talking about another player; Andrew Bailey.

In a seemingly low-key tweet on Thursday, ESPN’s Buster Olney mentioned that the two teams came down to choosing between shortstop Mike Aviles and closer Andrew Bailey.

Blue Jays/Red Sox Farrell compensation talks came down to two players: Mike Aviles or Andrew Bailey. Aviles gives TOR flexibility w/Escobar.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 25, 2012

Bailey’s mention in the deal is an interesting one. The bullpen is actually a position where the Blue Jays will not need to look for much help in the offseason, especially if Darren Oliver returns. Bailey would have been a redundant option, with Casey Janssen and Sergio Santos expected to anchor the pen and Steve Delabar, Aaron Loup, Brad Lincoln already penciled in.

It is also interesting to see how quickly the Red Sox were ready to give up on Andrew Bailey. Despite an injury-plaqed and ineffective season, this is still the closer that Boston gave up Josh Reddick, Miles Head, and Raul Alcantara for. That would have put a significantly different twist on the value exchanged for a manager.

As Olney points out, the addition of Aviles was the smarter move. It gives the Blue Jays a second baseman if they choose to stand pat on that there and work on other needs. It also gives Toronto the ability to move Yunel Escobar without having to rush Adeiny Hechavarria if they choose. Like their sudden surplus of catching, the Blue Jays are suddenly dealing from a position of strength at shortstop, which will allow them to address other needs through trades without necessarily having to raid their pitching riches on the farm.

In other words, the Jays made the better choice, both for the team and for their offseason path.

With Torey Luvullo flying the coop, does this man become the new favorite for the managerial role with the Blue Jays? Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

In a move that few were ultimately surprised by, first base coach Torey Luvullo has opted to join John Farrell in Boston, becoming the team’s bench coach.

Like Farrell, Luvullo is no stranger to the Boston organization, serving as manager of the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox during the 2010 season. He came to Toronto with John Farrell, taking over the role of first base coach, which had been previously held by Omar Malave.

Luvullo has interviewed for the Red Sox managerial position in 2011 before the team ultimately settled for Bobby Valentine.

Luvullo had been on a short list of names that had been mentioned as possible replacements for Farrell, but it was also assumed that with Farrell’s departure, he would also make the jump to the Red Sox. That list is currently assumed to include Sandy Alomar Jr., Brian Butterfield, Tim Wallach, Brad Ausmus, Dave Martinez, and Sal Fasano among other.

Unlike Farrell, Luvullo was not under contract for 2013 and was free to go elsewhere, as are any of the other Blue Jays coaches. That includes the aformentioned Butterfield, who is also rumored to be considering joining Farrell’s staff in Boston. However, he may choose to at least consider the Blue Jays managerial role due to his strong relationship with the organization and the fact that he was a finalist in 2010 prior to Farrell’s hiring.