June 24, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Robert Coello (56) throws against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Coello was a minuscule piece for the Blue Jays, hence his eviction from the 40-man roster. He appeared in just six games for Toronto, accumulating a 12.79 ERA over just 6.1 innings pitched. Coello mustered just a single scoreless outing.

The move by Toronto follows the release of pitchers Aaron Laffey, Shawn Hill, and Bobby Korecky on October 4th. Toronto’s 40-man roster is now down to 37 active players and contains 7 players on the 60-day disabled list.

The 2012-2013 offseason promises to contain many more move, as the Blue Jays look to aggressively reshape their roster.

August 5, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) runs to third base after hitting a triple during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Giants won 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

Included in the aformentioned shopping list is the need to add a left fielder. While power would be great, it will come at a premium on this year’s market, which is bereft of such a trait, outside of Josh Hamilton.

However, one intriguing name will be Melky Cabrera.

Cabrera is coming off perhaps one of the strangest suspension cases in the history of the game. His 50 game suspension after a positive test for synthetic testosterone was only made more interesting by the covert cover-up where his handlers set-up a fake website in order to circumvent the system.

Cabrera is intriguing because no one is quite sure what to expect his market to be. His suspension and acts immediately afterward have likely affected his price and the market will be soft for his services. Teams will be scared off for character issue reasons and rightfully so.

However, for a team like the Blue Jays, who have a notable hole to fill, this could be the opportunity to do so on the cheap, allowing them to use their available salary for more pressing needs, like the starting rotation.

Regardless of character issues, Cabrera is coming off of back-to-back .300 seasons and is a legitimate top of the order hitter and could benefit from playing in a hitter’s park like Rogers Centre. Plugging him into the lead-off or number-two hole in the line-up ahead of Bautista and Encarnacion could enable the Jays to move Colby Rasmus into a more productive spot in the order as well.

As for the character issues, Cabrera has already begun putting them behind him. His move to vacate the batting title was a decent gesture, even if it was for the sole purpose of propping up his free agent market. Putting him on a team with fellow Dominicans Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, both of whom have shown a growth in regards to leadership skills.

At 28-years-old, Cabrera has a few seasons to atone for his past mistakes. The Blue Jays could benefit from making a low-risk, high-reward type deal with a player who suddenly has a need to prove himself.

Could Elvis Andrus slide into Toronto’s Hot Stove picture? Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

For you and I, that means the speculation can officially begin.

The Jays have many needs, with pitching chiefly among them. Manager John Farrell touched on another one the other day, telling MLB.com that he’d like to add a high on-base percentage hitter to the top of the line-up in 2013. Specifically, he is looking for a guy to set the table for what hopes to be a healthy combination of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.

That’s where Elvis Andrus comes into the picture.

It is a bit out of the ordinary to be considering a 24-year-old All-Star shortstop as possible trade fodder, but the Texas Rangers will find themselves in an interesting position this offseason. In Jurickson Profar, they have a 19-year-old who is now ranked as baseball’s top prospect and is pushing himself to the major leagues at a rapid pace. And because he profiles as a once-in-a-lifetime type prospect that will be the future of their club for many years, Andrus may become available to make room for him.

Andrus will have his most value on the trade market this winter, when he still has two years remaining on his contract, which is quite affordable at $4.8 million in 2013 and $6.475 million in 2014.

Toronto is obviously less than pleased with their incumbent candidate at shortstop, Yunel Escobar, and their prospective replacement, Adeiny Hechavarria, profiles more as a bottom of the order hitter long-term. Additionally, Hecavarria may be a solid candidate to man second base in 2013.

The Rangers are always looking for pitching prospects, something that Toronto has a plethora of with the likes of Noah Syndergaard, Justin Nicolino, Daniel Norris, Aaron Sanchez, et al. Of course, the Blue Jays have their own long-term pitching needs to think of, but a package centered around one of these prospects, plus one of Toronto’s catching prospects may be enough to get a deal done with Texas.

The Rangers may also choose to start Profar in the minors in 2013. If they do, Toronto could include Yunel Escobar in any deal. Escobar has one more season guaranteed on his contract, with team options in 2014 and 2015. The Rangers could use him as a stop-gap until Profar is ready to take the position.

Either way, working out a deal would likely cost Toronto something significant, and given Anthopoulos’s edict on building the farm system, the Blue Jays may be hesitant to part with the necessary pieces. Still, the chance to acquire a 24-year-old All-Star shortstop do not come around often, so Toronto would be prudent to at least shake the tree.

Signed to a minor league contract by the Jays on December 9, Coello last pitched in the majors for the Red Sox in 2010. In 17 games for Las Vegas this season, the 27-year-old has compiled a 3.22 ERA/3.94 FIP with 38 strikeouts and just 26 hits in 36 1/3 innings. Technically a three-pitch pitcher, Coello favors his 90 mph fastball and will occasionally mix in a low-80′s changeup.

In addition to losing his handle on the strike zone periodically, Coello is a much better pitcher against right-handed hitters — two things that I alluded to in an article back on March 5 after seeing Coello pitch in a spring training game.

“Jays reliever Robert Coello didn’t have the kind of day that he wanted in the bottom of the seventh, as he gave up a wind-carried solo home run to Pirates hitter Nick Evans before walking Yamaico Navarro and hitting Jordy Mercer,” I wrote in the article. “Coello, throwing hard inside to right-handed hitters, finished the day having allowed two earned runs on two hits with a walk, though it could have been much worse.”

Right-hander Robert Coello is the latest reliever to be called up to the Blue Jays. (Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE)

It should be noted that while Coello has walked nine batters in his last three outings and 17 in 36 innings this season, he’s been stretched out from making one-inning relief outings at the end of April to five-inning starts as recently as May 28.

A former 20th round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2004, Coello spent the entire 2011 season in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system, managing a 4.19 ERA in 34 games (116 innings) split between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.

- JM

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman David Cooper (30) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Cooper, 25, will kick off his third stint with the Blue Jays after making a pair of visits to Toronto last year, when he hit .211/.284/.394. That line is somewhat deceiving, though, as Cooper’s 13-game stint at the beginning of the 2011 season brings down the .289 average and .851 OPS that he put up during his 14-game stint in September.

In addition to winning the Pacific Coast League batting title last year with a .364 average at Triple-A Las Vegas, Cooper became only the fifth player in over 50 years to hit more than 50 doubles in a season. The 2008 first round pick also drew a career-high 67 walks and led the league with a .439 on-base percentage in 120 games.

Returning to Triple-A this season with Adam Lind blocking his way, Cooper hasn’t replicated his 2011 success, but has still been effective at the plate. While his strikeout rate is slightly higher, his walk rate is nearly identical to last year, and he’s continued to drive in runs. The biggest knock on Cooper last season, though, was that he only hit nine home runs; far from acceptable for a first baseman, even with so many doubles.

Talking to Cooper in spring training, he told me that he revamped his offseason workouts to get stronger in hopes of turning a few more of his doubles into home runs. The plan seems to have paid off, as the California native has already belted six home runs in 42 games this season after hitting nine in 120 games in 2011. Cooper does, however, have one glaring split this season, which is his .177 average and .654 OPS in 16 games away from Cashman Field this season.

Even though he hasn’t racked up the ideal power numbers from a first baseman, I feel Cooper will still be a useful addition to the Jays, providing he gets an extended look this time around. His eye at the plate will instantly be one of the best on the team, and after seeing so many free-swinging players on the Jays this season, I think it will be somewhat of a refreshing change.

March 12, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ryota Igarashi (17) throws throws in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at McKechnie Field. The Phillies defeated the Pirates 4 - 1. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Igarashi, signed as a minor league free agent by the Pirates in December after spending his entire major league career with the Mets, was shipped to the Blue Jays for cash back on March 30. The 32-year-old likely drew attention from general manager Alex Anthopoulos because of the impressive numbers he put up with Triple-A Buffalo in 2011, and he’s been even better for Las Vegas this season.

In 21 innings for the 51s, Igarashi has compiled a 1.29 ERA with 28 strikeouts to three walks. His 12 strikeouts per nine innings are a career-high and his 1.3 BB/9 is his lowest mark since coming over from Japan in 2008. More impressively, Igarashi has not given up a home run and allowed just 10 hits all season in the hitter-friendly confines of Cashman Field and the Pacific Coast League, limiting opposing hitters to a mere .139 average.

After Crawford gave up six earned runs on 10 hits with four walks in just 7 1/3 big league innings, the move to send him down certainly made sense. With Igarashi in the fold, it adds a new arm with big league experience to a Blue Jays bullpen that is currently one of the worst in the majors right now, despite getting overhauled during the offseason. Igarashi will replace Crawford nicely and see more time against left-handed hitters, but his splitter can generate a ground ball from any hitter.

- JM

With Carreno out of the running, the field narrowed to three choices; Chad Jenkins, Drew Hutchison, and Jesse Chavez. While Chavez was the veteran of the group – at 28 years old he already had 152.2 major league innings under his belt – I instantly felt like he had a 0% chance of receiving the call. If it was a one-and-done appearance, maybe, but there’s likely at least three to four starts available for the team’s fifth starter over the next few weeks, and that’s far too many innings to hand a journeyman.

In a surprising yet unsurprising move, the Blue Jays handed the start to Hutchison. The move was surprising given his age (21) and experience (234.2 career innings), but at the same time, Hutchison is easily the best pitcher we have in the farm system that is on the cusp of being major league ready. General manager Alex Anthopoulos obviously believes that, with three former or current pitching coaches on the Jays’ staff, Hutchison’s lack of experience shouldn’t be much of a hindrance. With the decision formally made, the questions now turn to results, both in the present and the future.

In the long term, Hutchison projects to be a middle of the rotation starter. His stuff is not overpowering, but the total package of pitches grades out as above average, and he has exceptional command –- the best in the system, according to Baseball America. His bread and butter pitch is his fastball, though he throws multiple variations. The four seamer has nice velocity, sitting at 90-93 mph, but is relatively straight. With the two seamer, Hutchison trades velocity for movement, dropping down to 88-91 mph, but significantly increasing the arm side movement. With his frequent usage of a two seam fastball, it’s unsurprising that he uses a circle grip on his changeup, forcing the pitch to fade down and away in a similar fashion. He has shown good feel for the pitch, and it will be an asset in neutralizing left handed hitters. Hutchison also throws a slider, a pitch he uses comfortably against all batters. At times it has shown excellent two-plane movement, but in other situations, it has slowed down and becomes more of a saggy slurve. The pitch is at maximum effectiveness in the 83-85 mph range, with the problems occurring at lower velocity.

Hutchison is very polished for a 21-year-old, and his biggest obstacle may be finding consistency with his slider. That is not necessarily something you want to figure out at the major league level, so he could rely heavily upon his other three pitches early on, using the slider exclusively counts in which he doesn’t need to be perfect with it. He has benefited greatly by his crossfire action, as during his delivery he will step to the right side of his body with his left foot before finishing the pitch. He further accentuates the deception by working from the third base side of the rubber, which, from a right-handed hitter’s perspective, makes the release point extremely difficult to discern. Also working to his advantage is his pitchability, as Hutchison is capable of adding and subtracting from his pitches to upset timing and set hitters up. Perhaps more than any single pitch, he’ll need to rely upon these traits (deception, pitch sequencing) to find success early on in his career.

Al Skorupa of Bullpen Banter recorded some excellent video of Hutchison and his delivery last season. You can see his delivery from the perspective of a hitter beginning around the 6:30 mark. Additionally, their website has an extensive scouting report as well as animated GIFs of his various pitches in action, so be sure to check it out.

Dustin McGowan is out until at least mid-May, and with no more off days until May 7, Hutchison appears ticketed for four starts. The first, as most know, is today, when the Blue Jays are in Kansas City. It’s still early, but the Royals feature a lineup that is 12th in the AL in runs scored, with only 45 in the team’s first 12 games. Furthermore, they’re dead last in the AL in walks with only 28. It’s hard to suggest that a 21-year-old making his major league debut will find success, but a deceptive delivery against impatient hitters certainly plays in the pitcher’s favor.

The next three starts will see Hutchison facing much more capable opponents. He is currently on track to pitch in Baltimore on the 26th, at home against Texas on May 1, and then in Los Angeles to face Albert Pujols and the Angels on May 6. It’s doubtful Toronto would pull the plug on Hutchison prior to May 7 given that he’s now on the 40-man roster, but these four starts will act as an excellent barometer for the rest of his season. If he struggles, he’ll find himself back in Double-A with a new outlook on what needs improvement. If he succeeds, the Blue Jays will have a very interesting problem to deal with once McGowan eventually returns from the disabled list.

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

Initially pegged to return to Double-A New Hampshire’s and be a fixture in their rotation, Carreno will make his Triple-A debut instead, largely due to Brett Cecil occupying his spot in the Fisher Cats’ rotation right now. Although many people feel that Carreno’s future is in the bullpen, I’m glad the Blue Jays are sticking with him as a starter, as I’d like to see him longer as one, but it should help his trade value this summer.

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Laffey (32) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Citing the need for an extra left-handed reliever, Laffey gets the call to Toronto just in time for their first homestand of the year. The 26-year-old was the Las Vegas 51s’ Opening Day starter on Thursday, where he was shelled for seven earned runs on 11 hits in just 4 2/3 innings. He induced seven groundouts and zero flyouts in that outing, because the three fly balls that were hit off of him all left the park.

“He had a rough outing there but the way he threw the ball in Spring Training, the way he threw against the Red Sox, particularly down in Fort Myers, Fla., one evening, it gives us a third left-hander with a very heavily loaded left-handed hitting lineup in Boston,” Jays manager John Farrell said in an article on the team’s official site.

Even though Laffey will be a fresh addition to a heavily-taxed Toronto bullpen that was forced to pitch 18 innings in their first three games, Farrell will likely stick with Darren Oliver and Luis Perez as his primary left-handed options and resort to Laffey only in an emergency. Left-handers own a career .268 average and .718 OPS against Laffey in 463 career at-bats, though his numbers were lower than his career norms last season (.242 average, .705 OPS). In six career games against the Red Sox, Laffey has allowed 11 earned runs on 16 hits in 10 2/3 innings with two home runs and four walks.

- JM

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal ), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

McGuire, 22, looked good in his first major league spring training, giving up only a pair of earned runs (including a home run) in seven innings spread across three outings. I was able to see his first spring outing in person back on March 7, and he looked great, keeping the ball down while throwing strikes. Out of New Hampshire’s starting rotation last season, McGuire could be the first of the group to receive a call-up to the big leagues.

Gil, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Jays back in November and has had a decent spring with the club this year, allowing three earned runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings and six appearances. Here’s what I wrote after seeing him in his first outing of the spring against Pittsburgh, when he did not allow a hit in his inning of work: “His off-speed stuff looked great in warm-ups and even more so against the first batter he faced, getting two swinging strikes on breaking balls to get the punchout. He then switched to his heat against Robbie Grossman, who was always behind and couldn’t catch up to it.”

In his third big league spring with Jays, not much can be said of McDade’s two singles in 14 at-bats across 12 games. After making some changes with New Hampshire last year, the Las Vegas, Nevada native has used the spring to continue working with the Jays’ coaching staff on his approach at the plate. His strong defensive skills at first base are easy to spot, and he should improve his overall game even further when repeating Double-A this year. McDade was recently ranked No. 33 on our pre-2012 top 50 prospects list.

Coming in ranked almost unanimously as the Jays No. 1 prospect, d’Arnaud, 22, used this year’s edition of spring training to work even more with Jays pitchers and on his defense, something that Jays skipper John Farrell had mentioned recently. The reigning Eastern League MVP is headed to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season and will likely be, at worst, a September call-up. After that, however, the Jays’ catching situation will get quite interesting.

Jimenez, one of my personal favorites and the best defensive catcher in the Jays’ minor league system, broke out offensively with High-A Dunedin last season and continued that trend this spring, going 4-for-9 with a double in an unbelievably small sample size. Like d’Arnaud, Jimenez got himself more acclimated with the Jays’ coaching staff and will move up a level this season, to Double-A New Hampshire, giving the Jays an impressive catcher at the three highest levels of their organization.

- JM

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

This year was Beck’s first big league spring training, and the 26-year-old allowed a pair of earned runs on four hits in three innings of work with two walks and three strikeouts. The Texas native made his major league debut as a September call-up in 2011 and could be one of the first options summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas in the event of an injury.

Farquhar, 25, appeared in only one game this spring, allowing one earned run on two hits in one inning of the Jays’ spring opener versus the Pirates back on March 3. Known for his funky submarine delivery and the ability to throw from different arm slots, the right-hander was reacquired by the Jays last season after being traded to Oakland in the move that brought Rajai Davis to Toronto.

Crawford, 25, had an outside chance of breaking camp with the Jays, but did impress manager John Farrell and Co. in his three scoreless outings with five strikeouts. After being a mainstay in the New Hampshire Fisher Cats’ bullpen last season and being added to Toronto’s 40-man roster, Crawford will likely open the year with Triple-A Las Vegas and be the first call-up if the Jays need a left-hander out of the ‘pen.

Jenkins, 24, opened some eyes this spring after allowing just one earned run on five hits in eight strong innings of work. He changed the grip on his changeup while tightening up the rest of his game, and the 2009 first-round pick should be a prospect to keep your eye on this season.

Carreno, 25, made his major league debut last as a September call-up last season out of the bullpen after being a key cog in Double-A New Hampshire’s starting rotation. He made three relief appearances this spring and gave up three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts, but was sent to minor league camp when pitchers started getting stretched out because he’s going to be a starter with Triple-A Las Vegas this season and needed to pitch longer than just two innings.

- JM

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

Perez, 21, worked primarily as a bullpen catcher and only saw the field in one game as a defensive replacement. The Valencia, Venezuela native is looking to rebound from a down year with Lansing in 2011, where he dealt with colder weather while playing full-season ball for the first time.

After being claimed by the Pirates off waivers earlier in the offseason before being re-claimed by the Jays, Jeroloman caught the ceremonial first pitch in the Jays’ spring opener back on March 3. The 26-year-old appeared in six games for the Jays this spring, going 2-for-8 at the plate with one double and three RBI.

Bocock, 26, was a relatively unknown name heading into spring training but he made the most of his opportunity. Not considered a top prospect by any means, he went 6-for-13 at the plate in 11 games with one triple, one home run and five RBI. His best game would likely have been when he earned the start at third base in the road half of the Jays split-squad schedule back on March 7.

Nanita, 30, reported to spring training after a very busy 2011 campaign. The Dominican Republic native spent the first half of last season with Double-A New Hampshire before closing the year out with a strong 51-game showing with Triple-A Las Vegas and playing winter ball. This spring, Nanita appeared in 10 games and went 4-for-12 at the plate with two RBI.

Tepera, 24, spent the 2011 season as a member of the Dunedin Blue Jays starting rotation. He held his own in his first big league spring training this year, giving up three earned runs on five hits in seven and 2/3 innings of work.

Richmond, 32, tossed three scoreless innings in his two spring appearances this year. The right-hander returned from injury last season to throw 113 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas, managing a 7.33 ERA and 1.814 WHIP.

- JM

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!