Jul 5, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) and right fielder Jose Bautista (19) wait to bat from the on-deck circle against the Kansas City Royals at the Rogers Centre. The Royals beat the Blue Jays 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

As most of you already know, the Jays have locked up Edwin Encarnacion, a.k.a. El Toro, for the next 3, possibly 4, years. The contract breaks down as follows: $8 million in 2013, $9 million in 2014. $10 million in 2015, and a club option for 2016 worth $10 million. Edwin stated that he loves Canada, loves the Jays and its fan base, and wanted to keep playing with his best friend, Jose Bautista. Sure enough, Jose Bautista’s recently signed deal also includes a club option for 2016 (worth $14 million). Coincidence? I hardly think so, and here’s why it makes things extra interesting.

The Jays have just lined up most contracts they have extended in recent years to end in 2016. Ricky Romero? 2016. Jose Bautista? 2016. Adam Lind? 2016. Edwin Encarnacion? 2016. Ok, Yunel Escobar and Brandon Morrow only got theirs to 2015, but that’s still within a very similar window. The point? Well, if you read the tea leaves, and in this case they’re made of millions of dollars, they indicate that the Jays are set to invest in the next 3 years as if they really do expect to win. (more…)

Brett Lawrie‘s Pending Arrival (more…)

Although the Jays did suffer their 15th blown save of the season after Jon Rauch allowed the Indians to tie this game in the 9th inning, their fearless leader came through with 2 big knocks that solidified his pre-All-Star record at a solid 31 HRs, just 8 short of what Barry Bonds accomplished when he set the MLB HR record. To put it into today’s language, not only does he have the same number of HRs as Joey Votto and Mike Stanton combined, but he is also doing it with a much better line .332/.468/.702. In short, Jose Bautista is having an MVP caliber season. (more…)

image courtesy of farm2.static.flickr.com

As I hear about how the talks are souring between the St-Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols, I sit here, I wonder, I dream. There’s arguably a 0.05% chance that Albert Pujols will not be a Cardinal in 2011 or 2012, and probably a lesser chance that he would become a Blue Jay if he were available. However, let’s imagine for one second that talks did get so bad that St-Louis executives realized that they had little choice but to move him for as big a package as they could find. Let’s also imagine that Alex Anthopoulos would be in the front row of the pack chasing him, as he has been for the majority of available players, making inquiries, offering an attractive package that includes pieces from the team with the 4th best minors system in the majors.

Before I get into the Pujols market, however, I wanted to add that I’m not the only one looking into the possibility of Pujols becoming a Toronto target. Alex Anthopoulos wants to target the very best at each position, and we all know Albert is the best 1B OR DH. The last part is particularly important, because it tells us that Pujols may want to bring his craft to the American League for his next contract in order to prolong his career. If he signs a 10-year contract in St-Louis, what are the chances he’ll be an effective 1B at the end of it? It’s also important because it means that even if the Jays want to add Pujols AND keep Adam Lind, they can do so. If they do have to deal Lind to get Pujols, it’s really no big deal because Lind can’t hit LHP. (more…)

Alex Anthopoulos was on the Fan 590 this morning at 10am right after touching down in Florida for the meetings, and you can listen to it here. He talks about offseason acquisitions, but said he was late getting to the interview because he was “caught on the phone trying to get, not a trade done, but a signing done”. He said he still wasn’t finished. Any guesses on who it is?

Also, Jays Journal is now on Facebook, click the link and hit that “like” button, as Mat Germain and I hope to have some good discussions going on that board! There’s one up right now starting with the Jays 2011 bullpen, and we’d love to hear your offseason ideas.

Probably the most overlooked member of the Jays coaching staff, first base coach Torey Lovullo, was also on the Fan590 in Toronto recently, and it’s worth a listen. Here’s the link to the radio clip. One highlight was learning that Lovullo actually played for Brian Butterfield and Dwayne Murphy back in the day, and knew Bruce Walton previously from west coast college baseball. (more…)