Jays Journal » Los Angeles Dodgers

Non-Tendered Player Watch: Dodgers RP Hong-Chih Kuo

Jared Macdonald — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:13:37 +0000

There weren’t many names that stood out on last night’s non-tendered player list, but one that was particularly intriguing was left-handed reliever Hong-Chih Kuo.

It’s unclear as to whether or not Kuo will pitch next year following a career-worst 2011 season with the Dodgers, but he could be a great option for the Blue Jays’ bullpen especially if he’s able to return to his 2008-10 form.

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Are the Blue Jays Jamey Carroll’s Mystery Team?

Jared Macdonald — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:13:33 +0000

A mystery team made its first appearance of the offseason this morning, as MLBTR reported that, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, infielder Jamey Carroll was nearing a multiyear deal with an unknown club.

Things got interesting about an hour ago, though, when Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, via Twitter, said that not only were the Jays showing “serious interest” in Carroll, but that they were one of three finalists for his services as of yesterday.

Carroll is definitely a name that appeared out of nowhere, but he could make sense for the Jays.

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Why Signing Scott Podsednik Makes Sense for the Blue Jays

Jared Macdonald — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:35:52 +0000

As per an article on the official Blue Jays team site, the team has signed veteran free agent outfielder Scott Podsednik to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.

Image courtesy of MLB.com

Podsednik is expected to report to Dunedin on Friday, and he’ll be in line for a $1 million salary if he makes the Major League roster, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

I remember thinking when the Justin Upton rumors were swirling back in November that Podsednik would have been a good low-cost pickup for the Jays, considering he declined to exercise a $2 million mutual option with the Los Angeles Dodgers on November 4th in order to test the free-agent market. When the Jays uneventfully signed Corey Patterson to a minor league contract right before Christmas though, I figured that ship had sailed.

It’s interesting how since then, even though Podsednik’s last two seasons were respectable and above his career numbers, GM Alex Anthopoulos was able to sign him to just a minor league contract.

Here’s why the Podsednik signing is good for the Blue Jays:

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Closer Candidates Worth Considering If Octavio Dotel Deal Falls Through

Jared Macdonald — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 04:03:22 +0000

With names like Chad Qualls, Miguel Batista, Scot Shields, and Trevor Hoffman still looking for a job on the free agent market, the list of available closer candidates for the 2011 Blue Jays is very slim. The thin free-agent market makes you almost hope that the rumors are true about the Jays being close to a deal with former Pittsburgh Pirates closer Octavio Dotel.

If this tweet by Jon Heyman, from about one hour ago, is true, and the Pirates, Rays, or another club come in and “steal” Dotel away from the Blue Jays, here are two names that fly under the radar that the Jays could consider as their stop-gap closer for 2011. (more…)