After Rosenthal mentioned back on February 3 that the Athletics and Orioles were the two teams most interested in signing Ramirez,  Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes threw the Jays into the mix, saying that they were one of the teams that sent scouts to watch the slugger take swings at an indoor batting cage in Florida.

Though Ramirez was officially reinstated from the restricted list by Major League Baseball, the main issue with him for clubs is obviously his 50-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. According to Rosenthal, however, Ramirez would be able to play in regular spring training games, extended spring training games, work out for MLB clubs during the season as long as the gates are closed and play in the minors on a 10-game rehab assignment once his suspension neared its end.

While it’s unlikely that the Jays were ever seriously interested in the nine-time Silver Slugger, surely a lot of baseball fans are curious to see if he makes his way back to the Majors.

April 2, 2011; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Manny Ramirez (24) during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

-JM

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“@johnmanuelba Would Leonys Martin be within the top 15 Jays prospects if signed?“

And he answered as follows: (more…)

Win Some

Some fans will disagree with me, but I’m ecstatic that the Jays did not add Eric Chavez to their bench for the 2011 season. If he had been added, he would have either taken a bench spot away from a younger – better – healthier option, or would have taken Brett Lawrie‘s spot in AAA at the hot corner, which would have either pushed him down to AA or to another position. Either one is a bad option at this point and the Jays are better off with him in New York. (more…)

• What does it mean when a team is “said to be still considering Manny Ramirez“, as has been reportedby Jon Heyman on Twitter? Does that mean they’ll just answer his agent’s calls, or that if his price comes down low enough they’ll willingly make an offer to him? Either way, it doesn’t sound like the Jays are “chasing” Man Ram. It’s more likely that they’re waiting to see how his market plays out before they close the book on him altogether. (more…)

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The Blue Jays weren’t involved, and sure, eight player trades are more of a rarity nowadays, but why should Jays fans care about this deal?

Image courtesy of Bleacher Report

Reason #1

The first reason is the most obvious one: Matt Garza is no longer in the American League. Jays fans should be rejoicing and partying in the streets over this one, because Garza was one of the Jays’ biggest headaches on the Rays’ roster.

Outside of James Shields, no starting pitcher on the Rays’ staff had faced the Jays more. In Garza’s 13 starts against Toronto, the Jays mustered just a .294 on base percentage and .320 slugging percentage against him, good for a .615 OPS. The Jays posted their lowest OPS against Garza in his career over any of Garza’s teammates that included James Shields (.783 OPS), David Price (.663 OPS),  Wade Davis (.667 OPS), and Jeff Niemann (.688 OPS). Garza had faced the Jays more than any other team aside from the Boston Red Sox, and to make matters worse, excluding his one appearance against the Phillies and Padres, the Jays had the lowest OPS against Garza out of all the teams he had faced in his career. (more…)

Image Courtesy of Boston Sports Pulse

As the arbitration deadline creeps closer, the Jays not only have decisions to make on their own free agents, but also with any Type A free agents who could potentially not be offered arbitration by their respective clubs. Doing so would allow the Jays to sign them without forfeiting a draft pick, and the player on Jays fans’ minds the most that fits that criteria is none other than Manny Ramirez.

The Manny Ramirez rumors started swirling once the Jays named John Farrell their new manager back in October. Manny added his two cents on Farrell and his future in baseball to ESPN Deportes in an interview the same day, saying:

“Toronto has made a tremendous acquisition. Farrell is a manager I would like to play for. Toronto is a team I’ve liked since they had all those great Dominican (players) in the ‘80s. John is a tremendous (student) of the game, an affable man and a players’ coach. I think I can hit if I stay healthy, and it’s less likely I’ll injure myself if I’m playing as a designated hitter.”

Mat Germain posted a great article here on Jays Journal at the time regarding a Manny acquisition, and there were a great deal of comments, both positive and negative, on the internet surrounding Manny Ramirez right after his ESPN Deportes phone interview. (more…)

It’s interesting to me that in this case, as opposed to the JP Ricciardi spending spree of the last decade when he brought names like Frank Thomas, BJ Ryan, and AJ Burnett on board, fans seem more willing to play it slow, cautious, and to remain young in the process of building a winner. An impatient fan who wants to see the Jays in the World Series in 2011 may believe that Manny alone could provide what the Jays lacked in 2010. But, as most know and as most witnessed this year with the great TEAM wins brought forth by the SF Giants throughout the playoffs, it takes a lot more than 1 player to make such an impact and most of all, it takes a lot of cohesion in the club house to keep the team together throughout the pressure cooker that is the MLB season and playoffs once September comes around. (more…)