Alex Anthopoulos has followed this adage for much of his tenure as the Blue Jays’ general manager, and to rave reviews.

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If links aren’t your thing, at least check out the four-minute Yu Darvish video clip embedded below.

Should the Blue Jays Buy or Trade for Franchise Players? | The Blue Jay Hunter
Ian over at BJH offers an awesome take on how buying or trading for franchise players usually isn’t the answer; inspired by a neat post over at Some Thoughts About Baseball.

Marc Rzepczynski joins Cardinals at perfect time | The Good Point
This one is a bit old, but it’s an interesting interview with former Jay Marc Rzepczynski, who talks about his time in Toronto and playing for a playoff team in St. Louis.

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I went to bed after a long hard day believing that the Jays had this one in the bag. But, knowing that things happen quickly sometimes, I changed the channel on my TV, brought it back to the game (so it wouldn’t add 2 hours of baseball I had watched to the DVR) and set it to record the last inning. What I saw when I watched it this morning was about as horrible a game-ending as one could imagine. (more…)

Why is it impressive and unexpected? (more…)

“Who will win the 4th and 5th starter spots in the Jays rotation this spring?” (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…)

image courtesy of www.hardballtalk.nbcsports.com

We’ve barely had a chance to digest the Vernon Wells  trade to the Angels and one of the major returns from that deal, 1B/C/DH Mike Napoli, has been dealtas he will join his old AL West rivals in the Texas Rangers. He’ll try to make sure that they beat his old squad, one that he made no qualms about having issues with due to playing time, and will surely do well in their already potent lineup. The Jays, in return for Napoli, will get 31 year old RHP reliever Frank Francisco and an undisclosed amount of cash (reportedly less than $1 million).

I have to admit that I was surprised by this deal when I first heard of it. However, after digesting it a little, I see some of the positives that this creates for the Jays. I was still a huge fan of Napoli’s versus LHP and thought he would complement Adam Lind very well at 1B as a result. Still, his trade value was most likely the highest it will be this off season as most people seem to believe his numbers of 2010 may level off and/or go down in 2011 and beyond. He wasn’t a viable option behind the plate for the Jays who want to see what J. P. Arencibiacan do there along with Jose Molina, and Edwin Encarnacion should provide enough power in sharing time with Lind at 1B and DH. (more…)

image courtesy of TheVictoryFormation.com

Jared MacDonald recently posted the argument against the Jays obtaining Zack Greinke and based some of the rumors on reports made by Bob Elliott. Well, Bob is at it again as he release the second such report in which he states that the Jays are still after the Royals ace. I’m starting to wonder whether it’s the Jays who want to see Zack in a Jays uniform, or whether Bob himself wants the Jays to make that splashy move. Before I go on, I want to add that I always read what Bob has to say and appreciate his work.

Mr. Elliott states the following in the same article:

“Greinke, who turned 27 two months ago, could probably be had for former No. 1 picks Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider and some minor leaguers.” (more…)