Brad Lincoln should fit in nicely with the Blue Jays. (Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)

Mat already did a great job breaking down the trade this morning, touching on Lincoln and summarizing Snider’s struggles with the Blue Jays, but there’s much more to the 27-year-old reliever.

After opening the 2012 season as a starter for Triple-A Indianapolis, Lincoln was called up to the Pirates in mid-April to pitch as a reliever, a role he briefly held in August last season.

This year, however, something is different about Lincoln. He managed a sparkling 1.04 ERA in his first 26 innings (including one spot start), and not only was he limiting opposing hitters to a .174 clip, but he was averaging one strikeout per inning, thanks in part to a spike in fastball velocity.

He shifted back to the Pirates’ rotation in June, where he was shelled in three of his four spot starts before being relegated back to the bullpen. Since then, he has a 0.57 ERA in 10 appearances (15 2/3 innings) to go along with an impressive 17:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Kristy Robinson, Pirates beat reporter for PiratesProspects.com, had recently caught up with Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle to talk about Lincoln’s flip-flopping between roles this season, and she was generous enough to pass along the quotes that were to be used in her feature story.

“Brad has showed us a skill set that’s very unique this season,” Hurdle told Robinson. “We’ve challenged him, and he’s had to work through some challenges.

“Guys that have been hurt and have spent time in the minor leagues and finally get back to the big leagues, they embrace it. There’s the other side of it. I’ve had some guys that, ‘well, this isn’t really what I want to do.’ Brad’s been open minded. He wants to be in the big leagues, and he wants to do what’s best for this team right now. That makes it easy.”

In addition to talking with Hurdle, Robinson chatted with Lincoln himself about his versatility and new found confidence — the latter being a key reason for his success this season.

“It’s always good to have that in your back pocket, to be versatile and be that guy that they can call upon to pretty much be put in any situation,” the 27-year-old told Pirates Prospects. “I felt that I’ve done a pretty decent job at it. I’ve had a few rough starts. But just to be able to go out there and give them a little relief and let some guys arms rest or whatever, I feel that I can be that guy whenever they need it.”

Even though he’s pitched in the big leagues as both a starter and reliever, it’s clear that Lincoln has found his niche coming out of the bullpen. According to FanGraphs, his average fastball velocity has increased to from 91.8 mph to over 93 this season, and the pitch can regularly touch 96. Add that to his out pitch, a sharp, low-80s curveball, and Lincoln’s main two-offering mix plays well in a relief role.

“It’s one of those things where you give it all you got for a couple innings,” Lincoln said of relieving. “I feel like I’ve come to be in a comfort zone out there and that I can do that. I have a go-to pitch if I need a strikeout or get early contact, get quick outs, quick innings. I try and make it where you don’t have to use anybody out of the ‘pen. You try to get through those two, three innings, eat them up and then get the ball to Joel [Hanrahan] for the ninth.”

Speaking of the ninth inning, Lincoln also talked with Robinson about the role a closer plays and the mentality that comes with it. Though Casey Janssen has done a great job closing games for the Blue Jays this season and won’t be going anywhere any time soon, having a bulldog on the mound like Lincoln in late innings is something that should not be overlooked.

“Just to be able to close out games is something the fans get into,” the right-hander said. “When you get down to that last out and you get into it, you feel the energy and stuff like that. It gives you that extra adrenaline flow that you need to get to get you through the game. It’s fun. I can see myself being put in those situations.”

After being traded for a fan favorite in Snider, it appears that Lincoln will have his work cut out for him popularity-wise.

But if he continues to pitch like he has for the Pirates this season, he’ll become a popular option to help close out wins for his new team, and that’s all that matters.

Many thanks to Kristy for supplying the quotes and extra information on one of the newer Blue Jays, and to keep up with Snider and the rest of the Pirates, make sure to follow her on Twitter: @Kristy_Robinson.

March 6, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher

The Blue Jays have acquired right-handed relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi from the Pirates in exchange for future cash considerations, according to a notebook entry on the Jays’ official website. Igarashi, 32, was signed as a minor league free agent by the Pirates in December after previously spending his entire major league career with the New York Mets.

In 38 2/3 innings for the Mets last season, Igarashi went 4-1 with a 4.66 ERA. Although he managed to rack up 42 strikeouts over that span (9.8 K/9), he did walk over six batters per nine frames and finished the year with an unsightly 1.836 WHIP. With Triple-A Buffalo, however, Igarashi managed a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings with 34 strikeouts to nine walks while allowing only 15 hits.

Igarashi won’t be considered for a position in the Jays’ bullpen given that it’s already full, so he’s purely a depth pickup and that will spend the season with Triple-A Las Vegas. As a pitcher with a decent splitter that can generate ground balls but also rack up strikeouts, though, he’s a solid, low cost pickup for Vegas’ bullpen.

- JM

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Rajai Davis and Snider led things off with a single and double, respectively, before Ben Francisco lined a hard-hit ball to Pirates left fielder Alex Presley–who juggled the ball and nearly dropped it before making the out–that scored Davis on a sac fly.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider (45) slides under the throw to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman

With third base having been freshly vacated, Snider, stretching his lead on second base behind the back of Pirates starter Erik Bedard, broke for the hot corner and swiped the bag ahead of Bedard’s late throw. The decision was a valuable one, as a Brett Lawrie groundout turned out to score Snider and put the Jays up 2-0.

David Cooper kept the inning alive with a walk before J.P. Arencibia almost gave the Jays a 4-0 lead on a long fly out to the warning track in left-center field.

Jays starter Aaron Laffey, filling in for Henderson Alvarez, worked almost exclusively inside to Pirates right fielder Nate McClouth before striking him out looking on a pitch outside. McClouth, a left-handed hitter, had reason to be upset with the call, as the pitch was in the right-handed batter’s box and well off of the plate. Laffey got star Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen to swing over the top of an inside pitch for the inning-ending strikeout.

In the top of the second frame, after Adeiny Hechavarria, a right-handed hitter, worked the count to 2-2, he was punched out by home plate umpire Tom Haillon on a pitch that was in an identical pitch to the one that retired McClouth the previous inning.

After tossing a perfect first inning, things were rougher for Laffey in the second. Former Blue Jay Rod Barajas led things off with a single and eventually advanced to second on a slow roller from Matt Hague a foot inside the third base line that Lawrie charged but didn’t make a play on. With runners on first and second, Chase d’Arnaud (yes, brother of Blue Jays prospect Travis) slapped a single to right field that wound up scoring Barajas. Francisco fielded the ball clean and launched an accurate throw, but it was well short of the plate. Cooper watched the ball bounce at his feet and trickle to Jays catcher Jeff Mathis, who couldn’t make the tag in time.

With the Jays leading 2-1 after a pickoff from Laffey ended the Pirates’ second-inning threat, Snider led off the third and fouled a ball right into the press box that apparently hit both Alan Ashby and Mike Wilner. As Wilner tweeted shortly after, Ashby’s broadcasting was unaffected despite the incident.

The Jays were held off the scoresheet in the third, but it was encouraging to see Lawrie, who followed up Francisco’s bloop single to right field with one of his own, aggressive on the base paths once again. After bolting to second base on a fouled-off hit and run attempt, Lawrie successfully swiped the bag on the next pitch.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Rod Barajas (right) slides under the throw to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Jeff Mathis (6) during the second inning at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Darren Oliver made his spring debut in the third inning for the Jays and gave up two singles to the first two batters he faced before striking out McClouth on a pitch outside pitch off the plate. The, with one out and the bases loaded, Barajas roped a ball down the left field line that scored two and put the Pirates up 3-2. But Snider, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to get McCutchen in time at third, fired a rocket of a throw to second base in a heads-up play that nailed Barajas who, as Snider put it after the game, was “dumptruckin’” around first base.

Francisco Cordero came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth for the Jays, who managed to put together a two-out rally in the top half of the frame to retake the lead 4-3. He worked a perfect frame, quickly retiring the side in order but not before I felt like Ashby and Wilner myself, as Pirates shortstop Anderson Hernandez fouled off a pitch that blew right by my head in the press box!

Then in the top of the fifth, after Lawrie led things off by hustling down the line and almost beating out the routine throw on a groundout, David Cooper fouled off a few balls—one of which was the third to make its way into the press box—before striking out.

After Casey Janssen tossed a scoreless bottom of the fifth, Hechavarria smacked a RBI single with runners on first and second before being replaced by pinch-runner Jonathan Diaz.

Up next, replacing Davis was Anthony Gose, who hit a hard single to right field that was bobbled by the outfielder and was able to leg it out into a double, despite not looking like he was running 100% at all. Then, with Snider grounding out to oblivious Pirates reliever Evan Meek covering first base, Gose bolted around third base and wound up scoring on the play – a true testament to his speed.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder

One pitch into Sergio Santos’ debut in the sixth, play was briefly delayed because a cat ran onto the field, but he managed to get a deep fly out to right field on his next pitch, one that was caught at the wall by Moises Sierra (pictured) who had just entered the game.

After Ricardo Nanita made a running basket catch in deep left field for the second out of the inning, a displeased Santos bore down to strike out Pirates hitter Matt Hague on a ball in the dirt. Santos’ appearance wasn’t a dominant one, but it was easy to notice the life on his fastball and nice to see his nasty slider in person.

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.

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.

The final two innings of the game were fairly straightforward, as both Chad Beck and Jesse Chavez were able to work around pairs of walks to finish with scoreless outings. Jays minor leaguer Brian Bocock was picked off by Pirates reliever Daniel Moskos in the ninth and Diaz, who turned a couple of slick defensive plays Saturday in Dunedin, recorded the final out of the game on a great diving stop at third base.

Up next for the Jays, Henderson Alvarez makes his spring debut on the road against the Tigers, with Drew Carpenter, Evan Crawford, Jesus Figueroa, Jason Frasor, Jerry Gil and Jim Hoey scheduled to pitch as well.

-JM

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That’s just fine for Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, who was apparently shocked last month about the dollars free agent closers were asking for and reiterated to reporters yesterday that he’d prefer to go the trade route when looking to acquire one.

While Andrew Bailey and Huston Street have dominated the rumor mill recently, one name that hasn’t been mentioned at all in trade talks is Pittsburgh Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan.

Hanrahan, 30, put together a very nice debut season as a full-time closer in 2011, and although he might be too pricey to acquire via trade, he’s definitely worth exploring.

(more…)

Added to the Jays’ 40-man roster at this time last year to get protected from the Rule 5 Draft, Jeroloman was ranked No. 46 on our pre-2011 top 50 prospects list. Touted as the best defensive catcher of the 2006 draft class, the New York native made it to all the way up to Triple-A in his third minor league season in 2008. Now 26 years old, though, Jeroloman has flip-flopped between Double-A and Triple-A ever since then.

(more…)

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…)

RP D.J. Carrasco – 2010 Club: Arizona Diamondbacks

Courtesy of Bleacher Report

A 26th round pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1997 draft, Carrasco had the best season of his career in 2010. He split time between the Pirates and Diamondbacks, where he put up a career best 3.68 ERA and 7.5 K/9 in a whopping 78.1 relief innings.

Not an overpowering pitcher by any means, the 6’4” 220-pound Carrasco had spent his entire career in the American League prior to 2010.

Carrasco, 33, features an impressive five pitch repertoire. He uses mostly his fastball and cutter, but mixes in a slider, curveball, and changeup as well.

Carrasco made only $950,000 in 2010 and was entering his 2nd year of arbitration eligibility before the Diamondbacks non-tendered him. It’s likely he could be obtained for a similar salary in 2011. (more…)