Marcum Back On The Mend

The Jays could have used better news than having to put Shaun Marcum on the 15-day DL with an inflamed elbow now that they’re in the midst of a slump. As I posted earlier today, the Jays were in a position to provide some teams in the hunt with at least 1 pitcher in trade should they land the right deal. Now that Marcum is on the mend, it does make it harder for Alex Anthopolous to move a SP without serious repercussions from the Jays fan base who would recognize such a move as admitting the Jays are down and out.

The good news is that it’s an elbow injury, and not a shoulder injury. This fact means that Marcum should be able to recover from the injury and could still contribute in 2010 and/or 2011. Shoulder injuries can kill a pitcher’s career, so this is definitely the better injury to be facing for both Marcum and the Jays.

The second good news is that Marc Rzepczynski does seem ready to return to the Jays rotation and is back at full strength. I presume that he, Brad Mills, or Brian Tallet, will take Marcum’s spot in the rotation unless his turn can be skipped due to scheduling and the all-star game.

Whatever, the case, with the Jays 9 games out, coming up to a series against the Yankees and heading in the wrong direction, it may be the last straw needed to get Alex Anthopolous moving in terms of wheeling and dealing.

Other Note: The Jays are said to be competing with the Pirates, Yankees, and other teams in acquiring a 15 year old SP, who can only sign in mid-August, Mexican Luis Heredia. Word is that the Jays are offering the teen $2.8 million, of which a significant amount will go to buying him out from the Mexican team that owns his rights.

The Jays are also said to be looking at Venezuelan 3B Gabriel Cenas and Columbian 3B Pedro Perez – can you see a trend? 3B, 3B, ….Jays are prioritizing the correct position in this case.