Jays Notes: Minors Transaction, J.P. Arencibia, Kyle Drabek

Here are some Jays notes for everyone to enjoy during the beginning of what is a frisky week across most of North America:

• The Jays released 2B Jonathan Fernandez who spent 2010 in Auburn for the Jays. He was a 34th rd (1030th overall) draft pick in the 2009 draft who struggled to find his swing. Fernandez had a .189/.232/.245 line for Auburn in 53 ABs  and is now free to sign elsewhere.
• The Jays made 1 other minor league transaction recently, signing C Ryan Budde to a minor league deal. The 31 year old veteran will presumably be considered a depth player who can help alleviate some of the workload Brian Jerolomanwill likely get in AAA Las Vegas. Budde was a 12th rd pick of the Angels in 2001 and has only 33 ABs in the majors to this point, hitting his first HR in The Show in 2010. Like Jose Molina, Budde hits from the right side and is a defensive specialist (a .982 fielding % and 36% CS rate over 9 minor league seasons proves this), making him a likely option to join the Jays if Molina were to be moved between now and the trade deadline.
• The Blue Jays Minor League All Stars were named and analyzed slightly by John Parker for MiLB.com. Not surprisingly, Kyle Drabek and J. P. Arencibia lead the way and are called “gems”, but some of the others may surprise some Jays fans. A few, including Brett Wallace and Chris Lubanski, are no longer with the Jays. Either way, it’s a decent read.
• Jays fans can scratch Joakim Soria off the list of possible trade candidates for the Jays closing role, as the Royals have no intentionof moving their top-notch and cheap closer. Alex Anthopoulos continues to say that the Jays will be patient in getting a closer set up in Toronto.
• The Jays continue to participate in a worthy causeby dishing out meals for the youth of the Greater Toronto area schools through the Jays care foundation. Alex Anthopoulos, Ace, and Jays executives did the heavy lifting this year.
• On the charitable note, just a reminder that Fansided and Site5 are carrying out a charitable drive of their own, trying to raise $5,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. If interested in knowing more about the drive, or to donate, see the drive page here.
• The new Jays Journal poll is up, and asks: “What Will the Jays do with Jose Bautista?”
• There are a few new links for your viewing pleasure on Jays Journal. The first is named “Jays Information Links” which gives Jays fans quick access to some of the best information about the team – both historical and present news worthy – and the second is a “Jays Salary Obligations” page which provides all contract issues being faced by the Jays for the 2011 season. Both are still works in progress, but they do have a ton of information that we plan on updating regularly. Enjoy!

That’s about all of the Jays news I could get my hands on for today!

– MG

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