AA Got One More Splash In Him?

Oct 22, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse (26) walks off the field after the first inning of game seven of the 2012 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants at ATAs the offseason gets closer to finishing you hear something repeated by Toronto Blue Jays fans and media constantly. Everyone seems to be assuming the Blue Jays are probably done making any significant moves from now until the end of the offseason.

This could very well be true.

Alex Anthopoulos has even said he doesn’t see the Jays doing anything besides minor league deals. However there’s a reason they call him the Silent Assassin right?

The reason being most of AA’s moves are transactions you weren’t even thinking about, at times you wouldn’t expect, and that you didn’t even hear rumors about. The Blue Jays making a “splash” right now would definitely fit all that criteria. AA has even said in the past that things change quickly and moves can come together fast.

I couldn’t tell if the boo’s at the Jays State of the Franchise were sincere or playful when Paul Beeston said ticket prices could eventually go up in a few years to keep the high payroll going. I know I’ll pay more for a ticket if the Blue Jays are spending wisely to make the team better.

If I’m not alone in this I don’t think you can completely rule out the Jays still doing something significant from now until the start of the season. Especially since my number one pipe dream of the Blue Jays trading for King Felix next offseason is now gone after he just signed his new long term contract with the Mariners.

As we sit here in February Kyle Lohse is still an attractive free agent. Of course there’s a reason why he’s still a free agent in February. Scott Boras is his agent. He always tries to squeeze every last penny out of teams. Teams also have to forfeit a draft pick to sign Lohse.

I know right now your head is exploding as you read this asking yourself who Kyle Lohse is an upgrade over in the Blue Jays rotation. I’m not even talking about using him as one of the opening day starters.

If the Blue Jays really want to get greedy and have a team that’s darn near impossible to beat they could sign Kyle Lohse to be a swingman in the bullpen.

He can provide a lot of innings out of the bullpen and can make spot starts when needed. He also helps push the Jays starting pitchers in the minors down the depth chart which will only help in the long run during the season. The Blue Jays might also be able to take advantage of the fact that Lohse is 34 and a free agent in February and get him to compromise on a short team deal that’s more than reliever’s money but less than starting pitcher’s money.

Or the Blue Jays could just trade for Justin Morneau the day he plays for team Canada with Brett Lawrie in the World Baseball Classic. If you really wanted to get another buzz going (I’m sorry I couldn’t stop myself from throwing that idea out there).

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