Blue Jays Winter Meetings Notes: Live Blog Day 3

Dec 10, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzlez is surrounded by reporters during the MLB Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

Well folks, he we are at Day 3 of the Winter Meetings and there is still nary a peep out of the Toronto Blue Jays. We did have some mini fireworks last night, as there was some rumors surrounding both Colby Rasmus and Jose Bautista, but they would be better categorized as “fishing” than actual rumors to put any weight on.

So we enter day three with question marks. Will Toronto get involved at all in Orlando? How long will they wait to make a move? What is the overall plan here? Will the Rule 5 draft be it?

For now, we’ll just wait and see.

3:52pm Gregor Chisholm tweets that AA may try to “do something small” at the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. Davidi adds the club hopes to have Thad Weber‘s paperwork to finalize his sale to the Korean NC Dinos prior to the Rule 5, which would clear the spot they would need on the 40-man roster to participate.

3:40pm: Our daily update and mixed signals from general manager Alex Anthopoulos are upon us.

Did you get all that? So, trades are just not conducive right now because the costs are so high, but they could still happen because they aren’t that far beyond reach? Yeah, I’m lost.

3:10pm: Another quick update from Campbell. He says that Anthopoulos has been asked about Rasmus, Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind but says it would have to bring back a “great return” and that any of them moving seems unlikely.

3:04pm: Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet seems certain that the Blue Jays plan, at least for now, is to have Dustin McGowan enter camp as a starter and not a reliever.

2:45pm Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports says that the Blue Jays have looked into both starters David Price and Jeff Samardzija but consider the asking price high.

2:42pm: It’s been very quiet on the Blue Jays front today but Max Scherzer sure is something to dream about.

1:25pm: Jon Heyman at CBS Sports says that he’s hearing lots of activity around Matt Garza right now but nothing is imminent. Garza is an attractive options because teams won’t be forced give up a pick to sign him. The Blue Jays have two protected first round picks and may be in a better position to pursue a pitcher that does come with a qualifying option.

There are also rumours circulating about Garza’s medicals.

1:02pm: Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports gives us an update on a couple of Cincinnati Reds, starting pitcher Homer Bailey and second baseman Brandon Phillips. Both would potentially look great in a Blue Jays uniform but it sounds like Phillips is far more likely to be moved.

10:45am: Another note from last night. Trade talks between the Blue Jays and other teams for starting pitchers have seemingly been hampered by, you guessed it, teams asking for Aaron Sanchez or Marcus Stroman in return, according to Gregor Chisholm at MLB.com.

That’s really no surprise, as Stroman and Sanchez are two of the top prospect in the game, and about the most viable trade chips that the Blue Jays have. However, the team is extremely hesitant to give up either of these assets and will need to absolutely rob somebody to move them.

That’s tough to hear, as there has been mixed feelings about the team being unwilling to play the free agent game either, preferring not to sign players past five seasons. Solutions need to be found one way or the other, but there doesn’t appear to be a clear plan as to which path will be taken to do so.

9:00am: A couple of small notes that are worth noting, although they don’t directly impact the Blue Jays. The Yankees are said to be interested in Indians starter Justin Masterson, according to Bob Nightengale.

Masterson could be an interesting pick-up for the Blue Jays, but his price to acquire plus his impending free agency make him less attractive to a team like the Jays. Then again, I’m not sure I want the Yankees picking him up either.