Blue Jays Talking to Other Clubs About 2nd Base Trades, Pitcher Deals Dead

Sep 15, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ryan Goins (17) hits a single in the second inning in a game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Well, while the Toronto Blue Jays may be done looking for additional pitchers, the team still appears to be looking for ways to improve the team in other ways. In a meeting with reporters on Thursday, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos was pretty frank about a couple things pertaining to this year’s team.

Via Gregor Chisholm and Shi Davidi on Twitter.

Well, that certainly leaves a bit to the imagination, but also clears some things up.

Firstly, the fact that Toronto wasn’t close on any free agent starters and are unlikely to pursue any other options this winter supports what we heard yesterday from Jayson Stark. The tweets above nail that down, showing Toronto intends to figure out what they can get out of the group of internal options they are bringing to camp. It’s not what the fans want to hear, as they wanted an upgrade found this winter, but at least it brings closure to that.

Of other interest was his comments about second base. As long as the winter has been, we’ve primarily heard that the Blue Jays were content with an open competition between Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis for the second base job. However, the fact that Alex was still looking at possible trades with clubs as late as last week seems to indicate that the team is not quite as comfortable as we initially thought. That would seem to hold true with the advanced metrics we’re seeing in the current group.

Adding a long-term piece at second base would involve a trade partner that has some talent to give up and finding a match for something the Blue Jays can give up. Perhaps the previously mentioned deal with the Pirates involving Adam Lind and looking at a Jordy Mercer could be rekindled. Perhaps there is a way to utilize some of that bullpen depth we hear so much about, adding the piece we need and avoiding the dreaded 8-man bullpen from last year.

Then again, maybe this is just Alex Anthopoulos deflating one sail while pumping wind into another. Maybe there is nothing here to get excited about and we should simply anticipate going into Opening Day with the army of what we currently have on the roster. Perhaps that excitement for last season’s team will be rekindled and the Blue Jays will surprise us all. At this stage, it is probably best to come at it from this perspective, and let any ninja moves be a pleasant surprise.