Blue Jays Morning News: Reunion & Targets

Is it just me, or is November dragging on. Perhaps it is because we’re waiting for some news or rumors we can get excited about. As big as it is, the news of the return of Marco Estrada seems like forever ago. At this point, many people are getting tired of the speculation and the “what ifs” that the MLB offseason brings and just want news.

Remember that if, and when, news or rumors break, we’ll have it live on our Blue Jays Offseason Tracker!

Until then, let’s see what has been going on in Blue Jays Land.

Toronto Blue Jays

Estrada’s Easy Choice– Apparently, Estrada had the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of his list when considering his future team. He spoke to the media on Tuesday and The Canadian Press (via The Sun) bring us the feel good message that Estrada had for Toront0. “I would have taken probably less for more years,” he acknowledged. “But it’s just the way things worked out. Two years is plenty … I feel like it’s an extremely fair offer.”

Signing Estrada to a 2yr/$26M deal certainly should be seen as a great deal for the club. Especially, considering that it is constructed to cost them less this coming season. Many feel that this leaves more financial room moving forward. All of that aside, Estrada coming back to the Blue Jays was an easy decision as he and his family love the city.

Reading Between LaCava’s Lines– At the same presser, interim GM, Tony LaCava made some comments about what the immediate future may hold for the Blue Jays. Specifically, he discussed what their plans are moving forward and what they’ve been up to in this oh, so quiet period of the offseason. That said, it really isn’t anything new.

“Without being specific to any one guy, we’re engaged with a number of free agents and we’re talking to a lot of teams as well,” LaCava said. So, there you go. Something is happening. Sort of. While it is difficult to read just how “engaged” they are, at least we know that there is movement. That in and of itself is exciting. Still, we really shouldn’t get too excited until we get more than “we’re doing our jobs and talking to people”.

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The other tidbit of interest is one that requires a bit of guess work, so to speak. He says, “We believe we have the resources to win a championship.” This is a direct comment on the whole payroll debate/discussion/rumoring that has been taking place for weeks now. Rather than look at a hard number, which is what has been happening rampantly, perhaps we should be looking at this thing as a whole. Will the club pay up when the right deal is a available? Despite many thinking that ownership is cheap, maybe we can take heart in knowing that they are willing to spend, if it makes sense. And, while many things seem to have made sense to us, perhaps the truth is they jsut weren’t right. Time will tell, of course.

More Guesses of Free Agent Targets– At the The Star, Brendan Kennedy threw his speculation hat into the ring on Tuesday when he released his list of names the Blue Jays could pursue. While his list didn’t vary much from the myriad of guesses out there, one name does stand out that hasn’t been getting much print.

Kennedy suggests that Mike Pelfrey might be a good choice. While his numbers do not exactly send chills down your spine, he could prove to be a solid pick up. As Kennedy suggests, Pelfrey gave up the lowest rate of home runs among AL starters last season. His 0.60 HR/9 number and 51% GB rate certainly would play into the Blue Jays defense and wouldn’t be scary in their hitter friendly Rogers Centre. And, he could be had for a fraction of a Jordan Zimmerman, who would be much cheaper than David Price or Zack Greinke.

Next: Our Choice for Blue Jays Play of the Year!

40 Years and Counting– Wanna feel old? The Toronto Blue Jays have revealed their logo for the 40th anniversary of the franchise. Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net shares the image with us and it is kind of sexy. It will feature a double band of blue stripes around the outside, which apparently is something that the club will really be pushing in the future.