The Blue Jays Season

At the start of the season I predicted a second place finish for the Jays in the division (I also picked the Red Sox ahead of them, not the Yanks so I guess I got that one wrong). A lot of people are saying the Jays season wasn't a success because they didn't play any meaningful games in September. While I can understand that thinkng I have to disagree.

All the moves that GM JP Ricciardi made this off season turned out pretty well. Lyle Overbay hit over .300 with decent power numbers, Troy Glaus had over 35 home runs and 100 RBI's, BJ Ryan had a great year in the closer role, and Bengie Molina had a strong year behind the plate. AJ Burnett was hurt for most of the year, which isn't a huge surprise given his past, but that's really the only blemish on JP's off season.

What really hurt the Jays this year were the injuries to Burnett and Gustavio Chacin. If the two of them had been healthy I think they would have been in the 91-93 win range instead of the 87 they managed to win. It's tough to lose your number 2 and 3 starters and still compete in the tough AL.

So what should they do this winter? The first thing they need to do is clear up the Vernon Wells situation. He is one of the top 10 players in baseball and he is going to command big money. If the owners are serious about putting more money into the team then this is the place to start. If a 20-something .300-30-100 gold glove center fielder isn't worth big bucks than no one is. I don't think it's a certainty that he is going to play in Texas. I think Vernon wants to win and the Jays are a lot closer than the Rangers are. If they can't work out a deal he needs to be traded. They could easily get a couple of top prospects and a top of the rotation starter for him.

The Jays should also let Ted Lilly walk in free agency. He had a big contract year winning 15 games but he won't do it again. Somebody will pay him $8-9 million but it shouldn't be the Jays. If Burnett and Chacin stay healthy Lilly is the number 4 guy in the rotation and that's too much money for a 4th starter. If they are going to spend money on free agent pitching they should make a run at Barry Zito. He is a guy who would thrive under the pressure of pitching big games against the Yanks and Sox. I doubt he would come to Toronto but it would show Vernon they were serious.

Going into next year the team looks good. We know the rotation is very strong at the top when healthy, that Ryan wasn't a one year wonder, that Alex Rios will be a big time outfielder, and that Reed Johnson is an everyday player. There are still some questions about the middle infield and middle relief but the core is there. They Jays will be even better next year.