Not done yet? Jays still in market for pitcher

Steve Phillips

TSN Baseball Insider

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With J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada locked up with multi-year deals and David Price gone, the Blue Jays rotation right now is Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey, J.A. Happ, Marco Estrada and one of Aaron Sanchez, Jesse Chavez, and Drew Hutchison.  
 
The fact that the Jays never made an offer on Price makes it clear that they were not a legitimate suitor for the lefty. There doesn’t seem to be any interest in signing Zach Greinke or Johnny Cueto either.  
 
Team president Mark Shapiro stressed the need for depth in the pitching department and the Jays are opting to spread the money throughout the staff instead of limiting the dollars for one impact arm. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jays were to add one more pitcher to the competition.  

 
I could see the Jays in the mix still for a Jeff Samardjzia in free agency or a Tyson Ross or Shelby Miller in the trade market.  

Meanwhile, in the front office...
 
I'll be shocked if the Jays don’t have their GM in place by the Winter Meetings. It just wouldn’t make sense to have interim GM Tony LaCava engage teams in trade discussions in Nashville only to be replaced by a different GM a week later. It would kill any momentum that is gained in discussions.  
 
Clearly, Shapiro is directing the ship right now and the plan the Jays are executing is his plan. LaCava is making calls and may be the voice in the negotiations, but he's speaking Shapiro’s words.  
 
If Indians executive Ross Atkins is named GM, I know Shapiro would like to retain LaCava and find a way to have both men in his baseball cabinet. If LaCava left because he didn’t get the job, it would be understandable. He would be gobbled up quickly by another club as a special assistant.
 
Dodgers executive Josh Byrnes is still an outside candidate for the job. Nor surprisingly, Shapiro’s final candidates are all men with whom he has worked previously. With such a steep learning curve after taking over the organization, he needs someone he immediately trusts and can speak his language. 
 
On Toronto's trade front
 
Shapiro has already made it clear that he covets prospects, which means that the Jays are less likely to trade minor leaguers to get big leaguers. That leaves the free agent market or deals involving major leaguers-for-major leaguers.  
 
Now we've have already seen the Jays sign Happ and Estrada. And they have depth in the outfield and infield. With Dalton Pompey being ready to play next season, it gives the Jays the ability to consider trade proposals for Ben Revere and Kevin Pillar. Or even Pompey himself.

 
In the infield, the Jays can consider dealing Troy Tulowitzki to get impact talent and/or to cut payroll and re-allocate dollars. Ryan Goins could step in and play an outstanding role at shortstop. He also protects a deal of second baseman Devon Travis, who's recovering from surgery but other clubs would still consider the deal. 
 
Is a 'Winter Meetings move' necessary?
 
The Blue Jays have lost some of the momentum of their playoff run. The departure of Alex Anthopoulos - and now the loss of David Price to the Red Sox - has eroded much of the good will gained by their first October baseball in 23 years.  
 
Mark Shapiro understands that he can’t make a baseball decision solely to generate fan appreciation because that leads to making bad personnel decisions. That being said, it can go a long way for the Jays to make a move of substance that the fans will appreciate.  
 
It's also important for the Jays to sell their plan to the fans. Don’t leave them in the dark. Help them understand what the plan is and why it is that way. My experience is that when the fans don’t understand the plan, they'll fill in the blanks themselves based upon how they feel about the people running the team. That isn’t a good equation right now for the Jays.  
 
The David Price Effect
 
The David Price signing will now help push the Zach Grienke deal to closure likely later today or tomorrow. It puts extreme pressure on the Dodgers and Giants who are competing for him.

 
Clubs losing out on Greinke, Price and even Jordan Zimmerman then have to consider their Plan B and Plan C options. Just like agents and general managers gave deadlines to one another in the Price and Greinke negotiations, they'll likely do the same with the next tier pitchers. Nobody wants to get left holding the bag with nothing in it. 
 
Mike Leake, Jeff Samardjzia, John Lackey, Scott Kazmir, Yovanni Gallardo and Wei-Yin Chen are being pursued as the next level pitchers in the free agent market. But teams are going to balance the quality, age, contract terms and personality of the free agents versus the acquisition costs and fit of trade candidates.  
 
Tyson Ross of the Padres and Shelby Miller of the Braves are in a comparable category ability-wise as the free agents mentioned above. General managers have to weigh the cost of prospects to acquire them versus the benefit of control and cost containment.  
 
Johnny Cueto's gamble 
 
I have learned that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Teams can have very different evaluations of players and Johnny Cueto is banking on that. Literally.
 
Many teams have tepid interest in Cueto with concerns over his elbow and his personality.  The right-hander has shown that he can be flustered in big moments over the past couple of years in the post-season. It was such a concern for the Royals that they opted to set up their rotation to only have him pitch at home in the World Series.  
 
Cueto also missed a few starts this season with soreness and inflammation in his elbow.  His fastball velocity and command fluctuated from start to start, which raises concern over his health.

 
 
The Diamondbacks are clearly dismissing any concern over his personality or health. Their offer proves that. Cueto rejected their offer because he and his agent believe that he has more value than Jordan Zimmerman, who signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the Tigers. Cueto is hoping that he is Plan B for the Dodgers or Giants if they lose out on Greinke.  
 
I believe that may be a miscalculation and he may very well regret walking away from this offer. 
 
If the Diamondbacks acquire another starter of any significance, it may take them out of the Cueto market. The D-Backs just can’t sit and wait for Cueto, as they must consider their own Plan B and C options. There may not be another team willing to offer Cueto anything close to the offer from the D-backs.  
 
How Bonds and the Marlins can work 
 
There are reports that Barry Bonds has a tentative agreement with the Marlins to be a co-hitting coach.  
 
WOW! A bold move for sure for the Marlins. Bonds was a great hitter who had an amazing approach at the plate. He has a ton to offer in both the mechanics and plans for young hitters.  
 
But Bonds is a polarizing figure. He's the poster boy of the steroid era and can be a distraction.

 
If this is going to work, new manager Don Mattingly and current hitting coach Frank Menechino have to be on board completely. And Bonds has to commit to being a full-time coach. He has to be on the field at 2pm for extra batting practice, working with the utility infielders. If he has a job that allows him special perks, it won’t work.  
 
And then there is the steroid issue; the big pink elephant in the room.  My experience is that unless the pink elephant is acknowledged, it will always be in the way. Bonds is going to have to have a one-time news conference in which he answers questions about his use of steroids. It will be a tough thirty minutes, but after that he can reply no comment to the questions. 
 
I can’t wait to see what happens.