Ricciardi not anxious to trade
TORONTO -- Baseball's trade market may be moving briskly, but J.P. Ricciardi doesn't plan on using the express lane.Toronto's general manager doesn't anticipate making any moves any time soon, but it's not for lack of effort. He estimates that he's making as many calls as he receives, but there's nothing that really seems imminent.
"I make as many calls as I have to make, but that doesn't mean it's going to lead to anything," said Ricciardi on Tuesday. "It's never easy to deal. You've got to get someone on the other end that wants to do something. In our business, there are 30 GMs -- and there's probably 15 who will do something and 15 who won't.
"Some of the teams that know they're out of it are probably shopping their guys now. But nothing really of consequence."
Ricciardi would certainly like to work fast. He'd be more than willing to make a quick deal if he could find something that fits as a long-term option. That's the real litmus test in Toronto -- the Blue Jays are at the stage where they need help going forward, as opposed to a three-month rental.
"We'd rather do something early, but it's not going to be someone that's going to be here for half a year," he said. "We're not going to burn our prospects and our money for half a year. If we do something early, it will be something that lasts a year and a half or longer."
The team's main targets include starting pitching and a big bat. That's why Ricciardi doesn't want to just leap into anything -- he wants any potential player to mesh seamlessly into the nucleus of talent he already has on hand.
For the first time in a while, money isn't an obstacle. The Blue Jays have approximately $160 million in disposable funds to sink into the next two seasons, but that doesn't mean Ricciardi's going to make a deal just for the sake of dealing. The decision-maker wants the perfect fit, and he doesn't care how long he has to look to find it.
"Everybody says we've got all this money and that's great, but you've still got to get someone that wants to come here," he said. "Look at the Tigers last year -- they were in on every free agent and couldn't get anyone to take the money. We've got to be in the position where we can take on some contracts that people want to move."
Signings: The Blue Jays have signed almost half their draft class, including five players from the first 10 rounds. The highest-ranked signee was Ryan Patterson, a fourth-rounder out of Louisiana State.
"Most of the guys are done," said Ricciardi. "We'll get them all done. We've done a good job signing them."
The team's highest-profile draftee -- first-rounder Ricky Romero -- just ended his college season. Cal State Fullerton was knocked out of the running for this year's College World Series, ensuring that there will be a new national champion.
Ricciardi expects Romero to sign quickly and to start his professional career in the short-season New York-Penn League.
"It's not going to be a long process. We're going to give him some time off," he said. "He threw 135 innings and threw 170 last year, so we're going to back him off a little bit. We'll probably do the same thing we did with [David] Purcey and [Zach] Jackson."
Both Purcey and Jackson -- Toronto's top picks in the 2004 draft -- got a taste of pro experience late last season. This year they've made more strides. Jackson is already working for Double-A New Hampshire, and Purcey will likely join him soon.
Sartorial splendor: Is this what they mean by "color guy?" Warren Sawkiw, who works on The Fan's radio broadcasts, got caught wearing a shirt truly meant for radio on Tuesday.
Sawkiw and his neon-yellow top barely made it five steps into the dugout before he started making waves. Justin Speier, Toronto's right-handed reliever, called out to Sawkiw from at least 15 yards away.
"Hey, Warren, are you out on work furlough?" Speier screamed. "Are you going to be picking up trash by the side of the road?"
Roughed up: The strange saga of Dave Bush continued at Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, when the right-hander was attacked on the mound by an irate batter. Esix Snead, a farmhand for Triple-A Richmond, charged Bush after a contentious base-on-balls.
Earlier in the at-bat, Snead had almost been hit by an errant offspeed pitch. And earlier in the series, he had exchanged words with Syracuse reliever Matt Whiteside.
Instead of trotting easily down to first, Snead waited until Bush turned his back. Then he tackled him from behind and drove him into the ground, igniting a bench-clearing fight.
Snead was summarily ejected after order was restored, but Bush had to leave the game and get five stitches. The Jays are awaiting word from the International League's home office to see what kind of suspensions will be handed out.
"We're waiting to hear from the league president. They're trying to get the umpire's version, our version and their version," said Ricciardi. "I knew [Bush] was a tough kid. That's baseball. We'll see where it goes."
Quotable: "He had a lousy childhood." -- Ricciardi's deadpan response when asked why Snead went after Bush
On deck: The three-game set against St. Louis will conclude on Wednesday, with southpaw Ted Lilly facing the road team's Jason Marquis.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
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