Mailbag: Where will Hill play?
11/07/2005How much of a play will the Jays make in the A.J. Burnett sweepstakes? If they get him, who stays and who goes? What happens with the oft-injured, but talented, Ted Lilly? -- James B., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Toronto will make as big a play as it can for Burnett, a strategy that's been telegraphed for more than a year. In fact, when the Blue Jays promoted Brad Arnsberg to pitching coach last October, the pursuit of Burnett was already taking shape. Arnsberg was one of Burnett's coaches in Florida, and the two share a close relationship to this day.
General manager J.P. Ricciardi has admitted that he would "overpay" for a talent like Burnett. And he may have to, because the ex-Marlin seems to be the top prize in a weak pitching class this winter. Burnett has already visited Toronto and met with Arnsberg and Roy Halladay, so the groundwork is clearly being laid.
Who stays and who goes? That's the whole point of adding talent via free agency instead of trade: Nobody has to go, if Toronto wants to keep its staff intact. Some of the former starters -- Dave Bush and Scott Downs, perhaps -- could move to relief roles to make room.
Otherwise, the Blue Jays would have trade chips to move as they see fit. Halladay is set as the team's ace, and Burnett would slot in right behind him. Lilly would become the rotation's bridge, and the back end would likely be filled by Josh Towers and Gustavo Chacin.
Is there a chance that the Jays might acquire Paul Konerko? I believe he's just what the Jays need to fill the cleanup spot. -- Anthony H., Toronto
The Jays were sitting this one out even before Konerko increased his demand with an outstanding postseason. Now, they'll listen to the daily reports of escalating demands and smile contentedly from the sidelines.
Konerko had a highly visible career year and will be able to name his price despite whispers that he's not one of the league's true elite power bats. The White Sox will likely make a strong push to keep him in the fold, but league sources indicate that Konerko may want to play closer to his California home.
All the signs point to a long and protracted negotiation that may well resemble an auction at times. That's exactly what Toronto wants to avoid -- especially since there are already strong contenders for Konerko's services.
Burnett will probably be the Jays' lone big-ticket pursuit, and they're hoping to land him before the bidding gets out of control.
What will become of Gregg Zaun? Will he be the starting catcher in 2006, or will the Jays go with Guillermo Quiroz? -- Peter T., Toronto
Few players on Toronto's roster have more job security than Zaun. The former backup has seized his first extended shot at a starting job, and at this point, there aren't any realistic alternatives in the organization.
The Jays will likely scout around for another backup type to serve as injury insurance, but they seem set to let Quiroz graduate to the backup slot. The former prospect is out of options, which means the team has to protect him on the 25-man roster or risk losing him to waivers.
Zaun will tutor Quiroz throughout the season and may yield at-bats to him in the second half, depending on the team's position in the standings. If his performance stays level, the Jays may even re-sign Zaun to team with Quiroz in 2007 and beyond.
Aaron Hill proved to be a solid infielder and hitter when playing every day with the Blue Jays. Do you think the team will even think of using him as a bench player? -- Derek B., Pickering, Ont.
That course of action would seem to make a lot of sense, but there's only one problem: The Blue Jays are fully against it. Toronto wants Hill to play every day, even if that means he has to start his season with Triple-A Syracuse.
That's where the team stands in principle. In practice, things may change if the Jays can't whittle down their infield logjam. Hill appears to be blocked at second base, third base and shortstop, and the Jays want to hold on to their incumbents at all three positions.
For a variety of reasons, Hill's most likely landing spot is still second base. Fellow youngster Russ Adams is entrenched at shortstop and doesn't have much trade value yet, and Corey Koskie's healthy salary pushes him out of trade talk at third base. Orlando Hudson, fresh off winning his first Gold Glove Award, is the team's most marketable trade chip.
This is Toronto's most interesting dilemma, and nobody really knows how it will turn out. Still, the educated guess suggests that Hill will be on the Opening Day roster in one capacity or another.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home