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The Blue Jays are looking at some more bats, adding Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson to the lineup. Mench was obtained from Texas for "cash considerations." Wilkerson was signed off the scrap heap. Joe Inglett has been optioned back to Syracuse.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Gustavo Chacin and Sergio Santos have been designated for assignment. After they clear waivers, which seems probable, they can be outrighted to Syracuse.

This is probably a two-week audition for somebody. While on the surface, these pickups also give Gibbons a number of pinch-hitting options, the fact that there's only one extra infielder on the roster limits his flexibility considerably. And in two weeks, both Eckstein and McDonald will probably be back. At which point Velaadia returns to the minors, and someone else is cut loose: one of the new guys, or Shannon Stewart, or (we can always hope!), one of the seven relief pitchers (Camp? Frasor? Both, with Brian Wolfe coming back?).

Stay tuned.

Tip of the cap to danjulien for spotting the transaction.

Posted by Magpie on Friday, May 09 2008 @ 03:55 PM EDT.

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uglyone - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:05 PM EDT (#184811) #

I guess....

Mench/Stairs platoon at DH
Wilkerson/Stewart platoon at LF (although that might be some sort of bizarre reverse platoon).

anyone know how much Mench is making this year?

Jdog - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:07 PM EDT (#184813) #

Its funny to think how far these two have fallen in recent years that they can be had for nothing. I remember Mench being mentioned as someone JP was looking at a couple years back(was it Rios mentioned going the other way?). So this is kind of like what JP did with the pitching last year(Ohka, Thompson Zambrano) get a bunch of cheap past their prime veterans(Stewart, Wilk, Mench) and hope to catch lightning in a bottle, when you have a younger better option internally(Marcum, McGowan.......=Lind this time around). That being said, I'd like to see a Mench/Lind platoon in LF for now, but it wont happen.

Mick Doherty - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:13 PM EDT (#184815) #

Well, I was posting the same news at the same time as Magpie was, so some of you might have seen dueling stories. His was time-stamped one minute earlier than mine, so I deleted mine, but in case you missed it, here it is:

Friend of Batter's Box Jamey Newberg just sent out the following blast e-mail announcement:

The Rangers have traded Oklahoma outfielder Kevin Mench to Toronto in exchange for cash considerations. Mench was hitting .282/.344/.464 for the Redhawks, with three home runs in 29 games.

Mench, who has 89 career home runs with the Rangers and Brewers, was at Oklahoma this season, with a contract clause that called for his release if not on the big league roster by June 1. The Rangers are swimming in young outfield depth, so that wasn't going to happen. Now, he's a Blue Jay.

Thoughts?

Frankly, collecting ex-Ranger OFs seems like a bad plan. But to the earlier point, Mench just turned 30, so calling him "past his prime" is probably a bit pessimistic.

JustinD - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:13 PM EDT (#184816) #

Posted this in the other one, now that its got its own thread, figure I'll put it here...

Looking at the numbers real quick, Mench has been very good against left handers in his career. Last three years:

.305/.361/.558 for an OPS of .919. Better than Wilkerson's 264/351/429 and .780 OPS over that same time.

I'm excited to see Mench's name in the lineup against lefties. A .919 OPS would be the second best on the team right now. Rolen is, by all accounts, the Man.

I think a Mench/Lind platoon would be the best, with a Stairs/Wilkerson platoon at DH. Not a fan of Stewart.

Also, I think I remember Overbay saying he didn't like hitting second, what about Zaun in the 2 hole? He's got the OBP for it.

Magpie - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:15 PM EDT (#184820) #

I was posting the same news at the same time

I looked at the Upcoming and In-Progress list, didn't see anything, thought I'd better jump! Great minds....

Mike Green - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:16 PM EDT (#184821) #

Mench is an excellent acquistion. He's always killed lefties, and 2007 was no different. He will be a fine platoon partner for Stairs, and a useful 5th outfielder.

Wilkerson has not done much for over 2 years against all types of pitchers. I would much rather have a Lind/Stewart platoon.

Wildrose - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:23 PM EDT (#184822) #

I called the Wilkerson deal last night, Wilner has been stumping for Mench. Who goes when the shortstops come off the D.L. ?

Jdog - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:27 PM EDT (#184824) #

So when JMac and Eck come off the DL who is the odd man out? It would make sense to drop a pitcher and go with a deeper bench, but whats the plan?

Throwing Mench in there with the others was indeed pessimistic, but what do you expect from someong who has actually been watching this offense. But so far his best season came at the age of 26 where he put up a 279/335/539 line in over 400 AB. So taking that as a peak I would say odds are he is past his prime, but maybe he hopefully he goes Hinske on us.

timpinder - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:40 PM EDT (#184827) #

When I was thinking of platoon partners for Stairs, I hadn't even thought of Mench, but this is a great grab. He has a .924 career OPS against lefties, and as long as Gibbons uses him exclusively against LHP, he should really improve the team. There's probably going to be a battle in LF between Stewart and Wilkerson as I'm sure Mench is going to DH.

JustinD - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:49 PM EDT (#184832) #

I don't think Wilkerson can hit lefties anymore. He's 0-1 with a K against them this year... ;)

ayjackson - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 04:54 PM EDT (#184833) #

I noted in the other thread that Mench has continued to mash lefties in AAA to the tune of a 1.206 OPS over some 40+ PA. Also, he's coming in hot, having hit .400 in his last 10 games.

I think we should worry about what happens when the SS's come back in a couple of weeks. Personally, I don't think either will be healed in two weeks.

Thomas - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 05:07 PM EDT (#184838) #

Mench is a good move. I had forgotten about him since I talked to a buddy about the Stewart signing (when it became clear that Reed was on his way out) and he argued the Jays should have signed Mench instead. I thought he had a good point, but had forgot about Mench since then. He's a good lefty-masher.

As for Wilkerson, I'm not so fond of that acquisition. Wilkerson version 2.0 is vastly inferior to the original, both offensively and on defence. If we're giving him a quick trial run maybe it's okay, but I hope JP doesn't hesitate to Alfonzo him if it becomes clear he's not working out. I'm with Mike in that I'd rather have Lind.

Mike Green - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 05:14 PM EDT (#184841) #

Mench's defensive numbers in the outfield are much better than I thought. The best part of his platoon splits is that he has a positive W/K over his career.

katman - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 05:24 PM EDT (#184845) #

"...or (we can always hope!), one of the seven relief pitchers (Camp? Frasor? Both, with Brian Wolfe coming back?)."

Is Wolfe out of options?

Outside of last night, Camp has been pretty good here, and he has added a pitch which makes a difference.

China fan - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 05:27 PM EDT (#184846) #

I like the Mench acquisition a lot. Wilkerson less so, although I suppose he's worth a shot too. But I'd just like to point out that this is further evidence that the Jays have very little faith in Adam Lind. Since the start of the season, the Jays have been giving preference to almost anyone, rather than Lind. They have given at-bats to outfielders named Coats, Inglett, Stewart, Scutaro.... and now Mench and Wilkerson. Once again, Lind is pushed farther down the depth chart.
I just think that the Jays have noticed some kind of weakness or flaw in Lind's batting over the past 12 months that he has failed to fix, and they suspect that he might not be able to fix it against major-league pitching, even if he seems to do well against AAA pitching. What's remarkable to me is the huge perception gap between many Bauxites (who love Lind) and the Jays management (who clearly don't have faith in the guy). Who's right and who's wrong? I'm personally agnostic on the question, but I just find it striking that the Jays perception of Lind is so radically different from ours.

ChicagoJaysFan - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 05:50 PM EDT (#184852) #

What's remarkable to me is the huge perception gap between many Bauxites (who love Lind) and the Jays management (who clearly don't have faith in the guy). Who's right and who's wrong? I'm personally agnostic on the question, but I just find it striking that the Jays perception of Lind is so radically different from ours.

I'm not sure if it's a perception gap or not. I think Bauxites (majority) think Lind is good enough to be the Jays starting LF by the end of this year. I think the Jays feel he's good enough to be the starting LF next year. That's not a huge difference there.

Every time that I hear a Jays rep (whether directly, or indirectly through "anonymous insider" info via Blair), Lind is mentioned as a key component and likely starting LF next year. At the same time, most comments that I read here are that Lind needs time to work through his poor performance so far and will be good enough to be a starting LF by the end of this year (in other words, he'll follow the McGowan curve).

I think the gap is around the best way for Lind to work through things to get to that stage. Bauxite consensus (said by someone who disagrees, so I may be misinterpreting) is that Lind is best served by working through his issues at the major league level (the "he's learned / proven all he can at AAA"). The Blue Jay brass seem to think that he can still learn things in AAA.

scottt - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 06:12 PM EDT (#184854) #

So when JMac and Eck come off the DL who is the odd man out? It would make sense to drop a pitcher and go with a deeper bench, but whats the plan?

It will depend on who produced and who didn't and who's healthy.

Suprisingly, both Mench and Wilkenson are still performing close to their career numbers. Mench is a great hitter against lefties. Wilkenson, not so much, but what's amusing is that the Mariners had been using using him as a regular platoon guy. He's only had 3 plate appearances against lefties this year, 1 strike out and 2 sacrifices (bunts?).

It's great timing going up against 3 lefties in Cleveland and then needing a bench for the inter league play.

Also, Robinson Diaz might be given another shot against lefties once his ankle is healed. He looked good earlier on despite not collecting any hits.

robertdudek - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 06:27 PM EDT (#184855) #

I think the acquisition of these two veteran outfielders and the preference for a proven mediocrtity (a.k.a. Shannon Stewart) over a higher risk player like Lind is a clear sign that management views this season as "make-or-break" . Of course to say so in public would make them look back if they failed, so they are going to avoid doing that at all costs.

The only puzzling aspect of all this was the call up of Adam Lind in the first place. Was is to placate the fan-base? That is not J.P.'s style. Perhaps it was in the hope that Lind would get hot quickly and boost the offense, but if so, it is further evidence of the "anti-sabermetric" leanings of the current regime (which generally doesn't advocate making personnel decisions based on who is hot and cold at the moment).

From the distant past onwards, contending teams have trusted established players more than rookies, unless the rookies were clearly more talented than the alternatives. Ricciardi's judgment of Lind seems to be that he can be a useful player, but is no budding star. I concur.

Despite the fact that WIlkerson has a slight reverse-platoon split, he can be useful pinch hitting for Stewart or Barajas (without using up Zaun) , Scutaro and the other shortstops when they return. Why? Because there are a lot of right-handed relief pitchers (in particular the sidearmers) in the AL that absolutely kill righthanded batters, but are vulnerable to lefty bats (i.e they have a massive platoon split). This is a team that is crying out for a 14-man hitting roster, and I hope that this will happen now that we have a host of hitting options to attack opposing bullpens with.

In summation - depth is good.

JustinD - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 06:51 PM EDT (#184856) #

And both are in the starting lineup tonight. That surprises me they got here that quickly.

1) Rios
2) Hill
3) Rolen
4) Wells
5) Mench
6) Overbay
7) Barajas
8) Wilkerson
9) Scutaro

greenfrog - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 06:56 PM EDT (#184857) #

I like these moves. I'm more sanguine about Mench (as a platoon DH) than Wilkerson, though.

And can the suckitude end now? The offense has just been putrid.

JustinD - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 07:32 PM EDT (#184859) #

Wilkerson is now 0-2 with 2ks on the year against lefties. Release him!

scottt - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 07:41 PM EDT (#184860) #

I hope it gets better, because 5 strikeouts and no hits in 2 innings is as bad as it gets.

Ryan Day - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 08:18 PM EDT (#184862) #

I hope it gets better, because 5 strikeouts and no hits in 2 innings is as bad as it gets.

Actually, six strikeouts and no hits in 2 innings is as bad as it gets. Things could totally get worse.

JustinD - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 09:16 PM EDT (#184863) #

Man I hate this team. Why do I do this to myself

damos - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 09:20 PM EDT (#184864) #

Agreed. This team likes to hurt my feelings.

scottt - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 09:47 PM EDT (#184865) #

So, the hottest player on the team is headed to the DL?

Mike Green - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 09:54 PM EDT (#184867) #

If ever there was a time to be shopping a lefty reliever, now might be it.

I agree that a six man bullpen is plenty, and with Ryan, Carlson, Downs, and Tallet on the big club and Purcey and Davis Romero working away in Syracuse, there are lots and lots of options. With Accardo struggling, Jason Frasor should be part of the club's plans.

Barry Bonnell - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 10:57 PM EDT (#184869) #

Man I hate this team. Why do I do this to myself.

I have followed the Jays since the early eighties. I am a hardcore fan. My wife thinks I'm obsessed.

And I have decided to stop watching the games until things turn around or until there is a regime change.

Right now the stress and frustration and aggravation this team causes me is not worth my time. I could be spending more time with my wife and kids, reading, volunteering, etc.

I really need a break.

Just expressing my utter frustration as someone who remembers the glory years and is saddened by what the Jays have been for the last 15 or so years.

Magpie - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 11:02 PM EDT (#184870) #

Is Wolfe out of options?

I'm pretty sure he is. The Twins definitely used one of his option years in 2004, and I think they would have had to use another in 2005, before they released him. I think they would have had to use one in 2003 as well, so I really don't see how the Blue Jays were able to option him back to Syracuse last year. But it looks like they did.

Now Jeremy Accardo... there's someone who definitely still has options!

Magpie - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 11:05 PM EDT (#184871) #

my utter frustration

Oh, cheer up! Always look on the bright side of life. And if that's not working, here two words that will.

Pittsburgh Pirates.

Imagine those last fifteen years.

greenfrog - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 11:26 PM EDT (#184873) #

The weird thing is I'm starting to dislike this team. I have high respect for quite a few of the players--Halladay, Marcum, McGowan, Litsch, Rolen, Hill, McDonald and Carlson, to name a few. And I know other players are battling. But it's hard to get behind a team that executes so poorly in key situations. (To say nothing of the antics of the front office.) I don't know. Maybe it's just the losing.

John Northey - Friday, May 09 2008 @ 11:44 PM EDT (#184874) #

Pittsburgh? Heck, howsabout a Montreal Expos fan - now that was painful.

Not to mention...
Kansas City - last competitive in 85, finished as high as 2nd last in 1995 but were 30 games out (!), last won more than 84 games in 1989 when 'the outfield of the 80's' were still all here.
Texas - made the playoffs 3 times in the 90's but never won a playoff series and outside of '04 (89 wins) have been sub-500 for the century
Detroit - had that wonderful year in '06, shows hope now but before that their 'highlight' since the strike was losing only 119 games in '03
Cincinnati - made the playoffs in '95 then dumped Davy Johnson for Ray Knight. Came close to the playoffs in '99 but otherwise has been very sad there

There are a lot of others who have little to cheer for but those are big time examples of how ugly it can get. For Detroit, KC, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee there was a decade where they couldn't even hope for more than a 500 season when March hit. Up here we can still dream.

Now, would I have liked it if we had a different GM? Or if someone other than JP was hired back in '01? Yup. However, JP is far, far from the worst we could've had and the situation is far from being as horrid as it could be.

timpinder - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 12:19 AM EDT (#184878) #

I'm with you Barry B. The Jays and Musky hunting are my obsessions and my wife thinks I'm nuts. Watching this team has been terribly frustrating the last couple of years. I keep saying I'm going to stop watching, but I just can't keep from putting the game on TV or the radio on when I'm at work. I think it's the hope that maybe one day, just maybe, they'll go on a Rockies-like run and make the playoffs. To be honest, part of me is hoping that if they're not going to win that they totally tank, forcing a rebuilding phase with A.J., B.J., Zaun, Eck, Overbay and even Rolen traded for prospects to try again in a few years. At least then my hopes won't be too high. This season has been so disappointing so far.

Geoff - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 12:23 AM EDT (#184879) #

Everyone to the Bay Rays Bandwagon...

if Percival can hold together and anchor the bullpen, they have all they need to make a run at the division.

Like the Jays, they are getting some excellent pitching. Like the Jays, their offense is underperforming. Unlike the Jays, they are winning.

Looking for A New Hope?
Catch some Rays this summer. They might have their act together this year.

sundancet - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 12:24 AM EDT (#184881) #

I totally agree with you Barry. This team drives me crazy. I'm a diehard Jays fan, but man, it's seriously frustrating and my wife wonders why I do it to myself by continually watching them when they're frustrating beyond all belief.
I seriously hope for a regime change as this mediocrity has gone on for too long.
As much as people are bound to defend this team and point out the characteristics that are doing well, ie pitching, people have to remember that a good team needs balance, and this team does not have enough balance to win. It's obvious to most of the people who are on this site, and it should be obvious to the front office. The fact that it's not is scary.
How about having a person run the team that actually lives in Toronto? That might be a good place to start...

Mick Doherty - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 01:23 AM EDT (#184884) #

John, your "Check this out" list makes me wince. I don't care about the Royals, but grew up midway between Detroit and Cincinnati, listening to Ernie Harwell on WJR and Joe Nuxhall and Marty Brennaman on WLW, so those hurt. And now, of course, I work in a building that is nearly walking distance from Ameriquest Field Ballpark in Arlington Texas Rangers Stadium and listen to KTCK out of D/FW. So I guess outside my time in New York, I have gravitated to near the frustrating teams!

But hey, I got to enjoy to '75-76 Reds, the '84 Tigers AND the late '90s Rangers, who at least were always making the playoffs, if not actually winning anything. So the life lesson is ... it's all cycles. What goes around, well, you know the rest.

smcs - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 03:29 AM EDT (#184885) #

How about having a person run the team that actually lives in Toronto? That might be a good place to start...

I really hope you are being sarcastic, because this point of contention does not make any sense. It's one thing to criticize JP based on his personnel decisions, but it is a cheap shot to complain that he wanted to keep his family in their hometown instead of uprooting his young children to a foreign country for an indeterminate amount of time.

JustinD - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 05:11 AM EDT (#184889) #

Well, looking on the bright side, I watched 6 very enjoyable innings of baseball last night.

Glevin - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 05:17 AM EDT (#184890) #

"What's remarkable to me is the huge perception gap between many Bauxites (who love Lind) and the Jays management (who clearly don't have faith in the guy)."

I think the frustration for Bauxites is deeper than that. When a guy rakes in the minors, you don't give him 19 ABs before sitting him down for over the hill veterans with almost no upside. Lind's minor league totals of .378/.506 (before this year) suggest that he be given a long shot to win his job. If the Jays had a viable LFer AND were a serious championship contender, it would be different, but when you are going for Stewart/.Wilkerson as your platoon with no real shot at the playoffs, why are you not giving Lind a shot?. Mench is a good pickup to DH against lefties as he could always hit them a tonne. (I don't care what the stats say, if you've watched him at all, he's a brutal fielder) but Wilkerson seems pretty clearly done to me. Then of course, so does Stewart.

John Northey - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 09:02 AM EDT (#184898) #

Mick, very good point on the cycles. The Jays had a heck of an 11 year stretch from 83 to 93 with the perfect ending (Carter's home run). Few baseball fans get stretches like that. Since then we've had 2 ugly years (95 and '04) and a lot of mediocre ones near 500. As many, many, many have pointed out a bit of luck any of those other years and the Jays would've been in the playoffs. Sadly, the only luck since 94 has been bad around here.

scottt - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 09:52 AM EDT (#184899) #

I didn't see what Wilkerson added to team. Then Wells got hurt and signing him suddenly makes a lot of sense.

Is Accardo out of options? Would make sense to send him down to work on something.

Frank Markotich - Saturday, May 10 2008 @ 09:57 AM EDT (#184900) #

That great 11 year stretch from '83 to '93 had moments that were far more frustrating than anything we've had lately. Trust me. It's all well and good in hindsight, and we know that '92 and '93 made it all better, but consider:

1983 - Jays become surprise contender, but horrible bullpen leads to many disheartening defeats

1984 - Tigers make a shambles of the race early, basically it's hopeless by May

1985 - ALCS Jays blow 3-1 lead

1986 - Terrible start dooms season, team rallies in August but too late

1987 - last 6 games of season worst stretch ever for a Blue Jay fan. Ever.

1988 - lose division to Red Sox

1989 - not so bad. Win division, lose to vastly superior team in ALCS

1990 - lose race to Red Sox

1991 - lose ALCS to a Twins team they should have beat

Now, you can say it's better to be in contention and lose, and I'll agree. But I guarantee you if Batters Box had been around in the late 80's there would be calls for Pat Gillick's head that would far exceed what Ricciardi gets. It's all about expectations.

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