We hardly knew ya. One of the more embarrassing legacies of El Gordo's tenure is getting fleeced in a deal by Kenny Williams, who may be dumber than Syd Thrift. There are going to be inevitable comparisons to that "ingrate" Al Leiter, who got paid to stick his blisters in Toronto pickle brine for a few years, then moved on to win a World Series or something, but this lefty was far more seriously injured. The guy has a zipper in his shoulder for the surgeon's convenience.
I'm a Canadian. I walked away from being Director of Racing in the big leagues of harness racing (Pompano Park in Florida) to the relative obscurity of Ottawa's Rideau Carleton, mostly because I didn't like raising my family in the U.S., so if Mike Sirotka wants to continue his unlikely comeback attempt in his homeland instead of a foreign country, je comprend. He never asked to come to Toronto.
Chris Carpenter, on the other hand, is supposed to be "loyal," but why shouldn't he leave, if the Mariners or Rangers offer him the same minor-league deal he's going to get from the Jays? It feels different when you have a long investment in a player's development, as a fan or as an organization. Last winter, some pretty nasty contract bickering through the media appeared to be Carp's ticket out of town, but then he got hurt. Just before the deadline, his curve was as good as it's ever been, and you know they wanted to deal him. I'll bet there's a lowball offer or two J.P. wishes he'd taken.
The difference, prior to his shoulder surgery, between Carpenter and Roy Halladay reside primarily above the neck. Doc reminds me of Schilling -- a big, efficient machine. Relentless, unflappable, every pitch the same effort, unless you really need a little extra. Chris had that heartbreaking deuce, the knee-buckler, straight down. Kid threw pitches that umps apparently thought went over the strike zone; called them high, but the catcher caught them on the ground. But he still hasn't learned to pitch. And now that he's damaged goods, it's easy to be philosophical: no hard feelings, son, get well, best of luck. If you want to move on, who are we to complain?
While we're waving farewell, good riddance to Esteban Loaiza, a man who can be very good, but doesn't much care when he isn't. Steve Parris, you really showed us something last year before your arm fell off again. If you'll take one year at a million plus incentives, c'mon back.
It wouldn't break my heart to say goodbye to Kelvim Escobar for new closer Cliff Politte. Pete Walker should pitch the eighth (often the seventh, too) until someone better comes along. He could have five good years in middle relief, and still be your spot starter. Sign him. If nobody covets Escobar enough to tempt the determined J.P., leave Walker in the rotation indefinitely. What were the Mets thinking?
I really like the big lefty. I have to be careful imagining how good Mark Hendrickson might be, and I'll probably own him on my fantasy teams next year. Jordan may have numbers that will prove me wrong, but I think he's a mentally tough veteran with a "young arm" because of his late commitment to baseball, so I'm expecting further improvement on a very promising debut in the rotation. He throws strikes on the corners from an unusual angle, nothing wrong with that.
Justin Miller worries me a little, maybe because he looks worried. His fastball, toward the end of the year, had a juicy little screwball-hop at the end, though. Gotta like that, if he can find it every time, especially in the first inning. I will not be drafting him; he makes me hold my breath.
Hello Doug Creek, goodbye Felix Heredia. What's the difference? Scott Wiggins has three saves for the Grand Canyon Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. Of course, he gets lit up, too -- a 5.40 ERA -- so at best, he's the "early" lefty in Toronto, but I'd send him to Syracuse for a full year, setting up and/or closing. You can find southpaw middle relievers under rocks. Look at Scott Schoeneweis; out of nowhere! Or Scott Eyre of the NL champion Giants, waived by some second-division AL team. Lefty short men. Dime a dozen, which means the Jays were generous to Creek, whose name suggests a lot of unfortunate nicknames and headlines. Jason Kerchner looked as good as anyone in 2002, in just 16 outs over 10 appearances: a 1.69 ERA, a hold and a save.
I love Corey Thurman. An even better scoop than Walker by the astute J.P.; the kid was hyperventilating in his start this season, nowhere near ready. Stretch him out in the spring, start him in AAA and see what happens. He might end up your #5 by August, and be #4 in 2004. For such a big guy to feature the changeup makes it all the more effective.
Does anyone know if Ricciardi has picked his PTBNL from the Astros for Pedro BorBlown? As I recall, it was a choice among all but certain excluded Houston prospects, and the Jays could scout all year. Pretty shrewd return for an expensive spare part.
The Brandon Lyon release puzzles me. I had just mentioned him (as "forgotten at 23" but still a rotation possibility) in my ESPN column and they cut him. Obviously, he was picked up, by a division rival no less. I can see it now: late September, Fenway, Halladay vs. Lyon for the wild card. No, I can't. So I guess that's why they cut him. To make room for someone better. Boston gets an accurate, but not overpowering arm to fill their AAA roster.
My Christmas wish list for the Jays includes two decent big-league starters. Innings-eaters, a little better than Loaiza and Parris but with more reasonable salary demands. One has to be a respectable #2 kind of guy. My preference is to trade some combination of Cruz, Stewart, Lopez and Escobar for that arm, and shop the free agency list wisely for another useful veteran. If that happens, the four year mission might be accomplished in two, and the SkyDome scalpers will be smiling by 2004.
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