Brett Cecil has been optioned to AAA, per THE GREGOR. Chris Woodward will take his place (really?)
Update: Now with explanation.
Well, Cecil had clearly been the worst of the Jays starters (well, him or Jo-Jo Reyes), and had lost almost 2 MPH on his fastball. He was picking up a couple of strikeouts but walking too many guys, and just wasn't really getting hitters out or going deep into games. Whether AAA is the place for him to work out these issues is unclear. If he isn't healthy, then he should go to the DL. If he is healthy, then I'm not quite sure what he has left to do in AAA. Sure, he has never dominated at any level at any point, but he's basically been solid-average in some 260 innings in the AL East before this year. Contrasting with Jo-Jo Reyes, who's been worse in the National League, and, well, colour me flummoxed. Maybe there is a specific mechanical problem that needs to be fixed, but if this move is just a response to the way he's been pitching, I'm not sure I understand.
Cecil, like Jesse Litsch, has options, while Jo-Jo Reyes, does not. I understand that this gives flexibility, but if this whole endgame is keeping Jo-Jo Reyes, then clearly there is something that management sees that the fans (and numbers) don't. Litsch and Cecil aren't terribly different despite the differing handedness - neither throw's that hard, both keep their K/BB around 2 (Litsch with better control, Cecil with more strikeouts), both, like every Jays starter, throw 4 pitches. Cecil is a fly ball pitcher while Litsch keeps it on the ground. Meanwhile, Reyes, pitching mostly in the inferior league, has a terrible walk rate, doesn't strike out enough guys to compensate, is older than both, and has a FIP over 5.50 in 200-odd major league innings.
Drabek, Romero, Morrow and Reyes are the only starters on the roster and the team doesn't have an off day for over a week, so either Marc Rzepczynski is going to get a start or another move is going to be made (Zach Stewart? Scott Richmond? Brad Mills?)
Again, I don't really understand why the team is sending down its 3rd and 4th best pitcher at the expense of their 6th or 7th best pitcher, unless there is something wrong with Cecil mechanically that needs fixing.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20110421142327706