Although the fans love Greg Zaun it appears as though the Blue Jays don't have the same love.  Look at the last two off-seasons:

The Jays sign Molina and make him the number 1 catcher

Even though Molina struggled on defense he still played more than Zaun, Molina had 99 games at catcher vs 72 for Zaun

Reportedly Ted Lilly and others lobbied JP last off-season to bring in Molina

This off-season the Jays could have brought back Zaun for an extra $500k, or maybe a million, compared to Barajas.  Zaun is a better offensive player.

Summary, there is something happening behind the scenes, either Zaun's handling of pitchers is suspect or the Jays value defense over offense at catcher.

Summary, there is something happening behind the scenes, either Zaun's handling of pitchers is suspect or the Jays value defense over offense at catcher.

I'd have to agree. Measuring defense is difficult at the best of times, measuring catcher defense  with the metrics we have available is even more complicated. This is one area where I'm quite prepared to let  scouting opinion take precedence over  the numbers, and the Jays managed by a long time veteran catcher obviously saw shortcomings in what Zaun brought to the table. Given that catchers  are literally involved in every defensive  play a team is involved in, putting emphasis on defense  over offense  at this position is not unusual.
 

Well, you know what you're getting with Barajas.  More or less.  350-400 at-bats, .250, no walks, moderate power, decent quickness behind the plate and an average throwing arm.  Now, if you try to push him into a true full-time catcher after age 30, as the plan apparently is, is he likely to be better, worse or the same? My guess is the same, but one never really knows until one tries.

I will miss Zaun.

Jamey Newberg, scribe of all things Rangers online and friend of Da Box, has this report this morning (nothing new, but here it is for your consideration) ...

I have not studied Barajas' defensive abilities, but I wouldn't conclude he is a better defender than Zaun based on his CS rate. That rate is highly influenced by the composition of the pitching staff. To wit, Bengie had some of the best CS rates in baseball when he was with the Angels, only to suffer an apparent "decline" last season. Zaun is a plus defensive catcher in all aspects apart from throwing out runners.

If Barajas is a defensive upgrade, he is only a very slight one, except insofar as it removes Bengie's horrible wild pitch prevention from the equation. The ideal solution would now be to bring back Zaun to split time with Barajas - but that won't happen.

2006 AL Catchers (100+ AB)

Player	TEAM	Ab	OBP	SLG	GPA
J Mauer	MIN	521	0.429	0.507	0.320
V Martinez	CLE	572	0.391	0.465	0.292
J Posada	NYY	465	0.374	0.492	0.291
G Zaun	TOR	290	0.363	0.462	0.279
M Napoli	LAA	268	0.360	0.455	0.276
R Hernandez	BAL	501	0.343	0.479	0.274
G Laird	TEX	243	0.332	0.473	0.268
M Redmond	MIN	179	0.365	0.413	0.268
K Johjima	SEA	506	0.332	0.451	0.262
B Molina	TOR	433	0.319	0.467	0.260
A Pierzynski	CWS	509	0.333	0.436	0.259
I Rodriguez	DET	547	0.332	0.437	0.259
J Kendall	OAK	552	0.367	0.342	0.251
V Wilson	DET	152	0.304	0.441	0.247
J Varitek	BOS	365	0.325	0.400	0.246
J Buck	KC	371	0.306	0.396	0.237
R Barajas	TEX	344	0.298	0.410	0.237
J Paul	TB	146	0.327	0.342	0.233
J Lopez	BOS	342	0.297	0.386	0.230
K Shoppach	CLE	110	0.297	0.382	0.229
D Navarro	TB	193	0.316	0.342	0.228
T Hall	TB	221	0.261	0.398	0.217
A Melhuse	OAK	128	0.273	0.375	0.217
J Molina	LAA	225	0.273	0.369	0.215
D Mirabelli	BOS	161	0.261	0.342	0.203
P Bako	KC	153	0.261	0.229	0.175

GPA is (1.8*OBP+SLG)/4; a much more accurate reflection of offensive value than OPS

Count me among those who think this is a mistake by the Blue Jays. I like Gregg Zaun and nearly everything about him, from the way he stood up to Hillenbrand to the way he rescued both his career and his life after his battle with alcoholism.  He went from a waiver wire pickup to a fine starting catcher and one of my favourite Blue Jays. I'll miss him next year and can't stand the idea that he'll likely be playing for the Yankees or Boston.

That being said, the stats don't support this move either, as far as I can tell. Barajas is better at throwing out runners and maybe this will cause runners to be more hesitant when attempting to steal against the Jays. However, there's no indication the Jays value the SB that highly or else they'd do more to maximize the speed and stolen base abilities we do have in the lineup (Wells, Rios, Hinske [when he was here], to some degree Johnson and Adams). Zaun was very good at blocking the plate and he wasn't the passed ball machine Bengie was. Barajas certainly has more of a defensive reputation, but that's an awfully high error total last year.

From EQA to GPA to OPS to WARP, all the stats say Zaun is a better batter. As people have pointed out, he's not old for a catcher and I think the odds of him falling off a cliff aren't significantly higher than Barajas hitting a wall, as some catchers will do around 30. Why the Jays would turn their back on Zaun for less than a million more a year (which is what the current rumours suggest he'll sign for) is beyond me. I can't believe money is that tight and if it was, they should have done something like let John McDonald go and found a backup infielder at AAA for $300,000 (Ryan Roberts or a minor league free agent), which would probably save about $3/400,000 or so.

I know Zaun wears down with near-everyday playing time, but I'll say right now that I expect Zaun to offensively outproduce Barajas for both years of their respective contracts.

This (the apparent choice of Barajas over Zaun) is totally confusing.

We have to make an assumption here.

We have to assume, I suppose, that there is some evidence to which we are not privy that Barajas is better than Zaun.

If we don't make that assumption, we are left with nothing to do except throw up our hands, loudly exclaim "eff this", and wonder if there there really is any difference between this and committing to Joey Hamilton, Alex Gonzalez and Homer Bush when there are patently superior options.

I prefer to make the assumption and fear that we are being haunted by our past, rather than forego the assumption and realize that the past never left.

The other sssumption one could make is that Zaun not only wanted more than the Jays had earmarked for catcher but was waiting out the market with other teams and JP has said that he wanted the catcher situation done with before the winter meetings. If he felt that Zaun was even 50/50 on leaving maybe he felt Barajas was the next best option. Sometimes if you snooze you lose and maybe Zaun just took too long, Then again, maybe haste makes waste and the Jays will pay the price if Barajas proves to not be the answer.

I think the catching will be at worst passable and I hope the majority of the remaining resources go to a #3 starting pitcher, even if it means going with Adams at 2nd for now.

Zaun speaks out. The article, written by Jeff Blair, suggests JP Riccardi was well aware of the decrease in OBP he was getting, but felt that the defence was a plus. I hope Zaun goes to the Giants, because they love veterans there and he won't dish out info to the MFY or Red Sox.....and could maybe start. I think there was a bit of dislike for Zaun after reading this...

Blair has a story up on the globe site now with some pretty petulant comments from Zaun, including "I feel that the last two years, the 2005 and 2006 seasons, were the product of my hard work." and "I think for them (the Blue Jays) the bottom line was more important than making the team better."

I think it's fair to say that Zaun over estimated his bargaining position with the Jays, but this kind of insult-throwing and credit-taking is not the way to go out.

An absolute terrible move by the Jays. Zaun is correct when he said "I think for them (the Blue Jays) the bottom line was more important than making the team better. Because I don't think anybody can say this move makes the Blue Jays better." While Barajas is better behind the plate, Zaun is the superior offensive player. It boggles my mind that a team with a 90+ million payroll chose to have Rod Barajas as their starter when there is clearly a better option available. Zaun said all along the Jays were his first choice and it’s not like he was asking for anything crazy like a 4year/28 million contract. Heck he was even willing to defer money.

Zaun rebuilt his career and personal life after signing with the Jays. He was one of my favourite players on the Jays roster with his all out hustle. The Jays had every right to lowball him with a take it or leave it offer of 2 years/6 million, but it doesn’t make it right. And you wonder why the Jays don’t play meaningful games in September every season……..

A small part of me is pulling for Zaun to sign with the Yankees or Red Sox now so he can stick it to the Jays next season.

I look forward to the gone but not forgotten Gregg Zaun thread.

It's unusual to see a non-power hitter hurt by his home park, but that's what the numbers say about Adam Kennedy.

2004-06 home: .259/.318/.348, 660 AB

2004-06 away: .307/.373/.425, 675 AB

In fairness, the splits were reversed in 2002-03, so this may be nothing more than a fluke. Weird three-year fluke, though. It gives some credence to the idea that he'd be a better hitter at the RC.

I'd still much prefer Julio Lugo at $8M/4 years than Adam Kennedy at $5M/4 years, assuming those are the going rates to solve the middle infield issue. But Kennedy wouldn't be a terrible acquisition -- he gets on base, he can run, and he plays a very good second base, and he can be counted on to keep doing all these things for at least two more years, which are the only seasons that matter to the Jays right now. The worst aspect of bringing him in is that it shifts Hill to a position where his defensive contribution downgrades significantly. But it seems like JP has already made up his mind about that move, so it looks like a fait accompli at this point.

The same goes with Zaun. I think Barajas will probably be a slight defensive upgrade -- opposing baserunners really did treat Zaun's presence behind the plate as a starter's pistol, and that certainly hurt the pitching staff. But Zaun is also obviously a superior hitter, and that matters more; I no longer believe most catchers have any kind of impact on pitchers' mound performance. Maybe Doc or Burnett quietly complained to JP about Zaun's game-calling or popcorn arm, and that prompted a move.

But I don't think this was really a talent evaluation; I think that JP simply didn't want Zaun back. One thing I do remember from the whole Hillenbrand fiasco is Zaun talking to reporters the day after Shea was jettisoned and speaking at great length -- RSN played the whole tape unedited, and it's unusual for a ballplayer to speak continuously and unscripted for that long -- about his role in the clubhouse altercation. I think JP doesn't like any of his players to talk about what happens behind closed doors under any circumstances, especially when it concerns their own roles in such matters. I also sometimes wonder if Zaun wasn't the guy who anonymously fed the media the "clubhouse cancer" lines about Hillenbrand, and if so, whether that got some backs up.

I don't think that was all of it -- as others have pointed out, Molina continued to get more work behind the plate long after it became clear that his defensive skills had eroded. But I think JP decided at some point that Zaun wasn't the guy he wanted as catcher on his team, and rightly or wrongly, that was it -- once JP loses faith in you, you're out, and you're not getting back in. It's not one of his strong points.

If JP really thinks Barajas is as good as Zaun, he is flat out wrong. Somehow I doubt that he REALLY thinks that, but then again, he made John McDonald into an everyday shortstop.

I could be wrong, but I don't there is any backstory here but the obvious one: Zaun wanted to wait and see what he could command on the open market. J.P. wanted a catcher right now, as he'd just lost two. An irresistible force was meeting an immovable object.

I will miss Zaun tremendously, and I think he's a much better player than Barajas, but there's a lot of money out there this off-season. Somebody's going to overpay for him.

Also, I wonder whether J.P. is thinking of the careers of Darrin Fletcher and Greg Myers. Both of these guys were good catchers, in their mid-thirties, who had great years and then suddenly evaporated.

The trade off is quite fair as Zaun's and Molina's lost offense should easily be reproduced by Frank Thomas in the DH spot, anything Barajas does will just be gravy. The team is stronger with Thomas and Barajas than it was with Zaun and Molina. Plus the saved cash makes it more likely Gil Meche could be in Toronto next season.

I'm going to take issue with some of these statements:

1) Anything Barajas does will just be gravy.

Not if you want to contend in the AL East - the Jays will need solid production from all quarters to challenge the Yankees and the Matsuzaka Red Sox.

2)  The team is stronger with Thomas and Barajas than it was with Zaun and Molina. Plus the saved cash makes it more likely Gil Meche could be in Toronto next season.

Agreed on the first part, but Thomas+Barajas cost considerably more than Zaun+Molina.

For the sake of argument let say Zaun would have signed for 8 million over 2 years. The savings - about 2.5 million dollars over 2 years amount to about 1.5% of team payroll. That is not going to affect the team's ability to sign free agents.

Barajas + 1.75 Million + Supplemental pick > Zaun

Would you like to provide some proof for this mathematical statement?

Don't forget a supplemental pick has to be paid for with a signing bonus - and it is not clear at all that the expected Major League Value of that pick justifies the signing bonus.

If you look at the signings this year, Thomas + Barajas was an excellent deal.

Thomas + Zaun would have been much better.

To the poster above who claimed Zaun has sub-par defensive skills: you and I must not have been watching the same baseball games.

I think Zaun is depressed at the prospect of going to Boston, where his job would be to catch Tim Wakefield...

I know a lot of people think the ball was much more likely to get to the backstop when Molina was catching... but when I actually looked into the matter in mid-season, a Wild Pitch or Passed Ball occured every 21 innings when Zaun was catching and every 23 innings when Molina was catching. (At that time, Molina had been charged with 6 PB, Zaun with 2; they finished with 11 and 4. I haven't looked at thew last couple months of Wild Pitches, and it's unlikely that I can be bothered to at this point.)

I like Zaun too, but I agree with Jacko that age is the key thing here. I'd rather wave goodbye to Zaun a year too early than a year too late. Actually, Barajas is a bit of an age risk himself, albeit one much younger and cheaper than Zaun.

This is deeply weird. From the Onley story:

The Toronto Blue Jays were on the verge of re-signing free agent catcher Gregg Zaun on Monday evening, just a couple of days after it appeared that talks between Zaun and the team had broken off.

The Blue Jays reached an agreement in principle with catcher Rod Barajas, but it was not immediately clear if the Barajas deal fell apart.

Zaun had also drawn some interest from the Red Sox and Yankees, but in remaining with the Blue Jays, he will probably get most of the team's playing time. If he had gone to Boston or to New York, he would have been a backup catcher.

I sure hope that Jordan, via Olney, is correct.

It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Colour me confused. It looks like we'd all better reserve judgement for a few days.

I'm confused too, although I am detecting a little bit of brinksmanship here that probably doesn't need to happen over $1 million.  I'm going to reserve judgment.

a 35-year-old below-average catcher

Elias disagrees.

The best hitting catcher the Jays had last year was Molina

Runs created per 27 outs and GPA, as well as OPS and every other measurement I can think of, rated Zaun the superior hitter.

It should be an interesting story as to why the Barajas deal fell apart.

Here's what we know, as far as I can tell:

• The deal was confirmed as done by the Sun and Star.  The Sun had a quote with confirmation from Barajas' agent.
• Zaun was told that the deal was done, presumably by Ricciardi.
• Barajas never made it to the physical as he canceled the trip to TO.
• Barajas now has a new agent.
  

You'd have to assume that Barajas and his former agent had a difference of opinion, and likely over money.  It seems odd that Barajas' agent would agree to a deal without Barajas being satisfied. 

I think signing another outfielder depends on whether Adam Lind can get a job.  I suspect that the Jays will want to send him to AAA for the first half of the season, which opens up a job in the outfield for an OF/PH, preferably a lefthanded one.

And he's not lefthanded, but wouldn't it be nice to sign Tim Salmon for a bench role if he were open to such a thing?

For the life of me I don't understand how JP can sign a guy that just slammed him in the media a few hours ago?

Because it's out of character, or because you think he should have refused to sign Zaun based on what Zaun said? Personally, I'm quite happy to see him do it.

Bah, I should have known that Salmon retired.  As for Elias, I merely noted their disagreement.  They are not a royal road.

This has all the makings of high drama, or perhaps soap opera: call it As The Backstop Turns.

Rod Barajas is about to put his pen to a contract. Everyone appears to be smiling at the happy news - but, on close inspection, these smiles are actually grimaces of pain, as if all present had been forced to swallow a tablespoonful of cod liver oil. Something feels very very wrong, but there seems to be no way to stop it.

At the very last possible instant, Going Going Zaun bursts into the room, perhaps horrified to realize that his other options are to start for the Kansas City Royals or warm the bench for another contender. With a flex of his mighty biceps, Our Hero rudely pushes aside the erstwhile pretender to his catching throne. He grabs the offending contract and, with a dramatic flourish, rips it into tiny shreds. All gasp a sigh of relief, applaud, and embrace one another heartily.

Cut to commercials - for Better Choice Bundles and Flex Packs, no doubt - as everything is right in the world once again.

I hope Zaun comes back. Sure, the numbers might indicate a decline is imminent, but the man belongs in a Toronto uniform.

Sportsnet updated their article

"General manager J.P. Ricciardi said late Monday the team was negotiating with Zaun, and the deal with Barajas was not going ahead. Ricciardi declined to comment about why the contract with Barajas wasn't completed.

"We don't have an agreement with anybody at this point," Ricciardi said.

Asked if he still had interest in Barajas, Ricciardi said he couldn't comment right now. Asked if he hoped to sign Zaun this week, Ricciardi said: "Yeah. I hope to have something done with somebody this week."

I think this is probably premature, but Newsday in NY wrote:

The Yankees, meanwhile, lost out on the most attractive backup catcher on the market last night as the Blue Jays reversed course and re-signed Gregg Zaun instead of signing Rod Barajas.

The Yankees had an in-person meeting slated with Zaun's agent, T.R. Lewis, for Tuesday, but plans changed when Toronto's deal with Barajas apparently fell through. "Flight to NY tomorrow looks to be on hold," Lewis said in a text message last night.

I wonder how many people who were trying to find justifications for JP signing Barajas are going to turn around and praise JP for signing (if he signs) Zaun.

So, perhaps, he calls Ricciardi and says 'I will take a lesser deal to stay with the Jays.'  Ricciardi says yes, and then phones Barajas' agent asks him if Rod would like to take a further pay-cut to become the backup to Barajas.  His agent says okay and then calls Barajas.  Barajas says 'No way, you are fired.'  He hires a new agent who calls Ricciardi and tells him the deal is off.

You meant backup to Zaun. The bolded part could not happen in the universe we live in.

The Toronto Star sheds a little more detail on Barajas and his reluctance to agree to a physical as well as the fact that the money he agreed to became an issue for teh major league baseball players association.  I wonder what they are going to say once he gets signed as a backup for even less.  Anyhow else feel that the Jays just avoided a huge 2 yr headache?

"Barajas, whose 2-year deal was reportedly worth up to $6 million (U.S.), balked at reporting to Toronto for a physical, which had been all that was left to validate the deal.

Barajas, though, was not in any jeopardy of failing the physical. It's believed the money he settled for became an issue for both the player, and indirectly, the major league baseball players' association.

Barajas, in his free agent year, earned $3.2 million with Texas in 2006. The deal he apparently accepted Sunday represented a pay cut. Sources in Texas said that while Barajas was pleased to be joining the Jays as their No. 1 catcher, the money made him balk at the physical, and thereby nullify the deal.

Barajas was not "driven'' by the players' association into killing his own deal, sources said. The Jays refused comment until today."

" I wonder how many people who were trying to find justifications for JP signing Barajas are going to turn around and praise JP for signing (if he signs) Zaun."

 

I just hope we have a catcher other than Huckaby, Wilson or Phillips doing the majority of the backstopping. I could have lived with Barajas and I can certainly live with Zaun.

I wonder how many people who were trying to find justifications for JP signing Barajas are going to turn around and praise JP for signing (if he signs) Zaun.

I agree with CeeBee.  Signing any of Barajas, Zaun or Molina (or Lieberthal, although he never got on the radar) would have been a good idea, given the alternatives.

You can justify either guy - this isn't a black and white situation.