the Jays missed an opportunity on Williamson - unless he simply wanted to go to a team where he had plenty of chance to make the majors no matter if it was an awfully bad team - better one Scott Williamson than a half dozen Scott Richmonds.

Same for Kim, Claussen, and maybe Harville. Seems to me all of them should be available on a minor league deal and all are better risks to give us decent work than the collection of stiffs who make up our minor league free agent pitcher signings.

Livan is now a Twin (no need to sell cartoon balloons in town).

I wouldn't mind seeing the Jays sign Kim to a minot league deal with a spring invite. Let's see if he can capture some of what he used to be.

I'll say it - and Livan likes his money?

Weren't some people expecting Hernandez to get around 9-10 million?  He'll probably sign a 1 year, 4 million dollar deal, then go the way of Bengie Molina.  No big money in your future anytime soon Livan.  The "32 year old" Livan Hernandez.

 I am not so surprised at Bonds and Sosa - they offer about the same thing; a power-hitting DH but not great defense and more than a whiff of scandal.  In pure baseball terms, I don't see a lot of teams in the market for a DH like them and the ones that do, are payroll conscious.  Piazza is also having problems finding work for the same reason, but Mike P could give you 20HRs from a catcher even in limited action - which I can't believe no team wants.  Is Piazza still insisting on catching?  

Shawn Green is a good useful player, and in a world where Tori Hunter, Gary Matthews, and Vernon Wells have huge contracts, I am not sure that Corey Patterson is a bad option.  Lofton I believe was just re-united with Dusty Baker. 

I think the Orioles for example were crazy not to court Livan Hernandez.... not a great pitcher but a veteran and an innings eater who could help save young arms.  This is a strange off-season.  Teams seem to be focus on a few veterans with big contracts (Jays: Wells, Halladay, and it looks like Rios will join this list) - the Twins (Mauer and Morneau) for the fans and top up the rest of the lineup with the best available expensive/short-term mid-upper-grade talent (thinking Rolen, Thomas, Burnett and Ryan) and fill out the roster with youngsters; steady but highly paid and unlikely-to-improve don't have many options outside say the Yankees (who had a bigger payroll than my fantasy team last year) and Nationals (who seem to like the recycling bin in the past, but have smartened up).  

It is going to be interesting when some teams get injuries and need some of these guys.

I think the Orioles for example were crazy not to court Livan Hernandez.... not a great pitcher but a veteran and an innings eater who could help save young arms.

The goal of a rebuiliding team isn't to save young arms, it's to give young arms an opportunity to show something. At least it should be, but the Os are the Os so they signed Trachsel to block Patton, Olson, Penn, Albers, Johnson and Burres. I guess they wanted a pitcher who would really really annoy the fans by pitching super slow ... and maybe teach the kids some bad habits too.

Oh well, I suppose there's merit to continuing the noble tradition of letting the mentally-handicapped run a baseball team.

Hmm... Lets look at some of those guys who are in the Tony Fernandez situation (after 93 his agent said no to the Jays offer of about 1 1/2 million and he sat around until spring before getting a deal for 1/2 that with the Reds).

Outfielders...
What we have: Wells/Rios/Johnson/Stairs/Lind plus Thomas as DH

Options: Shawn Green, Sammy Sosa, Kenny Lofton, Trot Nixon, Reggie Sanders, Shannon Stewart, Corey Patterson

Must be better than: Johnson/Stairs/Lind group

Are they?
Shawn Green is down to being a league average or worse player now. He hasn't improved his lifetime OPS+ since 2002 and now gets playing time at first base as well as RF. If we didn't have Stairs and Lind I'd look at him as a mix with Johnson but we do have those guys so no interest.

Sammy Sosa: a platoon DH now, no interest

Kenny Lofton: Like Green he is no more than average now but his OBP is better and has some speed thus is basically a left handed Reed Johnson who is older and a bit better. Given we have Stairs/Lind/Johnson I don't see a slot for him unless we lose two of them (Lind/Stairs both would slide into a platoon with Johnson if one or the other is hurt, Lind/Stairs would mix/match if Johnson hurt).

Trot Nixon: OPS+ last 5 years - 149-123-109-96-78 the last 3 all had over 300 PA's. No interest.

Reggie Sanders: Terrible 06, injured 07 but showed hope (or a dead cat bounce) last year when healthy. Right handed so would be good for replacing Reed should he go down. I'd give a AAA deal with invite and promise to be first called up in event of injury/ineffectiveness.

Shannon Stewart: two years in the 80's then a 101 last year for OPS+, but right handed so I'd give the same deal as the Sanders one above. Less likely to take it though as he was healthy and reasonable last year so someone should give him a full time job or at least a platoon job I'd think.

Corey Patterson: Speed and not much else. Left handed hitter too. No interest.


Starting Pitchers
What we have: Halladay/AJ/McGowan/Marcum/Litsch/Chacin/etc.

Options: Bartolo Colon, Livan Hernandez

Must be better than: Litsch/Chacin/etc.

Are they?
Hernandez has thrown 199 2/3 innings every last season since '98 with his last 5 seasons being 90+ for ERA+ and has a lifetime 100 ERA+. He is the definition of an inning eater (Jim Clancy type as a Jay reference). If the Jays are worried about McGowan/Marcum/Litsch being ready or of AJ or Roy going down then Hernandez is a solid option on a one year deal. I am surprised someone (say, KC or Pittsburgh) hasn't signed him yet to fill in a batch of innings on a team that needs those filled. His 91/95 ERA+'s of the past 2 years show he isn't an ace, but for under $7 million I'd grab him.

Bartolo Colon: Last 3 years his ERA+ has gone 122-89-72 with under 100 IP each of the past 2 seasons. A minor league deal is OK but I sure wouldn't give him more than that and odds are someone will. Plus he'd want a team where he can get innings vs here where he could be trapped in AAA all season.


Relievers
What we have: Ryan/Accardo/Janssen/Downs/Frasor/Tallet/Wolfe/League

Options: Bob Wickman, Byung-Hyun Kim

Byung-Hyun Kim: hasn't had a 100 ERA+ since '03. As a starter he gets his butt kicked, in the pen he could still be solid. If he has finally got that through his head I'd sign him to a minor league deal with an invite as he could be better than Frasor/Tallet/Wolfe/League if on. If he wants to start then bye bye, no interest.

Bob Wickman: Has been below 100 for ERA+ just once since the Jays last won the series. Double digits for saves for 9 straight years. His control/K ability is dropping (he is turning 39 this year) but still should be above the Frasor/Tallet/Wolfe/League group and would easily allow Janssen to move to the rotation. Doubt he'd want to sign here though with 2 closers on the roster already, but would offer up to $3 million on a one year deal and see if he bites.

----

So of the left over guys I'd sign Wickman, Hernandez, and Sanders but only Wickman would be a lock to make the team. Sanders as injury insurance. Hernandez as a method to give Litsch more AAA time.

I was actually hoping the Jays got Hernandez. He can throw 200 innings in his sleep, and he isn't an injury risk even if Gibbons wants to continue his Dusty Baker impression moving forward.

Although long-term it might be better to give Janssen the #5 spot since the Jays are a year away from potentially living life without AJ Burnett.

Don't worry about AJ taking a slot, I'm sure he'll provide a month or so for the kids to pitch :P

I think the Orioles for example were crazy not to court Livan Hernandez.... not a great pitcher but a veteran and an innings eater

Innings, among other things... ;-)

While prepping for my intense 20 team fantasy league I came across Andy Marte who as recently as last spring was touted as a top 10 prospect.
Well, it turns out that he's out of options so if he doesn't make the Indians' 25 man roster, we can possibly claim him.
I'd rather have him as bench player than Scutaro. Plus, he's insurance if Rolen goes down.

While prepping for my intense 20 team fantasy league I came across Andy Marte who as recently as last spring was touted as a top 10 prospect.
Well, it turns out that he's out of options so if he doesn't make the Indians' 25 man roster, we can possibly claim him.
I'd rather have him as bench player than Scutaro. Plus, he's insurance if Rolen goes down.

He's better than Sergio Santos, but not by much.  Marte's career is going in the wrong direction and he isn't hitting AAA pitching the way a prospect should (.309 OBP last year and .322 the year before).

Personally, I'd rather have Scutaro this year.  Scutaro can play some 2B, 3B, and SS (with varying degrees of success defensively) versus Marte being 3B only and they both will provide similar offense (Zips projects Marte at .239/.294/.408 with Scutaro at .254/.334/.359).

Speaking of intense, 20 team fantasy leagues, when is BBFL starting up?

McLeod is now at Dunedin:

- Pitchers and catchers must report by Saturday.

- BJ looks great, says his elbow feels fine, and could be ready to go by opening day.

- Jesse Litsch is early and looks "fit and trim".

- League, who's body is a "veritable sea of decorative ink," arrived early and is ready to prove his shoulder issues are a thing of the past. He is hoping he can reclaim his spot as Toronto's top setup men.

- "Normally gregarious" Gregg Zaun is not willing to speak about his role in the Mitchell Report.

- Roy Halladay on the additions of Rolen and Eckstein:

“I think there were times last year where there just wasn’t that sense of urgency, where things were kind of taken lightly,” Halladay said. “So that’s a huge difference for me. I think just those two presences are going to make a big difference.”

I'm hoping we'll finally start getting some real stories in the coming days and weeks - it's been ridiculously dull this winter at the team's official site and in the Globe. I'm still surprised neither venue could produce more stories based on actual conversations and interviews with players.

Ah, spring. Optimism is freshly renewed and doled out by the bucketload. Everyone's poop smells like roses.

Tom Lehrer said it best:

"Spring is here, a-suh-puh-ring is here
Life is skittles and life is beer
I think the loveliest time of the year
Is the spring, I do, don't you, of course you do"

I only started posting here late last season so I never really payed attention to it, but does Batter's Box fantasy league draft take place in person or online? Living in Ottawa I evidently couldn't get there in person, but I'd be interested in another fantasy team online. Also, is it a keeper league?

I also have interest in the box fantasy league.

Its an online draft and somewhat of a keeper. You keep 5 players each year, for a max 3 years. For more detail you can click the BBFL link at the top of the page

Macleod weighs in with the expanded Halladay interview here.  Perhaps a veiled jab at Towers exhibiting a lack of professionalism last year in this quote?

“We had a lot of guys [in the bullpen] last year who were kind of tired at the end of the year and I think B.J.'s not going to let that happen,” Halladay said. “Whether that's things that happen off the field or on the field, he does a great job of monitoring those guys and kind of helping them in the right direction.”

Just as a matter of maximizing depth, I'd sign any of these players who would agre to play in AAA if they didn't make the team:

Koskie (if he wants to try a comeback, he needs someone to give him a place to play and perhaps Santos could benifit from having a mentor) - might have to give him the option to opt out at a certain point if not promoted but that'd be fine too.

Patterson - only helps us if one of our regular has a huge injury but depth is good.

Jerome Williams - no one else has fixed him, we probably can't either, but he'd only be blocking Mikel Macdonald

Kim - so long as he doesn't think he's gonna start, we have nothing to lose in trying to recapture his magic as a reliever

Otsuka - sure you have to have a throwaway year but a deal like we signed Zambrano on couldn't hurt.

Perhaps a veiled jab at Towers exhibiting a lack of professionalism last year in this quote?

Unless he's actually confirming what Towers said about the team.

Speaking of intense, 20 team fantasy leagues, when is BBFL starting up?

Speaking of the BBFL ... the UPS truck came to my house yesterday, and I wondered what was being delivered because I haven't ordered anything. I opened the package and it's a t-shirt from Yahoo that has printed on the front: League Champ 2007, Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball. Ha!

That's right, my prize for winning the Barfield division last season has arrived! I'm so proud.

I was going to suggest printing our own BBFL Champ t-shirts until I did a "BBFL" search on Google and discovered that those initials also mean ... um ... other things. Yikes!

You just got your prize? I assume(d) mine was never coming after all this time (I won Carter Division). I had to have it sent to a friend in Pennsylvania, because for some reason the "contest" is void in New Jersey. I guess maybe there's still a chance I get it. Or that my friend absconds with it himself!