Well, after a quick glance I'd definitely give Jerry Owens a call.  Perfect 4th Outfielder with decent CF defense and Speed.  Tim Raines JR. might be a plan B for the same reasons.

Vance Wilson I'd look into as a C.  Not great, but he has some experience which we're seriously lacking right now.

Jorge Julio has some upside too as a power, late inning guy if he can ever get his head straight. Maybe Arensberg can... Oh, wait.

Dallas MacPherson had serious power back in the day and I always welcome adding that attribute to our system. But admittedly I have no idea what he's doing now.

And I hear this Russ Adams could be a solution at SS.  He's so good that a team actually passed on Troy Tulowitzky for him back in the day.

Ryan Shealy is someone I wouldn't mind the Jays taking a flyer on, but they have Dopirak and Ruiz.

Bobby Scales would be some good depth at 3B.

I'd give Danny Ardoin and JR House a look as catcher because we know they can do SOMETHING, even if neither is likely to be a  regular ML catcher.

Owens or Toronto's own Coats could be a usable fourth OF, and Brian Buscher is likely going to get a shot somewhere because he hits.

but if you think that John-Ford Griffin and Gustavo Chacin are interesting names you probably need a second hobby. 

May I know why?

If this is the case, why don't most minor-league free agents re-sign with the teams that let them go? After all, they presumably wanted to play in that city (in most cases unless this is their first crack at free agency) and, since you've declared there's no way to legitimately determine who is going to be good and who isn't going to be good next year, why don't teams just stick with the names they know?

And a lot don't. To take Josh Phelps, since you raised him, he's spent the last four years with PIT-DET-STL-SFG. That looks to me like someone looking for an opportunity and not someone signing in places because one year he wants to play in Toledo and then because he knows the Cards Assistant Director of Scouting.

Obviously there is a lot of luck involved in happening to sign a guy when he puts together a great minor league season and obviously great teams won't hit on these players as often as the Padres, as their roster is weaker and has more holes. But to pretend there is no way of improving your roster through minor league FAs and that any successful signings are due to luck is disingenuous.

Three years ago you can't tell me that you'd have looked at Jack Cust, Nick Gorneault and Mike Colangelo and tell me the odds were evenly split about who would be most likely to get 1,500 plate appearances from 2007-2009.

Obviously it takes two to tango.  Josh Phelps isn't good enough to pick where he plays.  That's why he was stinking the joint out in Norwich at the end of the year.  The good AAA players who can help a team win the International League certainly balance the opportunity they will get to move up with what city and organization they are playing in. 

Josh Phelps signed with San Francisco because he thought they had a chance to get back to the majors with them?  Please, when you are 32 and in AA you are just putting off finding a real job. 

If my tone is deaf then what is the tone of the internet writers who constantly act as though they are smarter then the average GM yet somehow think that Ben Davis throwing 10 good innings in the Carolina League when he's 32 means that he's somehow 'interesting'.  Some of these sites are written with a look how smart I am angle that I'm growing tired of.

Everyone with a pulse gets that freely available talent exists, trying to pretend that because you have access to baseball-reference makes you qualified to figure out what 33 year old journeyman is going to have a good month in Pittsburgh next year so you can tell us I told you so is getting old.

1. See if any players are out there who could be useful spare parts
2. Find out which ex-Jays (or near Jays) are now either still kicking or free to a good home
3. See if any gems are sitting out there no one else here has heard of (with over 500 names it is a looooong list)

The ripple effect of 7-man bullpens is that a guy like Phelps get squeezed out of major league opportunities. And within the context of today's roster construction (which of course is itself worthy of debate), I can't see that a team could easily carry a Phelps.

He brings nothing to table defensively. He can play 1B , where he is lousy. So he offers nothing in the way of versatility.

He doesn't have the cachet (and utility) of being a LHB so would not be seen as a viable fulltime PH in the NL. Do such beasts even still exist, the Lenny Harris/Mark Sweeney types? (I imagine that RHBs like Ruiz and Dopirak are also climbing a steep hill, where major league opportunity is concerned, because of their handedness. And perhaps this is justifiable to large degree.)

Despite a fairly flat career L/R OPS split of 859/790, Phelps would probably be seen as nothing more than a RHB to face LHP, either in a platoon at 1B or DH. Twenty years ago, he could have John Wockenfuss's career. Or platooned with Terry Crowley for Earl Weaver. Today, he just didn't bring enough to the table.

Yes, I think that Phelps evaluated whatever offers he received in terms of his opportunity to play in the majors. That being said, I doubt he had many, because he's never going to play in the majors again for many of the reasons listed in the post above. But, I do think the good "AAA" players sign, in large part, where they think the best opportunities will be presented. The chance of two months of major league salary is more important than playing in Fresno or Toledo for most of them.

I agree it's often, in large parts, determined by luck. That being said, if you want to pretend that Jack Cust and Nick Gorneault have the same chance at major league success or that Donnie Murphy or JJ Furmaniak and Rocky Cherry or Chris Michalak have the same odds, go ahead.

Phelps could've had that role, and if the Jays wanted to they could sign him to a AAA deal and have him as a backup to Ruiz as the RH part of it (assuming the Jays go cheap here of course and don't trade for/sign someone more expensive).

Phelps is similar to Ruiz with an exception: he is a former Jays' farmhand, which can be a managerial advantage to the Jays if he is signed. Given that the negligibly potential offers (based on discussion from previous posts) from other AAA teams or overseas (Japan, I recall Dan Johnson and Kevin Mench were signed to teams in Japan.) , Josh Phelps may not be in AAA Vegas. To mimic the Ruiz-Snider-Dopirak trio that was crucial to the 11 wins in 13 games strectch, I think having a lefthanded power bat (reprising Sinider) is important, the reason I recommended signing Paul McAnulty.

Personally, I don't mind signing Phelps, having three or four power bats (Dopirak reprising the Ruiz' role of last year, a rebounded Arencibia in Dopirak's of last year, either one of Jarrett Huffpauir, McAnulty (if signed), Phelps (if signed) as last year's Snider.)  shall be excellent to keep the offense going for AAA next season. By the way, what kept AAA at the basement of PCL was pitching, which injuries in Jay's bullpen contributed to.

it seems that the Jays simply won't promote career minor league position players - Ruiz had to absolutely smash the ball to earn a shot with a weak squad, and then play well in the opportunities he did get, to earn his status as a potential bench player for next year.

Agree. Over the years of J.P.'s tenure, minor league batters who are not categoried as highly regarded prospects don't have much chance to play for Jays. Recalling, 1B Kevin Barker (last year with the Reds), OF Matt Watson (he was the bright spot of Syracuse lineup during last year of Jays AAA contract.)

I'm guessing if any minor league free agents gets a lucky break next year, it'll be a pitcher.

Is this phenomenon rooted in Jays' managerial philosophy.

You'll struggle to find a position player out there who has a realistic chance to be anything other than a part-timer.

May I know why?

If they need a backup I have a soft spot for Sal Fasano or Torontonian John Suomi.

I have a soft spot for former Jays' players Erik Kratz and David Smith. Kratz sort of broke out in attending the AAA all-star game and got the all-star game MVP for the international league.