Decision day is fast approaching for the Blue Jays. Today the biggest question was answered, Aaron Sanchez was named the number five starter. Gavin Floyd and Jesse Chavez will be in the bullpen and Drew Hutchison has been optioned to Buffalo. For Sanchez, his hard work over the winter paid off with his selection. For Hutchison, his hard work over the winter did not pay off as he has been dispatched. The Hutchison decision shows that spring training often does not change pre-conceived ideas. Since January everyone has been talking about Hutch heading to Buffalo but he came into camp and pitched very well. Credit to him but it changed nothing. It is reassuring that there is a good sixth starter in Buffalo when the need arrives.

The stories out of Florida suggest that Gibbons wanted Sanchez in the rotation. Presumably Floyd's previous employers, Atkins and Shapiro, were on the other side of the discussion. Sanchez will not be a starter for a full 32 starts, he will have to go to the bullpen at some stage if he remains uninjured.

There ain't room in this town for the three of us...

Giddy up.

The old thread is getting a bit long in the tooth now, so lets start with a clean slate.

Is what Edwin Encarnacion did last August the best month by a hitter in Blue Jays history?

As you might recall, Encarnacion hit .407 with 11 HR and 35 RBI; his OnBase was .460 and he slugged .919 - that's an OPS of 1.379, and I found it hard to imagine anyone being any better than that. But I didn't actually know, I wanted to find out, and I only knew one way to do that.

This time it's for real.

It was time.

I finally got my copy of the Old Testament - the Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2016. Let's delve into the chapter on the Blue Jays, shall we?


Anthony Alford leaped 17 spots from last year to snare Baseball America's #1 prospect ranking in the Blue Jays system. (Image from Toronto Star)

It's spring training. Michael Saunders hit two home runs and Darwin Barney drove in five runs in a game, which is really fantastic!

Except....

... you know.

When the trees gain colour as they sway in the breeze
When slivers of grass poke out from a trodden cold mud

It's not that Corey Hart or that Corey Hart but Hart is among the three new additions to fill out the minor league coaching staffs which will see new skippers in Lansing and Vancouver for 2016.



John Schneider - with Juan Kelly at third base during a June 27 game in Vancouver - has a change of address for 2016.

Well then.

There's really not a whole lot happening...

Tonight season ticket holders and other invitees will be at the Rogers Centre for the annual state of the franchise event which has been re-branded as "The Leadoff". Expect Mark Shapiro, Ross Atkins and John Gibbons to speak. In previous years the front office would answer some carefully selected and preapproved questions. I expect many of the questions this year will be about whether the Jays will re-sign Jose Bautista and EE. And the answer will be we would like to but it takes two sides to make a deal and we won't break the bank for any player, or words to that effect. I also expect some questions around the roles for Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna this year. I don;t feel confident we will get a straight answer to that.

The Vancouver Canadians and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to extend their Player Development Contract for two more seasons.


The Vancouver Canadians flag will continue to fly under the Toronto Blue Jays banner for 2016, 2017 and 2018.