As a "reward" for loyal fans and season ticket holders for a 75 win campaign, the Blue Jays organization is considering jacking up the price of single game tickets for next season according to the Globe & Mail.  In addition, the team is cutting back benefits for season ticket holders such as free plane trips to Dunedin next spring.  What's next?  Inviting dead players to try out before crossing them off the list?

He polled no votes at all. Not a sausage. Bugger all.

He didn't get a whole lot of love from the Baseball Writers Association of America but he gets some here in another installment of the Batter's Box POTD.

A hat tip to KaneCoKeith who alerted me that Dimaond Futures had begun ranking the farm systems of the major league teams with the Blue Jays.  Chad Jenkins is the top rated prospect.  In case you were wondering they didn't pick the Jays out of interest, Toronto is their 30th ranked minor league system.

And in other news Dick Scott has a new home.

To the surprise of (hopefully) no one, Zack Greinke has won the AL Cy Young.

The guys who are free agents who don't cost a draft pick, or more than the ML minimum, is out with over 500 names to choose from.  Can any help the Jays?

Congratulations to Andrew Bailey, winner of the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year award -- he probably shouldn't have won it, frankly, but the voters seem inclined to live by the mantra "when in doubt, give it to an Oakland Athletic" --he's the seventh Oaklander to win it since 1986. (The Jays have one in that time, the immortal Eric Hinske, and just one-and-a-half all-time total, to include 1979 co-winner Alfredo Griffin.)

That niffiness aside, I found myself thinking, "Bailey is a pretty common surname. I bet we could build a pretty good historical Hall of Names team of Baileys -- you know, call them the Irish Creams, the whole deal."

Boy, was I wrong ...

Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins may be pouring a cocktail or two today as he wins the National League Rookie of the Year award.

TSN.ca, via Jeff Blair of the Globe & Mail, says the Blue Jays have interest in Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips.  The same story also mentions the Red Sox are interested in Jays shortstop Marco Scutaro according to ESPN.com's Peter Gammons.

According to reports, Oakland A's relief pitcher Andrew Bailey is the American League Rookie of the Year, receiving 13 of 28 first-place votes and 88 points. Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus was the runner-up with 65 points, one ahead of Detroit Tigers RHSP Rick Porcello.

I think they got the top three right, but frankly, I would have gone Andrus-Porcello-Bailey or even Porcello-Andrus-Bailey. Your thoughts, noble Bauxites?

The wrist surgery for Vernon Wells went "well" (get it?) according to bluejays.com's Jordan Bastian.  The 30 year-old center fielder is expected to be ready for the start of spring training next year.

The Hardball Times rates outfielder Johermyn Chavez as the Jays best minor league prospect in its top 10 list.  The minor league crew at Batter's Box had Chavez at #12 in the top 30 list which you can check out here, here and here. 

The Jays Triple-A all-star representative gets the limelight in the world wide web phenomenon known as the Batter's Box POTD. ;D

Congratulations to second baseman Aaron Hill and designated hitter Adam Lind for winning Silver Slugger Awards for 2009 according to Jordan Bastian from bluejays.com.  A tip of the graphite Jays cap to Bauxite perlhack for the heads up.

The 2009 American League Gold Glove Awards have been "handed" out and are presented here entirely without comment from Batter's Box, as a means of inviting your comments and corrections, Bauxites around the world ...

The Jays have added first baseman/DH Brian Dopirak to the 40-man roster and also acquired utility man Mike McCoy off the waiver wire from the Colorado Rockies.