Spencer Fordin of MLB.com has reported that the Jays have signed Scott Downs to a minor league deal. Expos fans will remember Downs as the guy they got from the Cubs in the Rondell White trade.

Downs will likely be a candidate for the #5 spot in the rotation.

Remember the old, time-honoured tradition of slowly building a team up, from bad to less bad to mediocre to pretty good to great? Remember the Success Cycle, and how every team eventually finds itself on a wheel that spins from good to bad and back (hopefully, anyway) to good again? That tradition might always have been as much myth as reality in the free-agent era. But over the last couple of off-seasons, a few teams have been doing their level best to blow the entire legend to smithereens.

Sexson and Beltre to the Mariners? Pedro to the Mets? Gizzi to the Expos? (Hey, it could happen in an insane world, which we apparently inhabit, baseball-wise.) Millions and millions and millions of guaranteed dollars? What in tarnation? OK, the Mariners will be better next year, but good enough to topple the Angels? Or the A's? Or even the Rangers?

These topics, and other free agent phenomena, have been discussed on various threads, and here is yet one more various thread to ... erm ... discuss them. So ... ahem ... discuss.

Espn.com reports that Tom (Nasty) Mastny was sent to Cleveland to complete the trade for John McDonald.

It's a minor trade- a 23 year old pitcher who has just completed a successful year in the Sally League for a good glove, no hit shortstop. Digging a little deeper though, the trade seems to suggest to me that the Moneyball label does not always belong on these Jays, and sometimes could equally well be placed on the Indians.

Post 'em if you got 'em!

So Jays fans, in your memories, will you always have Parris? (The spelling's a bit off, true.) Does Cleveland rock? Do you enjoy a Boston marathon? Fly South to see Lima? Does Houston have a problem? Many ballplayers have or had place names as first or last names. Which leads to today's ....

Question of the Day: Who can we get to fill out the roster of an All-Geography Hall of Names team? Alternate spellings are fine, but see if you can't somehow fill out a separate team for first and last names. Here are some starter suggestions ...

When frequent Box reader and occasional poster Dan Julien mentioned this paper in the Roundup the other day, I asked him to share it. Part of a research project in his Quantitative Analysis course at Brock University, it considers the effect of a free agent’s departure on fan attendance, specifically Carlos Delgado from Toronto.

Coach had a great idea earlier, leading to today's ...

Question/Challenge of the Day: Create an ad campaign or a single commercial -- print, TV, online, don't matter, just tell us which -- for the 2005 Blue Jays featuring Corey Koskie. Canadian Hot Corner Star.

Finally, someone let me out of my cage
Now, time for me is nothing, 'cause I'm counting no age
Now I couldn't be there
Now you shouldn't be scared
I'm good at repairs
And I'm under each snare
Intangible

So long, Anaheim. Hello, Rogers Skydome and press conference to introduce Corey Koskie this afternoon. Paging Matt Clement....

As the Hot Stove League has brought the departure of one Carlos' (Delgado's) palo de beisbol grande and brief rumours of it being replaced by another Carlos' big bat (Lee, now of the Brewers), and the past season saw the dismissal of still another Carlos from Toronto's own managerial hot seat, it brings to mind the possibilities of an All-Carlos team. Here's one very quick take; can you do better?

The Rule 5 Draft should be getting underway anytime now, and this thread will be the keeper of rumours and results. To tide you over till the draft reports start coming in, check out:

Plenty of arms available in Rule 5 draft (MLB.com)

Rule 5 Draft Preview (Baseball America)

Pinch-hit Rule 5 preview (Batter's Bauxite Marc)

It's Rule 5 draft day, and so today's question concerns prospects. Which minor league player that you saw (or studied for fantasy league purposes) surprised you the most, positively or negatively, when he arrived in the Show?

Mine are Pete Incaviglia and Rusty Greer.

There's a picture opposite me of my primitive ancestry
Who stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck-free
Though I respect that a lot, I'd be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts

Pending the physical, it appears we can say welcome to Toronto, Corey Koskie.

Amidst all the excitement over the newest Blue Jay, pitcher Chad Gaudin, we oughtn't forget the pleasures brought to us by the man traded for him, Kevin Cash.

Good friend of the Box Spencer Fordin has reported that Tom Cheek was one of three broadcasters added to the 10-person Frick Award ballot, along with Dave Niehaus and Ron Santo. Make sure to check out the article!