With 2014 done, Blue Jays left to retool yet again
Anthopoulos ‘very’ confident in ownership
• With significant salaries coming off the books, Alex Anthopoulos says he is “excited” to start repair work on his Toronto Blue Jays through potential trades and free-agent signings.
In his annual review-preview session with reporters, the Jays general manager identified the bullpen as a key area for upgrade, gave manager John Gibbons a vote of confidence and tried to shoot down the popular view that Rogers Communications is a tight-fisted owner when it comes to the team payroll.
Anthopoulos was short on specifics, as usual, but did his best to create the impression that the Jays boast a strong nucleus for playoff contention in 2015 and that he will be active in the off-season in pursuit of upgrades.
He insisted the club will be competitive in the free-agent market, but reiterated that the Jays will stick to their five-year limit on contract length, which will knock them out of the bidding for the top players.
“I expect us to continue to try to build and add and put a World Series team on the field,” he said during a 50-minute session before the Jays played their season finale against the Baltimore Orioles.
Asked whether payroll constraints would permit the Jays to add big-ticket players if the right deal presented itself, Anthopoulos — as always — said he is “very” confident Rogers would make funds available.
The Jays will lose outfielder Colby Rasmus (US$7-million) to free agency and risk losing outfielder Melky Cabrera ($US8-million) as well, although Anthopoulos insisted he wants to bring Cabrera back and said he believes Cabrera is interested in returning.
They are also unlikely to exercise their US$10-million option on pitcher Brandon Morrow, who made $US8-million this year.
They must make decisions on the options of first baseman-DH Adam Lind (US$7.5-million for next year with a US$1-million buyout) and pitcher Dustin McGowan ($US4-million option, US$500,000 buyout.)
The Jays ended the year at a record of 83-79 after sitting in first place, 14 games over .500, in early June.
In some quarters, the Jays face significant obstacles as they try to lure top free agents to Toronto, including a legacy of losing, tight payroll limits and artificial turf that wears down players’ bodies and contributes to back and leg injuries.
To a question about the “perception” of Toronto across the baseball world, Anthopoulos replied this way: “The perception out there is that we’ve got a roster of very talented players, that Toronto’s an unbelievable place to play, that we’re close [to contention] and that we have a healthy payroll and great commitment from ownership, so it’s a great perception. I can’t say that was there 10 years ago.”
The Jays’ opening-day payroll was about US$135-million, 10th highest in the majors.
Other key points in the GM’s end-of-season Q & A: ❚Brett Lawrie, who was injured much of the season, will be the third baseman next year — unless the Jays can acquire a reliable third baseman, in which case Lawrie would move to second. Anthopoulos sees Lawrie shoring up the left side of the infield, where shortstop Jose Reyes has shown declining range this year. ❚Reyes has been bothered by nagging leg injuries for much of the season, but has insisted on playing every day. Next year, the Jays should rest him more often, a plan made easier to implement if they have a good backup shortstop, Anthopoulos said. ❚Expect significant turnover in the bullpen. Last year’s relief corps surprised management by ranking fourth in the American League in ERA (3.37). This year it was expected to be a strength. It ranked 12th (4.11 ERA.) ❚Rookie Aaron Sanchez, who was solid out of the bullpen this year, will compete for a starting job in spring training. Anthopoulos acknowledged that he and his aides have engaged in considerable debate about whether Sanchez would be more valuable as a starter or reliever next year. Off-season roster moves and spring results will influence the decision. Sanchez prefers to start. ❚Anthony Gose could replace Rasmus as the starting centrefielder, even if he continues to struggle on offence, because the rest of the lineup should be able to compensate for that weakness, Anthopoulos said. Asked if the Jays can afford to start two weak hitters — defensive whiz Ryan Goins has been the regular at second base this month — the GM equivocated, but ultimately seemed to say no. In short, the Jays will be looking for a second baseman, whether Lawrie or someone else. ❚The GM was asked whether he would hire Gibbons if he had a managerial opening for next season. “Yes,” Anthopoulos replied.