Selling low on Vlad isn’t way to go

Just wondering if you think the Jays would consider trading Vladimir Guerrero, with possibly another piece, to get a high-end starting pitcher? He is a liability in the field and Rowdy Tellez has shown to be a very capable first baseman. Don’t think he will ever live up to the hype. — Bob Untouchables do not really exist in baseball. There’s an asking price for everyone. Some guys just require such a big return trade talks involving them are just a waste of time. So, I would never rule it out, but it’s impossible to judge without knowing the package coming in return. Generally speaking, it’s not something I would consider. Guerrero still has a lot of value, but he would not net as much in return as he would have a year ago and organizations shouldn’t be in the business of selling low. I’ve said it before in this space and I’ll say it again: Guerrero might not have lived up to everyone’s expectations early on, but he’s only 21. Yes, there are examples of superstar players who are that young, but the list of guys who need more time to figure everything out is much longer. Are there any prevailing stories or positive developments coming out of the alternate camp site? As an outsider we don’t get much information , but it’s something I would love to hear more on. — Chris The reason you didn’t hear much about the alternate training site, which closed up shop this week, was because most journalists were in the dark too. There weren’t any baseball reporters on the ground in Rochester, N.Y. and even if there were, access to players and coaches would be limited. The best gauge of how useful the alternate training site was can be found in the performances of the guys who were promoted. Recent callups Kirk and Patrick Murphy made immediate impacts, outfielder Jonathan Davis had success and infielder Santiago Espinal made a quick adjustment. Clearly the Jays are doing something right. Do you think the Blue Jays making the playoffs would be a positive? While I don’t think playoff experience would be a negative for any young team, we’ve really not seen much lately in their game to think that such a playoff push would boost confidence — especially given the fact that the team’s play has brought about discussion of the mercy rule. — Clinton It remains to be seen how these young players will benefit, but it can’t hurt. The atmosphere will be different this year without the big crowds, but the pressure will be similar. Getting a taste of what it takes to succeed when the lights are the brightest should be a learning experience that players grow from. I suppose there is a risk of someone having a Bill Buckner moment, but most of this is all upside. Do you not think it would have been better to get one good third baseman or another topline starter? Daniel Vogelbach was a disaster, Jonathan Villar is below average. Your thoughts? — Arnon Sure, but that’s easier said than done. Just look at what happened in Atlanta with former Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. The Braves are a much better team than the Jays, but they desperately needed starting pitching and couldn’t find any.