Winter Meetings Day One

Before I start this little roundup of what's going on with the Jays at baseball's winter meetings, I would first like to say that it's horseshit that someone didn't have the idea to send us down there on a gonzo mission and pay for us to get loaded while we covered the event. I mean, Jesus people. Do we have to think of everything?

And I'm not saying that (entirely) as a freeloader. There's no way some of the hacks down there would sell more papers than us. Am I wrong?

Anyhow, as far as we could tell, for weeks the biggest splash the Jays had intended to make during the meetings was the unveiling of the badass new retro uniforms we've got pictured above (and some shitty other ones we'll spare you from). But, at least according to the Globe's Blair and the Fan590's Wilner, there are actually some interesting talks going on.

First though, I guess I should formally note that Ty Taubenheim has been claimed by Pittsburgh after he was removed from the 40-man because, according to Wilner, the Jays are interested in a couple of players in the Rule 5 draft. I always thought it would be Towers living the dream with the mighty Pirates, but I guess ol' Joshy got screwed again.

What They're Saying...
Wilner tells us that the Jays "spent most of today brainstorming among themselves, trying to think of ways to make trades, perhaps even a blockbuster." Blair concurs, noting that they are "in the words of one high-ranking executive, 'sending out signals that they're going to be aggressive and creative.'"

Boner! As much as the idea of change for the sake of change sounds like something Ricciardi would do because he's feeling the lack of enthusiasm for staying the course among the fanbase, fuckin' eh! I'm all for change for the sake of change. And it's not that I think the Jays are completely desperate for it or anything, but they could certainly balance their lineup a little better, or add a little speed. I like that they're at least thinking that way.

Wilner also notes that the Jays were in on Troy Percival, but wouldn't give an extra year, which-- if I read his double-negative correctly-- he says has more to do with wanting Janssen in the rotation than being worried about Accardo or Ryan's long-term health.

He also says that, as we know, they're thinking of Matt Clement. He also says he got a "very non-denially denial" on JP's interest in Kenny Lofton-- who would look great at the top of the lineup, but with Stairs and (we're told) Johnson in place, doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Unless... something happens with Rios, which has at least been tossed around according to Blair.

It's hard to imagine those talks getting very far, but there are some halfway decent scenarios being proposed. Or at least one.

Blair tells us that Rios's name has been linked to the Giants for either Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain-- a pair of young starters. I imagine that in the real world this barely even qualifies as a rumour, but when you think about it, it does sort of work on a number of levels. Delmon Young may be farther from free agency than Rios, but he's hardly as proven, and he netted an excellent young pitcher in Matt Garza. And as much as Alex was easily the Jays' MVP last season, outfield would be the easiest place for them to shuffle the deck, especially with Wells, Johnson, Stairs and Lind already in the fold (plus enough young pitching in place to net a decent replacement).

I'm not saying I think they should do it, but Cain genuinely is a serious pitcher. You have to at least think about that. Then again, Blair also says "there is some suggestion the Giants would be interested as well in Troy Glaus, and the Blue Jays would be willing to broaden the deal by including minor-league pitching prospects or perhaps Adam Lind."

Now you're talking! But... uh... there's no way Sabean is going to let Ricciardi fuck him in the ass like that a second time, is there?

Blair also talks about the possibility of the Jays bringing in a big time Canadian; an idea which has long been championed by Paul Godfrey as an excellent marketing tool, because... y'know... having Larry Walker all those years really helped the Expos.

Still, Jason Bay and (especially) Eric Bedard would be pretty great additions to the team.

Thing is, the Jays have more than enough right-handed outfielders, so I would wager that Bay doesn't fit on that alone. And most of the Bedard talk centres around AJ Burnett, which makes zero sense-- except that Bedard is from Ontario and Burnett's wife (in case you forgot from hearing it a billion times two winters ago) is from Maryland.

Most observers have been saying that the O's are trying to offload salary. In fact, I've heard rumours (which I don't entirely believe) that Miguel Tejada could be the Mike Lowell of any Bedard deal, just because the O's want his roided up salary off their books. So why they'd suddenly take on the pricey Burnett is beyond me.

My Non-Jays Note for the Day
I had Dmitri Young for a few years in my fantasy pool, before I dropped him as he imploded during his last season in Detroit. So, basically I've been following him for quite a while. It would be pretty cliche to spew out some bullshit like "nobody wanted to see him turn his career around more than I did", especially because I'm really fucking sure a lot of people wanted to see him turn his career around way more than I did. But all the same, Dmitri Young is fucking awesome, and it's pretty amazing to see that the Nationals trust him enough to mentor Lastings Milledge-- who they stole from the Mets last week-- and Elijah Dukes, who came from Tampa today for minor league pitcher Glenn Gibson.

This is either going to work out amazingly well for the Nats (who, it turns out, I have a soft spot for on account of their being the former Expos), or it's going to fail spectacularly. Both Dukes and Milledge have incredible talent, but have been held back by so far either being crazy or assholes. And if there's anybody who knows a thing or two about that little grey area, it's Dmitri. (I joke, but I really do want to see them all fucking nail it.)

My Second Non-Jays Thought of the Day
Cans of beer are really easy to drink. Not tall-boys so much, but the regular sized cans. Where the fuck do they all go?