Breaking: Jays Release BJ Ryan

It’s official, the Jays have released their ex-closer, flushing $15M down the toilet with him—though it’s not like they weren’t flushing it the last two and a half years.

The news is per @MLBastian, though it’s broken everywhere now. Scott Downs has been activated from the DL and is available tonight.

“We thought that he was not going to be the pitcher that he was able to be for us,” said JP Ricciardi when speaking to Jeff Blair on the Fan 590’s Prime Time Sports this evening. “We thought that the player was not going to be able to help us in a role that could help the team win. At this point we thought it was best to let the player get on with his life.”

“The player was not happy,” he added. “The player really wanted to pitch more. I think that’s the competitor in him. Realistically, we just didn’t think we had a role that he could pitch in for us right now.”

With regard to the decision to swallow the $15M still owed to the Beej, Ricciardi told Blair: “We talked to Paul Beeston, and Paul understood—Paul was actually the one who went to Rogers with it, and he got the clearance with it. We obviously didn’t go into this lightly.”

Blair asked about the perception that some may have that, with this, coupled with the recent rumblings about listening to offers on Roy Halladay, the Jays are gearing up for a fire sale.

“We’re trying to make our club the best club we can be,” Ricciardi said. “In releasing BJ, obviously we’re trying to put the best players out there. As far as Roy Halladay goes, we have not traded Roy Halladay. We’re going to do what every team in baseball does, and listen to offers. This is the month where everybody talks.”

He added: “The only way we move Roy Halladay is if we’re absolutely, totally blown away by an offer and say this makes sense.”

Earlier in the day Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke with Ricciardi regarding the Halladay situation.

"We have kept him from free agency twice and I don't think we have the resources to keep him from free agency a third time, so I have to investigate what is out there," Ricciardi said—though he had earlier confirmed that the Jays are budgeted to afford all of the contracts under control until 2010. "But my gut feeling is no trade gets done because we value him as one of the five best players in the game, and I don't think people will meet the price tag for that kind of talent."

JP offered the following analogy: "Imagine you have a house worth $500,000 and weren't really interested in selling it, but someone offered $1.2 million. That would make you at least listen. So if someone is that motivated we will listen."

He also said that he would not allow any team a window to negotiate a contract extension with Halladay, if they were to actually consummate a deal, and that this was not initiated by Halladay.