Kuzul

It was one of the more disappointing seasons in recent memory for the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans.

While they tried to make a long-shot run at the National League’s second wild-card spot late in the season, their sluggish start to the season was just too much to overcome.

The Phillies did manage to fight their way back to finish with a respectable 81-81 regular season record, but missed the playoffs despite having one of the biggest payrolls in major league baseball.

Phillies fans need not worry, however.

They still have key contributors like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon all signed through at least next season.

With a core of players that are still capable of winning in place, bringing in Nick Swisher seems like a no-brainer.

Not only because Swisher is one of the better bats on the free-agent market to be signed, but also because the Phillies could use some outfielders right now. After all, they did ship Shane Victorino off to Los Angeles and Hunter Pence to San Francisco after it became apparent that they weren’t going to be contenders this year.

Even Juan Pierre, who had a terrific season for Philadelphia, leading the team in stolen bases with 37, hits free agency this offseason.

It’s understandable that some Phillies fans may be weary of taking on another big contract for the foreseeable future, but Swisher would help fill one of those outfield spots and has been consistent at the plate over the course of his career.

Sure, he won’t hit .300, but Swisher would bring both power and the ability to reach base to the table.

Swisher hasn’t failed to reach the 20-home-run plateau in any of his eight full major league seasons and is an absolute walk machine. In fact, he’s had an OBP over .350 in all but two of his eight full seasons, despite never hitting .300 in a single season.

The Phillies will still need some sort of table-setter atop their lineup and some bullpen help, but Nick Swisher should be high on their priority list as free agency kicks off.

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It’s official.

In one of the least surprising moves of the offseason, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim declined starter Dan Haren’s option for the 2013 season.

Haren was set to make a whopping $15.5 million this upcoming season, but a major drop in his performance in 2012 led the Angels to pass on the 32-year-old veteran. This presents a perfect opportunity for Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays to make a move for a pitcher who could still put up some impressive numbers.

While this past season’s 4.33 ERA and 1.29 WHIP are disconcerting, they appear to be a fluke of a season more so than a natural decline in production. For instance, since the 2005 season, Haren had never pitched less than 216.0 innings in a single season.Yet, this year, Haren threw less than 180.0 innings. And since 2007, he’d also never posted an ERA over 3.91. But this season, it jumped to 4.33.

These radical shifts in statistics don’t indicate a steady decline in performance so much as an off year. This is why he’d be a great option for the Jays.

Should they go out and give him $15.5 million?

Of course not.

A four-year deal worth about $10.5 million per season wouldn’t be unacceptable, though.

Think about it.

This is a guy who will consistently eat up over 215 innings a season and who rarely posts an ERA over 3.50. In fact, the season he posted that 3.91 ERA was the year he was moved to the Angels. Following that trade, he posted a sparkling 2.87 ERA and decent 1.16 WHIP in 14 starts.

In 2011 (his first full season in Anaheim), Haren started 34 games—one shy of his career high. That season, he won 16 games, threw for a career-high 238.1 innings, had an incredible 3.17 ERA and had a very respectable 1.02 WHIP. He also struck out 192 hitters, only issued 33 non-intentional walks and threw four complete games.

This was just a season ago.

Sure, Haren’s performance in 2012 may have scared off some teams around the league. But this is a guy who is one season removed for a career year and has been consistently successful over the course of his career.

In a year in which the Jays won’t have many options on the free-agent market with regards to starting pitching, Haren may be Toronto’s best chance to acquire a top-of-the-rotation arm without having to deal away any prospects.

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It’s been a hot topic in Toronto for a while now—Josh Hamilton joining the Toronto Blue Jays.

Early on, I was among those who was laughing thinking, “No way, there’s no chance that the Jays can pick this guy up.”

It just seemed unlikely that the Jays could outbid all other teams for his services.

Not to mention, paying exorbitant amounts of money for a free agent hasn’t been Alex Anthopoulos‘ modus operandi since he took over for J.P. Ricciardi.

Logic, however, coupled with the statements of Anthopoulos at his season wrap-up press conference have changed my mind.

Not only may Josh Hamilton be a target for the Toronto Blue Jays, but there is a real possibility that they could land the slugger.

After three consecutive seasons of reaching the playoffs (two of those going all the way to the World Series) only to be ousted in heartbreaking fashion, it’s possible that Hamilton is looking to start fresh with a new team.

Where better than Toronto?

I mean the money’s there, so that shouldn’t be an issue for Hamilton.

Not to mention, he’d be protected by two of the American League’s best power bats of the last few years in Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. And the Jays would be competitors for a playoff spot with him in the lineup.

Furthermore, this move would make sense from the standpoint of the Blue Jays.

Imagine Bautista re-aggravates his wrist. Or he has problems getting his swing back that last well into the regular season thanks to this season’s injury.

Having Hamilton and Encarnacion would help alleviate some of the pressure on Bautista and would give the Jays peace of mind knowing that his slow start wouldn’t be as costly.

Now, for those of you thinking, “Enough with the bats! The Jays need pitching!”

You’re not wrong. The Jays do need pitching. Even with a bounce back year, Romero doesn’t have the stuff to be a true ace, while Morrow is injured far too often to be a reliable No. 1 starter.

Unfortunately, free agency isn’t exactly the road to take this offseason when it comes to pitching.

The top pitchers on the market are probably going to stay put (whether it be through contract options or their teams paying them ridiculous amounts of money to stick around, like Hiroki Kuroda of the Yankees or Zack Greinke of the Angels).

At this point the likely targets for the Jays are Edwin Jackson and Colby Lewis.

Even those two will probably have the chance to re-sign with their teams who both made the postseason in 2012.

Right now, it might be best to turn to the trade market for an arm (think the Cubs and Matt Garza, or the Marlins and Josh Johnson) and spend the money on a third big bat like Josh Hamilton.

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Pinch yourselves all you want Blue Jays fans, you’re not dreaming.

Another starter seems ready to hit the disabled list.

With the Jays already having lost Brandon Morrow in the first inning of his Monday night start against the Washington Nationals with a left oblique strain, and Kyle Drabek, who was forced to leave in the fifth inning of his Wednesday start, also against the Nationals with torn ligaments in his right arm (both were also subsequently placed on the DL), the injury bug has bitten the Blue Jays starting rotation yet again.

The latest victim is the young right-hander Drew Hutchison, who was forced to exit in the first inning of his Friday night start, citing elbow soreness as the primary reason.

While the Jays will not know more about the severity of the injury to Hutchison, or how long he may be out, it goes without saying that if Drew Hutchison were to hit the DL, Toronto’s hopes of making the 2012 postseason would be all but dashed.

With Brett Cecil set to make his first start of the season Sunday and Kyle Drabek’s replacement yet to be determined, trying to find a third replacement starter adds to an already complicated situation for Blue Jays management (at this point, it seems like the two most likely candidates would be Jesse Chavez, currently playing with the Las Vegas 51s, and Carlos Villanueva, currently pitching out of the bullpen for the Jays).

What’s worse for Toronto is that it finally seemed as though the 21-year-old starter was finally starting to come around.

Over the last month, Hutchison had been one of Toronto’s top starters and posted a 4-1 record with an ERA under 3.00 over a five-game span, which helped him recover from a rather disastrous start to his major league career (he had an ERA over 6.50 in his first four career starts).

To lose a pitcher who had found his groove at that age should be a major cause for concern for the Blue Jays and their fans alike.

Forget the momentum of his current stretch being lost (though his last outing in Atlanta may also have been a momentum-stopping performance as well), it’s time to think about the long-term ramifications of this potential injury.

While I don’t want to jump to the worst possible conclusion before all the details of his injury are disclosed, if he were to land on the DL for a long stretch, one would have to think that this injury could change the course of the youngsters career (stunted development, intensive rehab, possible velocity issues, etc).

Naturally, we’re all hoping that Drew’s injury isn’t too serious and that he won’t miss more than a start or two (especially when you take into account that this kid has worked his way up from being a ninth round pick, to being a Top 10 prospect, all the way into a major league team’s starting rotation in a matter of three years).

It seems fitting though that the Jays will probably not reveal who Hutchison’s replacement will be until a day or two before the game is set to take place, seeing as that’s the exact same way Hutchison himself found out that he’d be making his major league debut.

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Last month, I decided to begin a series that would follow the Toronto Blue Jays‘ top prospects on their journey through the 2012 professional baseball season.

Since it’s about two months into the minor league season, it’s time to take our second look at how each of the Blue Jays’ top youngsters are faring in the minors.

This month’s edition of the Blue Jays prospects report will vary slightly from last month’s version.

First off, we will be looking at the top 20 prospects, as opposed to just the top 10.

Secondly, I will be basing the rankings off of MLB.com’s list of top Blue Jays prospects, instead of Baseball America’s top 10 list.

Let me reiterate, these are not my personal rankings, and if players’ positions shift from last month it is due to the difference of opinion between MLB.com and Baseball America, not me changing where a given prospect is ranked.

Now let’s take a look at how the Jays future stars are looking in 2012.

Note: Stats are current through June 7th, 2012

Begin Slideshow

After splitting a lengthy four-game series in Anaheim against the Angels, the Blue Jays will jet off to Oakland to continue their 10-game road trip (which will wrap up this weekend in Minnesota).

The Jays will head into tonight’s series opener with a record of 16-13, while the A’s are 15-14.

These two seem to be following a similar script through 29 games. They are separated by only one game in the standings, and both are relying on some solid pitching to propel them to winning records.

One key to coming out on top in this series will be to ensure that the Jays’ bats are able to produce and provide some support for the top-of-the-rotation arms in Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow.

If one was to take a look at the team stats of these two clubs head-to-head, it’s likely they would give the edge to Toronto.

Pitching wise, Oakland is 11th in team ERA and quality starts and 13th in batting average against. The Blue Jays aren’t far behind, ranking 15th in team ERA, 19th in quality starts and the 10th best batting average against in baseball.

Offensively, the Jays are 21st in team batting average, while the Athletics are dead last. The Jays have scored 138 runs, to the A’s 97, putting placing them 19 spots ahead of Oakland.

With the A’s throwing out tough starters Brandon McCarthy and Jarrod Parker, baseball’s seventh-best run-producing team will have to bring their “A” game over the next few nights.

The other key to beating Oakland will be to have strong performances from the bullpen. Already having blown six saves this season, the Jays can ill afford to have poor relief appearances against one of baseball’s stingiest pitching teams.

Stat To Watch: Average with runners in scoring position.

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The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a fine start to their 2012 regular season.

Sitting third in the division with a 15-11 record through 26 games, the Jays have been impressive through April and early May.

But does the current roster have enough starting pitching to compete all season long? Probably not. The Jays have a rotation stacked with young pitchers who have an incredibly high ceiling, but they don’t have a legitimate fifth starter at the moment.

If Toronto is to compete for one of the five American League playoff spots through the dog days of summer, it is more than likely that GM Alex Anthopolous will need to go out and acquire another starting pitcher.

Let’s take a look at what teams may be willing to make a deal with the Blue Jays down the stretch.

Milwaukee Brewers

While the Brewers may not have been looking to make any moves this early, the recent injury to their starting first baseman Mat Gamel means the Brewers could be looking to make a deal to fill that void.

Enter Adam Lind.

While some Jays fans may be growing impatient with Lind, it is undeniable that a 28-year-old left-handed first baseman, who has put up an average of 28 home runs and 91 RBI over the last three seasons, has some value.

While it’s almost certain that the Brewers won’t be willing to part with either Zack Greinke or Yovani Gallardo, it isn’t out of the question that the Jays could net former Blue Jay Shaun Marcum in return for Adam Lind and a mid-level prospect.

San Francisco Giants

It’s no secret that the Giants have a starting rotation as deep as any around baseball. With the likes of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, young phenom Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito, the Giants are definitely deep when it comes to starting pitching.

It isn’t likely, however, that they’d be willing to deal away Lincecum, Cain or Bumgarner, and unless the Giants are willing to eat a large portion of Barry Zito’s contract, I can’t see Alex Anthopolous making an effort to acquire the veteran left-hander.

This leaves Ryan Vogelsong.

Vogelsong is a 34-year-old right-hander who struggled early in his career when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. But he has since settled down in San Francisco. Last season, Vogelsong threw 179.2 innings over 28 starts, posting a 2.71 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and striking out 139 batters.

So far this season, he’s got a respectable 3.42 ERA through four starts.

He’s the type of veteran bottom-of-the-rotation kind of pitcher the Jays need. As long as the asking price isn’t too high, this would be a great move for Alex Anthopolous to make going forward. 

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are another good match for the Jays. They are currently in rebuilding mode and may be looking to deal a starter like Ryan Dempster.

Besides an atrocious start to last season, Dempster has proven to be a consistent starter for last four seasons.

A Canadian boy who is oozing with experience and is currently on fire is just what the doctor ordered for a young Jays rotation that is still in need of a middle- to bottom-of-the-rotation guy.

The Jays also have just what the Cubs need: pitching and outfield prospects. Other than Brett Jackson (who is having his own troubles at Triple-A Iowa), the Cubs don’t have many outfielders on their roster or in their system. A guy like Travis Snider is precisely what Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer may be looking to pick up—especially considering that the Cubs have had a major power outage from their outfield so far this season.

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