Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays finished the 2009 season with a surprisingly-decent 75-87 record, but it is really hard to imagine they can come close to repeating that performance this year.

Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos traded long-time ace, Roy Halladay (17-10, 2.79), this winter as part of a three-team trade.  He then flipped one of the prospects received in the Halladay trade (OF Michael Taylor) for another prospect (3B Brett Wallace). Those deals came on the heals of a pair of deals that shipped 3B Scott Rolen and OF Alex Rios out of town last summer.

When you read that title, you're probably saying Dana Eveland? A guy with a career 5.54 ERA, and he could possibly become a key player for the Jays this year?

Then maybe that's how the Jays lack greatness this year.

With the season opener on April 5 against the Texas Rangers, the Jays enter their regular season with a lot of new faces including Jose Molina, Kevin Gregg, and Eveland.

There is some concern over Adam Lind and his ability to replicate his 2009 success.  It’s justified, considering he had seen time in the major leagues from 2006 on, compiling 22 HR in 676 AB.  He also had not shown the potential to hit for an excellent average (.238 in ‘07, .282 in ‘08).  The idea of him being a middle-of-the-order impact bat was almost laughable.

That all changed when he posted the following line in his first full major league season:

Joba Chamberlain got his first taste of action as a reliever this spring. He had a save in today’s 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Here is some other news on a nice Saturday afternoon:

Any real fan of the Toronto Blue Jays knows that this year is going to be a long one. The first year of a rebuild always is.

As spring training comes closer to the end and the roster cuts keep piling up, it becomes clearer that the Jays are looking thin.

A wise man once said that money can't buy you happiness. That poor, dead, man is probably having second thoughts as his cheaply built coffin (or spacious cardboard box, if you will) disintegrates around him.

The Minnesota Twins seem quite content to pay Joe Mauer a whopping $23 million a year to play for them. And unless Mr. Mauer is a little slow (the sideburns beg questions), he's going to take that money.

And they're both quite happy about the arrangement.

One of the most popular part-time players of recent memory will return to the Blue Jays organization, marking a new chapter in his baseball career.

Sal Fasano recently retired as a player and has been appointed as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays Single-A minor league team, the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League.

The Chicago, Illinois native is making his coaching debut after 17 professional seasons as a player, eleven of which were spent in the major leagues.

You've got nothing to lose by watching the 2010 version of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Can you feel that excitement? It's almost as thrilling as asking a question and then answering it yourself.

Is that fulfilling? You bet.

The only promise this team can make to its fans is that they will play baseball. Satisfaction isn't guaranteed, but that's been the case in Toronto for some time.

Just like how winter is slowly melting into spring, the Blue Jays are thawing themselves from the deep winter that has enveloped the team for a decade.

It’s not everyday the Yankees are outbid by many teams, a few years ago they were outbid by Boston for Daisuke Matsuzaka, but that was the Red Sox and with their nearly $170 million payroll you’d expect them to outbid somebody sometime. The Blue Jays however? Come on!

According to George King of the NY Post , Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria is close to signing a contract near $10 million with the Blue Jays. The Yankees have made a strong push to sign him, but Hechavarria is said to be worried about being blocked by Derek Jeter .

Here is more from the NY Post: