Infield uncertainties in Toronto
With Russ Adams demoted to Triple-A, Toronto was planning on platooning John McDonald and Luis Figueroa at shortstop, but fans didn't see either of these guys between the bags on Friday night. Instead, John Gibbons pulled a rather unexpected move by penciling in Troy Glaus at shortstop! The switch was labeled as a "one-night deal" but with John McDonald going down to a mild groin injury the following day (he is listed as day-to-day), you can't stop but wonder who we might see up the middle in the coming weeks.
Enter: Edgardo Alfonzo. Alfonzo has demonstrated over his years with the Mets and the Giants that he's more than a capable hitter, despite the poor numbers he's put up in his terribly short stint with the Angels. Toronto signed Alfonzo to a minor league deal last Thursday. If he performs well at Double-A, watch for the Jays to drop him into the second base slot, moving Aaron Hill to shortstop.
If Alfonzo flops, there are a few scenarios that could take place:
- Russ Adams picks up his game and returns to the Jays
- The Jays barrel through the season with a McDonald/Figueroa platoon
- The Jays trade for Craig Counsell (Diamondbacks) and move Hill to short
- The Jays trade for Todd Walker (Cubs)
- The Jays trade for the other Alfonso (Washington)
[…] It's no secret that Jim Bowden has a handful of his top players on the trading block, looking for young prospects as the Nats go into building mode. In this recent article on MLB.com, the Jays are mentioned as a possible trade partner for one or more of Soriano, Guillen, Hernandez and Vidro. I doubt the Jays are after Guillen–the outfield seems pretty set these days. Would Riciardi take a chance on Hernandez with the way he's piched in '06? I think it's more likely that the Jays are considering that much-needed upgrade at 2B. Hill's back, McDonald is off the DL, and both Figueroa and Alfonzo are off the map (demoted to Triple-A and released), but it's entirely possible that the infield uncertainties have rattled the Jays' brass enough to get them thinking about an acquisition. I for one, think Soriano would be a nice match in Toronto. I always loved Vidro, but Sori's current numbers are just too enticing. […]
[…] Who might J.P. be targeting to man shortstop in 2007? Lugo for sure. As MLB Trade Rumors recently pointed out, there's not much else out there to choose from. Earlier this season I promoted the acquition of Counsell, but for 2007, I think we need to go a little younger, longer term. However, I don't think I'd scoff at the notion of Tejada swapping his Orioles wings for Blue Jays'. The other Adam–rookie Adam Lind–has shown some great promise in recent weeks. I'm not sure I'd be willing to give him up via trade just yet, despite having a solid defender at 1B in Lyle Overbay. […]
[…] Over in the National League, the Brewers made headlines today with the signing of veteran infielder, Craig Counsell. (I still think the Jays should have looked at Counsell last season… he could have provided excellent mentorship for the Jays' young infielders, a solid defensive backup, and some pop off the bench.) In the article that appears on MLB.com, Adam McCalvy suggests that this move indicates that the Brewers will take a pass on Tony Graffanino, who arrived in Milwaukee via a mid-season trade earlier this year. Despite his good performance as a Brewer, GM Doug Melvin expressed frustration earlier this offseason at the lack of communication from Graffanino's agent–you guessed it–Dan Lozano. […]