The Jays outlook for next year is worst than what they are doing this year. Pistol makes a lot of good points that I agree with...but I'll focus on one: The dissapearing of Delgado's $17 mil off the books. Firstly, the Jays would be breaking even this year (even with the dissapointing attendance) if they didn;t have Delgado on the payroll. So how tempting will it be for them to not use very much of the Delgado savings next year knowing that they can avoid losing money in a year they will likely concede is a wasted year, other than to give some prospects on-the-job training. Not to mention that if a team is in a youth-kick/rebuilding mode, spending very much on well-travelled veterans contradicts that philosophy; not to mention that how many vets WOULD even want to come here, knowing they are just a 1 or 2 year bandaid solution. Answer: only the ones that can't get hooked up in better situations with other teams.
So, for next year's team to duplicate this year's performance, or better it, this is what they will be counting on:
1. Vernon Wells to take over from Delgado as the cleanup hitter/leader who goes back to his MVP-type performance of last year;
2. Alex Rios will have to show that his punch-and-Judy .300 batting average of this year is not only NOT a fluke, but that he can become a run-producer batting out of the 3rd spot;
3. Orlando Hudson's time to put up or shut up is fast approaching. Sure they rave about his defense, but Tony LaRussa once said that 2nd base is the one spot he never worries about - he said that he felt he could teach a trained monkey to play there. Translation: give me a 2nd baseman that can hit consistently, and we can teach him to make the routine plays defensively.
4. Eric Hinske: maybe his time has come to an end here after this season. But because their are so many other positions with huge question marks, and he is still going to be another year away from arbitration, he will get one last shot next season to perform. He would need to handle the expectations of batting in either the 3rd or 5th spot;
5. Left Field: Either Gabe Gross, or Reed Johnson, or platoon of the two, or some other youngster;
6. Shortstop: The end has come for Woodward, same for Chris Gomez. Because Russ Adams will get this job, and he is hitting decently in Syracuse, although no power, Adams probably gets the job handed to him if he shows anything reasonable in 3 weeks when he gets called up for September.
7. 1st base: You can always resort to Catalonatto, who likes the organization and the city. There are no clear prospects for this spot. And rent-a-veteran would be hit-and-miss (ie. KC signed Juan Gonzalez for this past season, and down he went for the year after just 1 month);
8. Catcher: Cash just cannot hit major league pitching; Guilermo Quiroz supposedly is as good or better defenseively than Cash, and has a better track record of hitting in the minors. You still would need a reliable veteran as insurance...maybe Zaun?
9. DH. Maybe Catalonatto is the DH, but then you need a 1st baseman. Probably will sign a free agent vet for one of the two spots.
10. Bullpen. If they go with all rookies, it could be deflating if the offense somehow DOES regain its past form and then watch the bullpen blow lead after lead.
11. Starters: Tough decision, since when/if this team is ready to be a serious contender, which at the earliest would be 2 years away, Lilly, & Batista would not be around. The probable scenario is these 2 are traded by next July, when Jason Arnold and a couple of other young pitching prospects are ready to make the jump.
In conclusion, with so many rookies on the pitching staff, and so many question marks with the offense, including openings at short, first, catcher, left field, and DH, not to mention even less power than what they have this year (which is ranked near the bottom), it will be a very, very long year next season.
Perhaps Ricciardi did Tosca a favour...especially if the rumour of Joe Torre hiring Tosca as a coach for next year materialize...