Yu Darvish will not be a Toronto Blue Jay this year, we know that. Could our failed bid, which was reported as much lower than that of the Rangers 51.7, actually benefit this team for next year and in the future? I say yes. If the Rangers sign Yu Darvish, they will most likely not have enough money to sign Prince Fielder. As the Rangers are believed to be one of the few teams who could actually afford Prince, this may make the Blue Jays a stronger canidate for Prince. Obviously these are two very different players as Yu is a pitcher and Prince is a position player. But to compare them would be to say that Prince is a young established player, and Yu is a chance. If I were a GM, I would not risk 75 million dollars over the next 5-6 years on someone who has never pitched in the majors before. It would be almost equivalent to signing Brett Lawrie to a 6 year deal while he was still in triple A. As much as the potential for an exciting young Japanese star may seem, it rarely works out. Japanese players rarely end up meeting the expectations of their team and their contract, and usually end up bouncing from team to team. If the Jays were to acquire Matt Garza, it would cost many prospects. But to trade for an established pitcher who could be the Blue Jays number 2 man, would be preferred to a bunch of unproven prospects, many who most likely we will never hear of after the trade. Garza and Gonzalez are relatively cheap financially and would not put the Jays in a large whole like Yu would, costing the team over 100 million dollars. What would that saved money allow the Jays to do? It would open up a chance to sign Prince Fielder, and upgrade the DH/LF position by signing Carlos Beltran. This would give the Jays proven players, 3 of which have playoff experience (Garza, Fielder, Beltran). Edwin Jackson may be another cheaper option for the Blue Jays as is Joe Saunders.

If you look at the Blue Jays Pitching staff, it is evident that a number 2 starter is needed, as the talent drops of heavily after Romero and Morrow.

Here would be my projected lineup and rotation for the Jays without Yu.

Rotation

1. Ricky Romero LHP

2. Matt Garza RHP or etc......

3. Brandon Morrow RHP

4. Brett Cecil LHP

5. Kyle Drabek RHP/ Henderson Alvarez RHP

CP Sergio Santos

Batting Lineup

1. Yunel Escobar SS

2. Carlos Beltran LF/DH

3. Jose Bautista RF

4. Brett Lawrie 3B

5. Adam Lind 1B (Prince?)

6. Colby Rasmus CF

7. Edwin Encarnacion DH

8. Kelly Johnson 2B

9. J.P. Arencibia C

Another big question that no one is asking is "Can Brett Cecil return to his 2010 form"?. If Brett can find his way again and have another strong season like he had in 2010 when he had 15 wins, it makes the pitching staff considerably better.

The Blue Jays had the 5th best offense in the American League last year. Point is, the offense is their, Pitching is the number one priority. The Blue Jays need another pitcher, and AA usually gets what he wants. I have no doubt that this will be a much improved Blue Jays roster come opening day, and the Jays should be able to compete as early as this year.