Beside signing free agent pitcher Roy Halladay to a ceremonial one-day contract, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is still staying the course in looking to acquire pitching through trades rather than free agency, as reported by Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter Monday afternoon. Free agent pitchers still available are too expensive, and Anthopoulos would not be looking to sign anyone until "prices drop." Perhaps this is a tactic of some sort, but would saying something like this drive up the costs of pitchers the Blue Jays want to acquire through trade?
However, Nicholson-Smith also intriguingly reports that even though Anthopoulos is very focused about who he wants, he is working on a "complicated longshot" of a deal at the moment. Also, Anthopoulos tells Shi Davidi that the new posting system--whenever it is completed--"may" mean that the Blue Jays would make a bid on NPB pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.
Other goings-on at the Winter Meetings:
- Former Blue Jays manager Bobby Cox, along with fellow managers Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, were elected to the Hall of Fame by the expansion era committee. Cox took the reigns of the Blue Jays in 1982 at age 41, taking a very young expansion club all the way to a first-place finish in 1985 with a franchise-best 99-62 record.
- Andrew Stoeten on Drunk Jays Fans pointed out that Jonah Keri suggested that there are rumours involving Edwin Encarnacion and David Price in a post on Grantland. Keri rightly added that trading away a middle-of-the-order slugger like Encarnacion doesn't make too much sense, but then again, Anthopoulos is not interested (at least right now) to shell out cash for the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez and Matt Garza.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to upgrade at first base, and Adam Lind is among the names that have been discussed, according to Jon Morosi.
- The Blue Jays have invited Roy Halladay to re-join the organization in some capacity in the future, reports Shi Davidi.
- David Cooper, the former Blue Jays' first baseman who was released in spring training earlier this year after he was reported to have suffered a complicated back injury, is close to signing a major league contract with the Cleveland Indians according to Jerry Crasnick. Cooper played 13 games in their minor league system in a comeback attempt towards the end of 2013.