Depression and the Blue Jays fan

So let's start off by saying I think 4 years is too long for Ubaldo Jimenez.

$12.5 million a year, I think that's a fair amount, but 4 years is too long.

The trouble is that we need another starter, and since we left it until the start of spring training, and Ubaldo was the last decent choice out there, paying the extra year should have been the price of doing business. Yes, it might be too much, but we are paying too much for Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes and, likely, Melky Cabrera too. We gave up a lot of good players to get Reyes, Buehrle and Dickey. If we don't want to make the players we gave up a total loss, we've got to add someone else to the rotation.

We aren't going to win with Dickey, Buehrle and how ever much of the season Brandon Morrow can pitch, plus whatever is behind doors number 4 and 5 and a league average offense (well, never say never, stranger things have happened, but it is unlikely).

I was talking to a friend and he said he's never been so depressed at the start of spring training.

I can understand.

I don't get what the Jays are doing. Last year, it was 'win now', this year it's let's hope the last place team figures out how to win. I can deal with win now. I can deal with rebuilding. I can't deal with straddling the fence. Alex, made a choice, are we trying to win or not.

We entered the off-season with 3 major needs: a starting pitcher, a second baseman and a catcher (we won't mention that it would have been nice to pick up a right-handed bat and a fourth outfielder). We've sort of, kind of fixed the catcher spot. Second base, well, we are hoping that the Maicer Izturis we saw last year was a mirage or that, against all evidence, Ryan Goins can hit sort of like a major leaguer.

We do have 6 weeks until the season starts and Alex could, maybe, come up with a starting pitcher, but it seems like the only possibilities are Ervin Santana (no I really don't want him) or a trade that will cost us a good part of what's left of our minor league prospects.

Maybe he'll sign Stephen Drew. That's my hope, at the moment. I'm also going to hope that (if they don't pick up a starter) they forget about the arbitration clock and give Marcus Stroman the 5th spot in the rotation and that J.A. Happsurprises me and is ok, or that Drew Hutchison pitches so much better than him, this spring, and they give him Happ's spot.

If they don't add anyone....I'll be sad. I mean, I'll still watch the games, I'll still live and die with every game. For better or worse, I'm a fan.

But I've had enough worse, it's time for some better.