Monday Bantering: Bits of Jays news

Well, still waiting for some real new, or even some real rumors. Let’s talk about what there is:

• Andy Burns signed with KBO’s Lotte Giants. Seems like a good moved for Burns, he wasn’t likely to make the majors. He’s getting $650,000 in a 1-year contract.He’s 26 now, if he’s going to make some money playing ball, now is the time. I wish him the best of luck.
• Jeff Blair tells us that the Jays and Pirates are talking Andrew McCutchen again and that the starting point on any deal would be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. I think we knew that he would be the name that people would want. Personally, I was looking forward to getting to watch Vlad Jr, I’d rather he not be traded away. McCutchen is 30, and would be a free agent after the 2018 season.
• Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith ask the question "Do baseball executives still dig the long ball?" A reasonable question, considering the trouble Edwin had getting a contract and the troubles Jose is still having. Personally, I don’t it has as much to do with not valuing the long ball as it has to do with being more worried about free agents who are heading towards their later 30s. And they likely value defense more than in the past. Until recently there wasn’t much for methods to properly value defense, so since we didn’t know how to value it, we tended to dismiss it. Now we know more.
• The annual Jays Winter Tour starts January 20-22 in Toronto. For autograph seekers, they will have three signing sessions on Saturday January 21. One at 9:00am, one a noon and one at 3:00pm, all at Rogers Centre.

Players signing: Marcus Stroman, Joe Biagini, J.A. Happ, Melvin Upton Jr., Steve Pearce, Ezequiel Carrera and Ryan Goins, and former Jays Lloyd Moseby, Devon White and Scott Downs (hey, we still need a lefty in the pen. Lefty relievers never retire).

To get autographs.....well....you have to do some work:

· Ticketed-only event, limited availability.

·Select number of players and alumni to participate in each session

· For a chance to secure tickets, fans must enter online at bluejays.com/wintertour during lottery entry period and click "Enter Now"

· Lottery opens Tuesday, January 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET and closes Wednesday, January 11 at 9:59 a.m. ET

· Winners will be selected at random and notified via email on Thursday, January 12 (** Only winners will be notified)

· A $10 donation/per ticket to JAYS CARE FOUNDATION is required (for winners only), with all proceeds going directly to support its various community initiatives and programs in the Toronto area

It seems like a lot of work for a signature.