Tuesday bantering

GM Ross Atkins reiterated again that there will be no huge free agent signings by the Jays. Atkins said that pitching is the priority for the Jays, looking at both in the rotation and the bullpen. He suggested that a veteran outfielder and infielder could be dealt for pitching depth.

The Jays would love to figure out a way to trade shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and catcher Russ Martin, but with their cumbersome contracts, it’s almost an impossibility. And i fully believe the apocalypse will happen before Tulo makes a return to the field....

If we are looking for pitching (and we werent being tight with the purse strings) then the Tribe have 3 appealing targets in Kluber, Carrasco and Bauer.

Sadly though, the Jays wont be one of the 5 teams keen on the quality trio.

I guess we could go totally leftfield and sign Big Sexy?

Yes, former Expo Bartolo Colon wants to return at age 45 for his 22nd season in baseball. He brings a wide array of veteran presents to any team.

Sonny Gray is likely to be looking for a new team as all the rumours point to the Yankees being willing to let him go. Gray’s track record, home/road splits and some solid peripheral metrics place him among the game’s more intriguing buy-low pieces this offseason.

True, he got shelled more often than not when pitching at Yankee Stadium in 2018 but thrived on the road, so it’s not surprising to see numerous clubs expressing interest. Gray’s fastball velocity held strong in 2018, and his swinging-strike rate (10.1%) was right in line with that of a league-average starter. Gray’s ground-ball, strikeout and home-run rates were all sharp, as well.

He’s something of a pricey roll of the dice, depending on the interested party, as MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Gray to earn $9.1MM in 2019 — his final season of arbitration eligibility.

Talking of the Sith, some insider whispers suggest the Yankees might try to move Giancarlo Stanton to make room on both their roster and payroll for.... Bryce Harper.

Although Stanton has a full no-trade clause, Stanton, who grew up in Sherman Oaks, Calif. might be amenable to a trade to the Dodgers or Angels (with some salary relief). And it is possible that the Yankees fans’ impatience with his relatively sub-par 2018 – relative to his NL MVP 2017 season, that is – as well as his poor performance in the postseason might have both sides thinking that a change of scenery is in order.

Atkins suggested that pitching coaches Pete Walker and Dane Johnson will be back, and that they’d like to bring bench coach DeMarlo Hale back as well, though Hale is reportedly looking at other opportunities. Rumours abound that Luis Rivera expected to named to Montoyo’s staff, which would be a crushing diasppointment for many of us.

In the AFL, Cavan Biggio, went 0-for-5 as Surprise lost 4-3 to Salt River. Left-handed pitcher Shawn Morimondo started for Surprise and gave up three earned runs and six hits while striking out three. Santiago Espinal made a brief appearance in the game as a pinch-runner.

The Finalists for MVP, Cy Young, ROY, MOY have been unveiled and it will be a tough choice this year.

The 2019 season will mark 150 years since the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first openly professional baseball team, with 10 salaried players in 1869.

So, the team will spend the upcoming season celebrating that history with 15 different throwback uniforms from 1902-99!

Lets face it, it will be the only thing the Reds will be celebrating in 2019...