Inside Baseball: Blue Jays tried for Hamels, stick with Gibbons; plus notes – CBSSports.com

Both the Blues Jays front office personnel and players are wholly unsatisfied with their up-and-down start, and while there’s little question they all expected much better play and rumors have been circulating that manager John Gibbons could be in trouble, word is Gibbons is said to be safe for now.

Instead, the Blue Jays, who saved some money by going inexpensive at second base, center field, left field and the bullpen in a productive winter that belies their disappointing record (19-24, 5th in AL East), are concentrating on significant player acquisitions, especially in the rotation, as a way to kick-start things.

According to sources, the Blue Jays inquired about Cole Hamels but were told Hamels would not waive his 20-team no-trade clause to go to Toronto, as is his right (Hamels, meantime, has handled things professionally; he hasn’t complained and generally pitched well for the non-contending Phillies). That Hamels call was a blow to the Phillies, who likely saw Toronto, with all its young pitching talent (Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris, etc.) as a potential landing spot, especially considering their frustration in landing the marquee prospect they desire and these two teams’ solid trading history.

But it’s also a major blow to the Jays, who are suffering mostly due to poor performance from their pitching staff, including the rotation; they are dead last in the AL in both overall ERA (4.74) and rotation ERA (5.25), undermining a league-best offense. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is said to seek improvement among their current personnel, or possibly some new blood. The problem is that so far there’s only one true seller with legit starting pitching, that being the Phillies, plus the very real possibility there will continue to be a paucity of sellers considering all the bunched divisions and hopeful contenders.

The Jays do appear to have extra cash, the result of savings in several places, including at second base, where rookie Devon Travis has starred. They are also piecing it together on the cheap in the pen, where they’ve resisted the temptation to try for Hamels’ teammate Jonathan Papelbon or free agent Rafael Soriano, and are living with Brett Cecil, which seems a bit of a reach, after trying hard-throwing 20-year-old rookie Miguel Castro, a bigger reach, earlier. They are sure to look at Reds ace Johnny Cueto and possibly his teammate Mike Leake, if they become available, and maybe Oakland’s Scott Kazmir, and anyone else who may fits the need for a front-line starter.

There’s a fair amount of pressure on the Jays’ hierarchy, as long-time team president Paul Beeston is in his last year before he’ll be replaced, and the well-respected GM Anthopoulos, a Canadian, is in the last year of his deal. While panicking may be in order now, word is Anthopoulos is just acting normally, which is to say he’s frantically checking out any possible deal. There’s no evidence any Hamels talk got beyond Toronto’s initial inquiry, as the Jays probably didn’t want to involve players in talks that were going nowhere.

In any case, something needs to be done up north. An unnamed Jays person was quoted in the Toronto Sun this week calling the season a “(bleeping) disaster” though it’s possible that may have been a bit of hyperbole (the same story recounted a high-level meeting between Beeston and Anthopoulos said not to have happened). In any case, it’s clear the overall performance isn’t matching the expectations.

“We stink,” seems to be a familiar mantra, as that very phrase was mouthed by respected starter Mark Buehrle, and also by another member of the organization in a recent interview.

While a rival scout opines that there’s “no energy on the bench,” Gibbons does not appear to be in immediate jeopardy. Some members of the organization were, in fact, recently assured he isn’t going anywhere.

Anthopoulos, a patient sort who doesn’t espouse quick fixes, has been a believer in Gibbons, who was brought back for a second go-round in a surprise move by the GM. Some rivals believe a “spark” is needed and espouse change for them, with just-fired Marlins manager Mike Redmond and three-time Manager of the Year Dusty Baker, who is close to Jays legend Cito Gaston, speculated as replacement possibilities. But Gibbons gets high marks for his strategy, and Anthopoulos, who sees the issue as one that’s roster related, apparently is a believer.

Another person used the phrase “joined at the hip” to describe the Anthopoulos-Gibbons relationship. Others joke that they can’t fire Gibbons due to his reputation for being temperamental (in his first stint as Jays manager he had well-known scrapes with players Ted Lilly and Shea Hillenbrand).

In any case, it does look like a clear and classic case of underperformance to this point, particularly considering the Jays’ big winter moves have been boffo. The biggest pickups, catcher Russell Martin and third baseman Josh Donaldson, have been everything expected, and more, and second baseman Travis, who came from the Tigers‘ minors in a smart straight-up deal for spare outfielder Anthony Gose, has been nothing short of a revelation.

The overall offense, despite slow starts by mainstay sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, has been close to spectacular, with an AL-leading 215 runs through Wednesday. But the pitching is nearly disastrous. Which is why Anthopoulos is busy looking around, and in high places.

More Inside Baseball…

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	Major League Baseball needs more minority managers. The system currently in place does not appear to be working. Here is a handy cheat sheet, in case anyone’s looking for the skinny on the available minority manager candidates. It is a long list of qualified candidates, so it should not be that hard.