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Tampa Bay just signed slugging first baseman Carlos Pena to a one-year contract for $7.25 million. In the eyes of Jays fans, this is another transaction that will make people ask, “why not Toronto?”

Alex Anthopoulos has been running the club for approximately 2.5 years and for the first time is beginning to hear the rumblings of impatient fans.

All teams in the AL East have made significant improvements. The Yankees just traded for a possible No. 1 starter in Michael Pineda. They also gave up a future franchise superstar in Jesus Montero. The Red Sox, still rife with a powerhouse lineup, lost their All-Star closer, Jonathan Papelbon, but replaced him by signing Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey.

The Jays did make some waves by trading for Sergio Santos in exchange for Nestor Molina and added journeyman reliever Darren Oliver. They also brought back reliable late-inning reliever Jason Frasor. These transactions will strengthen the Jays’ already solid ‘pen. Except perception is reality, and right now the reality in Toronto is that the Jays have not done enough to make a difference.

With one of the premier sluggers in Jose Bautista leading the way as team captain and Ricky Romero, the Jays’ ace, as the face of the franchise, this team is relying on the promise and talent of multiple players to lead it back to the playoffs. Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Colby Rasmus, J.P. Arencibia, Eric Thames and Adam Lind will be key.

At baseball’s winter meetings, the buzz surrounding Yu Darvish was that the Jays were serious contenders in signing him. It turned out they lost out to the Texas Rangers and their $51.7 million bid. At the same time, the AL West has turned into a mirror image of the East with the Angels and Rangers throwing around substantial amounts of money. Albert Pujols ($254 million) and C.J. Wilson ($77.5 million) joining the Angels.

Perception is reality and right now the status quo is average and fourth place.

With the big three in the AL East wheeling and dealing, it does become frustrating to the fans and viewers at home when they can almost guarantee where this team will finish next season. I, for one, feel that way. I wrote many times last year that Toronto was in a position to contend for the wild-card spot, but things changed dramatically and the hope for that has been washed away.

I don’t say this as a fan who is angry that the hometown team hasn’t made the playoffs in almost 20 years. It comes from someone who knows baseball and gets frustrated when I read something like this from the National Post.

“But if you want to be impatient, here’s what you need to be impatient with. Rogers Communications, the Jays owner, has clearly given this team specific payroll parameters, and they won’t move much until the revenues move first, and Anthopoulos can’t do much to control either one. All he can do is this: he can scrimp and save and wheedle his way to a team so good that when he goes to his bosses and asks for the money to make a good team a contender, he has pushed the parameters of what Rogers will give. That’s it.”

Instead of getting annoyed and frustrated with the state of your team, maybe there is nothing to get upset about. Baseball is a business, right? And if a business is not making any money, you cut costs until you create the right formula.

Perception is reality. In this case, it’s dead on.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals & Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees have done very little this offseason—no blockbuster trades, no scandals. It has been pretty low key.

That is, until now.

It’s apparent that the Yankees are indeed looking to build upon a rotation that boasts CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. With the trade for Michael Pineda, they now have a formidable rotation that could showcase three No. 1 starters.

Giving up their prized catching prospect, Jesus Montero, is risky, but the AL East is not the dominant force it once was, and with the addition of Pineda, the Bronx Bombers might have won the first battle of the season.

The Boston Red Sox still have the most dominant batting order in the AL, or maybe even baseball, although their pitching is rather suspect. And the Tampa Bay Rays will more than likely pull another rabbit out of their hat to stay amongst the elite.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who have been rumoured to have the OK to spend some big money this year, have added some stability to an already good bullpen (Sergio Santos, Darren Oliver and Jason Frasor), but nothing compared to what the fans have expected. The Orioles are the Orioles. To their credit, they have improved and are still a few years away from contending in this ultra-competitive division.

On the other hand, the Yankees core is getting older. Alex Rodriguez is nowhere near the force he was, even compared to three years ago. Captain Derek Jeter has maybe two years left before he rides off into the sunset. Mark Teixeira, still a huge power threat, is transforming into Jason Giambi before our eyes.

Tex can still drop the long ball with the best of them, and even though he is a huge piece to the Yankees’ firepower, his average has dropped significantly for three consecutive years, and what is very alarming is his OPS has decreased every year since 2007.

What the Yankees need to do is start a rebuilding process. Nothing alarming, just piece by strategic piece. Even in the worst of times New York will always be a threat and despite giving up Montero, bolstered a starting rotation that lacks depth on the back end.

The infield is already in the process with Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena and Brandon Laird seeing their share of playing time. And the bullpen has seen the emergence of David Robertson and Cory Wade step it up in crunch time.

There is inherent risk with trading Montero, but the Yankees are very deep at the catcher position. Francisco Cervelli is developing into a dynamic piece of the puzzle, a spark plug who can give the Yankees the sort of pickup that Nick Swisher provides. And Gaby Sanchez is another diamond in the rough the Yankees have waiting in the wings, rated as the No. 4 prospect in the Yankees organization.

This deal for Pineda is actually a lot better than I originally thought.

Standing 6’7″ and weighing 260 pounds, he is a dominant figure on the mound, and with a fastball that tops out at 95-mph, the 22-year-old has a chance to become a leader in this rotation really quick. Phenomenal first-year statistics might come second to what might be even better news.

Pineda can become No. 2 in the rotation by the All-Star break, and according the USA Today’s Daily Pitch, “What’s more, it gives the Yankees a rare high-impact performer under club control for several years. Pineda, who made $414,000 last season, will not be eligible for free agency until 2017.”

The wheels are in motion. The Yankees’ preparation for the future begins today.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals and Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Melvin Garcia, a 33^rd round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2010 draft has been suspended for 50 games after allegedly testing positive for “an amphetamine, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” according to milb.com.

Garcia is now the third Blue Jay prospect to succumb to a failed test this year. 

19-year-old Garcia has two years of professional experience under his belt, and by the look of things, his situation can only get worse before it gets better. 

In nearly two full seasons, Garcia is batting a scanty .195 with a .275 OBP and .282 SLG. While obviously still in the development stages of his young career, not much sign of power is relevant at this point (2 home runs and 6 doubles).

He originally grabbed tons of attention from the Jays after his phenomenal season at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, N.Y.  Garcia was going to attend Wharton Community College in Texas, at least until the Jays took notice. 

The suspension is set to kick in at the beginning of next season and then we will truly see what Garcia is made of. Will he let this haunt him for the rest of his career or can he admit that this was a huge mistake and move forward? 

Let’s hope it’s the latter.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective, a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals& Gateway Grizzlies and is now an independent scout.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After parts of three disastrous years in Los Angeles, Scott Kazmir was finally released. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitcher who wasn’t injured whose skills just evaporated as much as they did for Scott,” Scioscia said. “He’d long-toss 240 feet, and you can’t be hurt and do that. Then he’d get on the mound and try to translate that energy into a pitch, and it wasn’t there.” 

The quote by current Angels manager Mike Scioscia pretty much sums it up. 

Kazmir’s struggles have been well document since being traded by the Rays, but no one could have foreseen how fast his downfall has been. From nagging injuries, to inconsistencies in the strike zone, this former first-round pick will need someone to take a flyer on him to get him back where he once was. 

When Kazmir burst on the scene with the Rays in 2004, everyone took notice, and he quickly became the Rays No. 1  guy, becoming a rock for a team desperate for success. 

That all began to change when the Rays did finally accomplish their goal of reaching the playoffs. Looking back now, hindsight is 20/20. Back then you couldn’t imagine the struggles he would encounter after leaving the only team he has ever known. 

From 2006 until 2008, Kazmir’s ERA steadily crept above 3.00. In today’s game, anything under 4.00 will get you a hefty sized contract.

And after spending part of the ’09 season with Tampa, all the warning signs unfortunately came to fruition; an ERA near 6.00, a career high in WHIP (1.541), a noticeable decrease in K/9, increase in BB/9 and a continued decrease in velocity. 

He did turn some heads in LA going 2-2 and keeping his ERA under 2.00 in six starts. He was largely ineffective in his only playoff appearance with them which was obviously a lead-in to what 2010/2011 had in store. 

I have been following Kazmir and his efforts to regain his old form for nearly two years now and what has always jumped out on the page was the reduced velocity which seemingly breaks down your other abilities.

Even since that first article, the reduction continues. “A once dominant fastball (93.7 mph) and slider (84.0 mph) have turned relatively common; 90.5 mph and 80.9 mph.” In 2011, a fastball that was consistently in the mid-90’s was now a pedestrian 86 mph. 

Career worst’s in nearly all facets of his game were witnessed last year in one of the nastiest seasons in memory for any pitcher. Kazmir went 9-15, after allowing a career high in HR/9, BB/9 and career lows in K/9. He was also third in the AL with 12 hit batters. 

When it gets that bad, the whole league is aware of your struggles; when you are around the plate they crush it, when you miss they lay off, your fastball and change-up are nearly identical when it crosses the plate and troubles around the strike zone up your pitch count. 

The 2011 campaign did not start off any better. 

“Kazmir’s performance against the Kansas City Royals leads us to believe that he is on a mighty short leash after giving up five runs in less than two innings. Making matters worse, his control issues have not subsided as evidenced with nearly half of his pitches thrown for balls (63-35).” 

If things couldn’t get any worse, his assignment to the Angels’ triple-A affiliate was the final death knell for his comeback: 0-5, 17.02 ERA, 15.1 IP, 22 hits, 20 BB, 14 K, .355 BA 

At 27, a career can’t be finished. There has to be some gas left in the tank, there has to be. Maybe this is exactly what Kazmir needs at this point in his career. Wipe your hands clean and start over.   

This will not be the last time we will hear from this southpaw whose slider, when on, is pure filth. For someone who has self-destructed on live television and comes back for more will not allow this to get in the way. 

Scott Kazmir obviously has the heart of champion, a true competitor that, as he has shown, will face adversity head-on and do everything in his power to turn it around. 

Baseball is a funny game, and we all like underdogs! You just never know.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals& Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When it comes to determining the greatest starting pitcher in a franchise’s history, where do you even start? 

Considering the Toronto Blue Jays have been in existence since 1977, 277 pitchers have taken the mound with 147 of them being starters. 

Everyone has their opinions as to who was better; who had the most wins, who started the most games, who contributed the most to the franchise’s success. 

In this instance instead of throwing out names like Roy Halladay, Dave Stieb, Roger Clemens and Pat Hentgen, one would have to set qualifying criteria like the number of games started i.e. at least 60-plus games.  For the sake of argument that number can be broken down even further to the top 10 leaders in victories. 

Of course when it comes to determining the best ever, the same names surface each and every conversation: Dave Stieb, Roy Halladay, Jim Clancy, Jimmy Key, Pat Hentgen, David Wells, and Juan Guzman.

Clancy, Hentgen, Wells and Guzman were good in their own right, but in the upper echelon of Jays greats?  I don’t think so.  Their Toronto career ERAs ranged from 4.06 to 4.28; highly uncharacteristic to being named best of all time. 

Clemens on the other hand had a superb stint while in Toronto, culminating in two Cy Young awards and 41 wins in 67 starts.  Perhaps the two best seasons ever—I’ll give him that—but only two seasons.

That leaves Stieb, Halladay and Key to battle it out for Canadian supremacy. 

Jimmy Key ranks fourth in victories with 116 leaving him trailing Doc by 32, but Key never received the spotlight he should’ve in my eyes.  Rarely breaking 90, Key was a magician at hitting his spots and a model of consistency for the Jays through their peak years in the late ’80s and early ’90s. 

What can you say about Mr. Halladay, this beast of a pitcher?  If Doc didn’t struggle through those early years, he could quite possibly hold the team lead in victories.  With that being said, Halladay was the go-to guy in Toronto between 2002 and 2009.  Six All-Star appearances and a Cy Young in 2003 have solidified this gunslinger’s spot in history.  The scary thing?  He may be even better now.  Unbelievable considering what fans have witnessed in Toronto. 

Stieb will always be remembered for the guy who battled every single time he took the mound.  Every appearance was filled with glaring stares to teammates who committed an error.  Strikeouts were most certainly graced by the presence of one of the nastiest sliders that danced through the zone at nearly unhittable angles.  Combining that with five one-hitters (three lost on the last out), one no-hitter, the most wins in club history (175) and a tie for second with a 3.42 ERA leaves him as the most prolific pitcher Toronto has ever had. 

When considering all the attributes that go into putting something like this together, you cannot base your arguments strictly on face value.  You undoubtedly need to dig deeper and break things down to support your claim. 

In the end, Dave Stieb will go down as the greatest Jay to toe the rubber.  I tip my cap to the man who made watching those games on CTV something I will never forget. 

Follow this link to view several interesting numbers, some that will make you think twice. Click here to view.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

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Don’t get me wrong—I am no movie critic and haven’t yet been given the keys to run a major-league franchise, but I can say that I am really looking forward to Moneyball. 

By now, almost everyone close to the game knows that the Oakland Athletics were featured in the book Moneyball, by Michael Lewis. Moneyball shows readers how the cash-strapped A’s used advanced statistics in new ways to build a successful team comprised of unwanted or forgotten players. 

For someone like me—ignorant of this world and its data before I read the book—the idea of creating a team with what a computer tells you is, of course, very intriguing. 

It has been said many times that this movie is very reminiscent of The Social Network, but of course, the question remains: Can the movie-makers take what was written and make it a story that people truly care for? 

The book describes the emergence of two castoffs—Chad Bradford and Scott Hatteberg.  Those familiar with their careers know the struggles they went through and the determination they needed to truly find success.

A successful translation of these stories to the big screen remains to be seen. 

Though hardcore baseball fans will likely flock to the theatres when the movie is released, we don’t know yet if mainstream America is interested in sabermetrics. 

Heck, how many years did it take for baseball insiders to finally accept more sophisticated statistical analyses? 

The evolution of sabermetrics isn’t like the story Facebook.

Yet, with a cast that features Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill, and with Aaron Sorkin writing the script, Moneyball does have all the ingredients to make a dramatic impact on those unfamiliar with this side of the baseball world. 

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective.

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The Boston Red Sox are indeed struggling, but their matchup on Friday against Brett Cecil could be exactly what they are looking for. 

Brett Cecil, the Jays’ team leader in wins last year with 15, is a major cog in the “Hustle and Heart” campaign the club is running with, yet Cecil is struggling mightily with no explanation as to why. 

Last year’s success was not all that surprising when you think about.  Cecil started 17 games in 2009 and racked up seven wins. His high ERA (5.30) was expected, considering that he was roughed up a little in his three Triple-A seasons and his BABIP and BAA have risen significantly each time he moved up. 

While competition improves, so do you, right?   

Cecil, who regularly posted K rates of 10 plus per nine innings in the minors, saw that number drop to six in his final minor league warmup in 2009. That number remained steady when reaching the big club, meaning his secondary pitches are improving. 

Batters averaged a mediocre .265 against Cecil last year—unfortunately, this season is another story altogether. 

The lack of velocity (nearly a two mph loss) and an abnormally high BABIP of .412 are a recipe for disaster. Cecil is relying less on his fastball, for obvious reasons, and falling back in his secondary pitches, especially his slider. 

Those two pitches, as of right now, are not the ideal pitches for someone struggling to be fooling hitters with.   

With an obvious issue with velocity, the same problem is almost guaranteed with his slider, something that the short porches of Fenway and a Red Sox lineup will find very tempting. 

A flat fastball with a loosely wound slider is disastrous unless Cecil pitches backwards against his formidable foe. 

If he can work his changeup in fastball counts and keep them off balance, he should buy himself enough time for the Jays to take advantage of Clay Buchholz, who is having his own issues. 

It will be interesting to see what game plan the coaching staff has in place, because if they’re hoping the mid-90s fastball miraculously returns, it could be a very long night.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

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When it comes to baseball, people have so many opinions on Jose Canseco that the debate can go on for hours. One thing we cannot dispute is his love for game, as evidenced by what has just transpired. 

Jose Canseco, baseball’s first 40-40 man, was named player/coach for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American Baseball League. 

Acting as manager doesn’t mean he will miss out on the action on the field.   

Canseco will lace on the cleats, playing first base and DH. According to the NAL, he will become the first full-time player/manager since Pete Rose, who handled the reins for the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1986.

In this ultra competitive industry, the decision of Golden Baseball League, Northern League and United League Baseball to form the NAL really shows the innovative ideas that the figure heads of this organization are coming up with. 

With three of the primary indie leagues forming this “super league,” who wouldn’t be interested in the concept? Not just from a fan’s perspective, but from a business point of view. Saying this, we all know what type of player Canseco is/was. We know his abilities, and we all know the damage he can do with a baseball bat. On the flip side, we know the personality and fanfare that Canseco can bring with him. 

Baseball is entertainment, and in the lesser-known leagues throughout minor league baseball, management is always looking for new and innovative ways to rejuvenate a city and increase the popularity of the game while at the same time staying competitive at affordable prices. 

What better way to build up the abilities of the team’s roster by having someone who has played the game at an elite level and knows the game inside and out?

The signing of Jose Canseco—along with his brother Ozzie, who will lend his knowledge as hitting/bench coach while suiting up on the field—is more than a promotional ploy. This has a shot to elevate the spirits of a city that has been hit hard by the economic difficulties faced by many. 

I spoke with Kevin Outcalt, Chief Executive Officer of the NAL, who said the signing has less to do with baseball and more to do with benefiting the community. 

“It’s a tough economy in Yuma, even more so than most the country as the Imperial Valley leads the nation in unemployment rate. And although this seems that it may be a bit risky for the Scorpions, it should be very entertaining for the team and the fans,” Outcalt said.

“In addition, he does have tremendous baseball knowledge and skills and went through extensive interviews in which he demonstrated that he is sincere and serious about this opportunity.

“He also played and was the bench coach for the Laredo Broncos last year under general manager Jose Melendez, who is the new GM in Yuma and gave very positive reports on his experience with Jose in Texas last season,” Outcalt continued. “I think that he should not be judged on anything but his actions in Yuma and look forward to him bringing entertainment and a successful team to Yuma.”

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One week into the regular season, and Aaron Hill’s numbers are on the egregious side; .259 SLG (ranks 302), and .207 OBP (ranks 350). 

Given that it is early, and granted he was a little behind his teammates in spring training due to injuries, those numbers are still an area of concern. 

With what Hill produced last season, a definite improvement is needed when considering Brett Lawrie is waiting in the wings in Las Vegas. 

Before tonight’s game against the Angels, Gregg Zaun said he loves Aaron Hill batting second because he will see more fastballs with Jose Bautista hitting behind him, and once the game started, the color guys were pretty convinced that Hill was not pressing and was indeed looking for his pitch. 

In his first two at-bats, Hill saw seven pitches (five in the first appearance with two fastballs).  It appears he is still struggling with pitch selection and patience, as evidenced by his second plate appearance. During the course of completing this article, Hill’s BA has nearly dipped below the .200 mark. 

Obviously, it’s not a confidence booster when you take a look at the stat sheet at the end of the night. But when it comes to confidence, it has to affect the athlete’s psyche sooner or later. 

Hill is a leader and one of the veterans, we all know that; but when is it time to cut your losses and shake things up?  How long can this team wait on Hill to regain his form of two years ago? 

Before you know it, it’s May and the cream starts to rise to the top.  Here’s hoping Aaron Hill can figure it out, as there is a pretty talented middle infielder in Sin City itching to get his shot.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

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Arguably the greatest player the game has ever seen should be praised, correct? 

Instead, he is the poster boy of everything that was wrong with the game. 

Barry Bonds has been a star everywhere he has gone, from Arizona State University, to the Pittsburgh Pirates, then in San Francisco where he elevated his game to superstardom. 

There was never any doubt of how good he was, except there was always suspicion as to why his abilities never diminished as he got older. 

I have read all the books: Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero, Game of Shadows, etc. The alleged evidence is very overwhelming.   

The trial is now in full swing, and with Bonds admitting to using steroids, that should be the end of story right?

Not quite.

Bonds’ lawyer claims he was misled into taking them. His trainer told him he was taking flax seed oil and arthritis cream.   

Ok, that was not the answer we were all looking for, but that is probably all we’re going to get at this or any point in the future. Bonds has continually denied his involvement since day one. In all reality, the dye was cast years ago, and the myth/legend of one of baseball’s greatest ended after the 1997 season. 

Mark McGwire admitted to using, so did Alex Rodriguez and Any Pettitte. Since their confessions, their involvement in the scandal has all but been forgiven for the most part. 

Bonds, on the other hand, has bucked the establishment since the beginning, more or less played the game by his own rules and always set the tone in the clubhouse (good or bad). 

That being said, when you are the best in the game, some are more guarded than others. Maybe he was in the right, maybe he wasn’t. That cold shoulder given to many over the years is the least of his worries. 

A legacy is tarnished forever, and despite what anyone says, Bonds is guilty no matter what happens at trial. 

No normal reputation can withstand what Bonds has gone through. For all the denials he has spit out or whatever reason he has given for “using in error”, the words “user”, “cheater” and “liar” will always be associated with the man on top of the greatest record in all of sports.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective.

You can follow The GM’s Perspective on Twitter and facebook.

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