Kuzul

According to various sources, including the Toronto Star‘s Richard Griffin, the Toronto Blue Jays have placed pitcher Dustin McGowan on the 60-day DL.

For the much-maligned McGowan, this is a major blow to yet another comeback attempt. In fact, this could be the death knell for what was once a very promising career.

Drafted in the first round back in 2000, McGowan was a flamethrowing Georgia high school sensation with control issues. For his first few years in the minors, little changed.

However, the slow-developing prospect eventually turned the corner in 2007 after lighting up AAA with an 11.6 K/9 and then getting called up to replace an injured Gustavo Chacin.

McGowan took this opportunity and ran with it. He finished the year 12-10 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, including two complete games and a no-hitter that he took into the ninth inning against Colorado.

However, halfway through a slightly disappointing follow-up campaign, McGowan was lost for the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Following a torn ACL in 2009 and then a torn rotator cuff not long after, a July 8th, 2008 no-decision against the visiting Baltimore Orioles would mark the last time Jays fan have seen him pitch in a major-league game.

UPDATE: Further reports have just been released by MLB.com that the Blue Jays have placed Dustin McGowan on the 60-day DL as part of his rehab, not because of a setback or any further injury. The club has made the decision to transition McGowan to a reliever full-time, as it’s believed this will reduce stress on his repaired labrum.

“The thing that you run into there is, what is the fatigue level, once you get to 80 pitches and above?” [John] Farrell said. “Is that where more damage takes place? Because if that’s the feeling—[and] that’s the feeling of the medical staff—now, you’re looking at a five-inning starting pitcher.

“That’s why we have to bring him back in a role that doesn’t have limitations, that doesn’t affect everybody else on the staff.”

Although this cloud apparently has a silver lining, we still may not see McGowan pitch for Toronto in 2011, if at all. There is still a long road ahead for this once future staff ace.

Nonetheless, Coach Farrell is cautiously optimistic:

“The most important thing for Dustin is that he’s had no setbacks,” Farrell said. “[There’s been] no need for added rest on the program he has been on. It still has a chance to be a very good ending to a tough road that he has travelled, but [it takes] a quality person to answer those challenges.

“He has some hurdles yet to come, but if somebody is going to do it, it’s someone with his resolve and intensity that will get there.”

Good luck, kid. Blue Jay Nation is behind you.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It can be a confusing time of the year in Major League Baseball, what with arbitration offers, non-tender candidates, Type A and B free agents, waiver claims and the Rule 5 draft.  So it can be tough to decipher what is happening with the team you support and whether there is any truth to the rumors that can emerge.

The Blue Jays are no different, especially with the secrecy that surrounds Alex Anthopoulos’ moves.  This is what has happened so far and what could be happening.

Dustin McGowan has re-signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for a one-year, $450,000 deal.  The former first-round pick hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2008 due to a series of injuries.  But with this deal, it gives hope that the hard-throwing pitcher will make his return to the mound at some point in 2011.

The Blue Jays are reported by MLB Trade Rumors to be interested in acquiring Mark Reynolds from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  While negotiations with the team to acquire their other star, Justin Upton, seemed to go nowhere, there is a chance that the third baseman could be had for a much more reasonable price.

Arizona as a team, led the league in strikeouts last year, by a large margin, and Reynolds had the most on his team.  So it is understandable that Arizona would be pursuing a contact hitter in return for the power hitter.

It is also rumored that the Blue Jays are pursuing relievers Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier.  The Jays bullpen is up in the air after both Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs turned down their arbitration offers, though Jason Frasor will be returning after accepting his offer.

Both RHP Jeremy Accardo and OF Fred Lewis were not tendered contracts by the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2011 season, making them free agents.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, the Blue Jays are believed to have interest in signing relievers Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain.

Guerrier was not offered arbitration by the Twins, so he is now a free agent. In 2010, a campaign where he made $3.15 million, experts peg him to make no more than four to five million next season.

In 74 appearances, The 32-year-old Guerrier went 5-7 with a 3.17 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9. The addition of Guerrier would add to an already changing Blue Jays bullpen that will see Brian Tallet (Cardinals), Scott Downs, and more than likely Kevin Gregg depart from the organization.

The Jays are also believed to have interest in signing Canadian Jesse Crain to add to the bullpen as well.

The 29-year-old Crain enjoyed a career year last year with the Twins, following off-season shoulder surgery. Despite his terrible one inning effort against the Jays in his last appearance last year, Crain appears to be right in the Blue Jays sight-lines.

Crain went 1-1 last season with a 3.04 ERA in 68 innings, while posting career highs in strikeouts (62) and holds (21).

If the Jays can add both Guerrier and Crain to their bullpen, they will definitely improve themselves from a year ago, at least in terms of right handed pitchers.

Both pitchers are not the type-A free agents, so the Jays will not have to give up draft picks to sign them. The downside is that as many as nine teams could be interested in both players, so a bidding war could commence and force the Jays out of contention.

With news coming today that the Jays have resigned Dustin McGowan to a new one-year contract worth $500,000, they could get yet another shot in the arm to their depleted bullpen here too.

McGowan, who has not pitched since 2008, has always had massive potential. The Jays don’t want to lose out on that if he goes to another club. For example, Chris Carpenter struggled with injuries with the Jays, but when he was let go and went to St. Louis, his career skyrocketed.

In keeping McGowan, the Jays are hoping for a Carpenter-like resurgence. Although extremely unlikely, McGowan still figures prominently in the Jays future plans.

With a torn labrum now behind him, McGowan has begun a throwing program that he hopes will help him get healthy in time for Spring Training in February. If McGowan does return, look for him to come out of the bullpen from now on. Already with experience out of the pen, he could conceivably close games for the Blue Jays and, at a $500,000 dollar price tag, could be among the best bang for your buck closers in the majors.

Thoughts on the Jays adding these three to the bullpen?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com