The NY Post is reporting the Blue Jays would "for sure" want Barry Zito if we were to become available. I believe Toronto would be interested in Zito but I think Billy Beane could get more in a trade from another team. I believe Ricciardi understands Zito's value and wouldn't go overboard because Zito won a Cy Young trophy. Plus, at this point I believe Toronto is looking to lock-up a hitter and maybe sign a free agent pitcher.

The Post also reports the Jays might be interested in Matt Clement, Troy Percival and Corey Koskie. There's virtually no chance we'd bring in Percival unless he's take a 1 year deal for 1-2 million with a team option for a 2nd year. I don't see that happening. Koskie is interesting but I really don't see how he is that much of an improvement over Hinske. Especially when you figure in health, as Koskie has never proved that he can stay healthy and he turns 32 next year. I just don't see him aging gracefully. 1 year deal, maybe. Long-term deal, no chance. Finally, Clement. This is the rumor that gets me fired up.

For most of the season Clement was the best pitcher on the Cubs roster, until he started to struggle the last couple of months of the season. I have not heard there was an injury involved but you never know if there was something minor he was trying to play through. He is also 30 years old and proven he can withstand the rigors of a full season. The past three years he pitched 205, 201 2/3 and 181 innings with ERA's of 3.60, 4.11 and 3.68. He's also had very healthy K numbers posting a 9.44, 7.63 and 9.45 K/9 over the past three years. All of these numbers point towards a very solid pitcher. The one stat that does not point towards a solid pitcher is 12-11, 14-12 and 9-13. These are his records on what were pretty good Cubs teams the past three years. Because of this, I think some teams might not view him as highly and may instead go after Brad Radke or Carl Pavano. This is a good thing for the Jays. They understand a pitchers won-loss record is for the most part a function of how well the team hit for him that day. If the Cubs do not decide to bring him back, I believe the Blue Jays can swoop in there and pick him up 3 years at about $7.5 million a pop. I'd be completely fine with that.

One thing is certain. When the hot stove season is over I think we're going to find two new impact players on their roster. We'll just have to see who they end up being.