Blue Jays Mail Bag - Your questions

Thanks for the NFL jerseys avalanche of responses from all corners of our great country.
Patrick Mayberry from Cochrane, AB, asks: What do you think is going to happen at shortstop with Marco Scutaro a free agent this off-season after putting together some pretty impressive numbers? If they rebuild and fill that position from within, is there anyone on the horizon who could step in?
CARSON: There are a couple of routes they could go. Re-sign Scutaro for no more than two years at around $4.5 million per and hope that 2009 was not just a player having a great season in a contract year. If he leaves for greener pastures, they have no shortstop in the minors on the verge of breaking through. The fall-back could be old, reliable, fan favourite John McDonald, who is also a free agent. With the team not being close to contending, I would have no problem with them finally going with Johnny Mac, batting him ninth and letting his spectacular defence speak for itself.
James Barber from Barrie, ON, asks: Who is going to be the closer next season?
CARSON: I have no problem with the job that Jason Frasor did this season after B.J. Ryan was sent packing and Scott Downs couldn’t stay healthy. Frasor has never seemed to be afraid to pitch in the ninth, although I sure wish he’d pick up his pace. Downs is best suited in the eighth inning set-up role. And although he’s so frustratingly inconsistent, I’d like to see Brandon League get some action with the game on the line from time to time. His stuff is still the nastiest of any of the Jays’ relievers.
Phillip Dyck from Winnipeg, MB, asks: Why do you think the Jays batters have been hit so many times recently compared to the other teams? What I don't understand is why don't the Jays pitchers do the same?
CARSON: You are clearly talking about the spate of games over the last month where Blue Jays batters were used for target practice, getting drilled on a nightly basis. It was nice to see that they finally responded with Jesse Carlson whistling a pitch behind Jorge Posada’s back, leading to a brawl in the Bronx, and Wednesday night at Fenway Park when Roy Halladay exacted revenge on David Ortiz after Adam Lind was hit on the elbow the night before by Jonathan Papelbon after Lind had hit three home runs. I think it’s a respect thing why the Jays have been getting hit so much. Before the two aforementioned responses by the Jays, opponents seemed to be able to throw at the Jays at will with little chance of retribution. Those days appear to be over.
I’ve culled through them all and decided on the top 10. Here they are.
Brandon Collins from Kingston, ON, asks: Do you think next year, if Vernon Wells continues to struggle, we could see Wells start around sixth or seventh in the lineup and not torture Jays’ fans while battling cleanup?
CARSON: The plan for 2009, as I hear it, would see both Aaron Hill and Adam Lind dropped down one spot in the order to fourth and fifth which, based on their outstanding seasons, makes perfect sense. Wells’ lost season was one of the reasons the Jays’ offence sputtered through the middle months. The power that Randy Ruiz showed makes him the perfect, cheap, choice at DH and I’m hoping that they are going to bring in another power bat, hopefully left-handed, to join the mix. As I see it, with his current production waning, Wells is best suited to hit seventh.
Mackenzie McCreight from Winnipeg, MB, asks: If Cito is gone next year, how do you think Aaron Hill and Adam Lind will perform? It seems pretty clear to me that he has had a tremendous influence on these guys.
Bones from Vancouver, BC, asks: How would you feel about moving the Jays Triple-A team to Vancouver?
CARSON: I would have no problem with the Jays placing their Triple-A team in Vancouver or any Canadian city. From a public relations standpoint, it would certainly make sense to spread the brand across the country. The unfortunate thing is the travel for players that get called up. That’s the downside of having the current team in Las Vegas, in terms of time and cost. Believe me cost always comes into play with this franchise. The obvious choice would be to have their top minor league team in Ottawa, which has a top-notch stadium and is just an hour away by plane with hourly flights.

Chris Klassen from Vancouver, BC, asks: Where does Randy Ruiz fit on the 2010 Toronto Blue Jays?
CARSON: I don’t see any reason why Ruiz would not be the everyday DH in 2009. Unless ownership significantly upgrades the payroll allowing them to bring in a veteran, big-money bat, then Ruiz, making a Major League minimum of $400,000, is a cost-effective alternative allowing them to spend funds on other holes. And why not? Ruiz has hit nine home runs in 30 games since winning the Pacific Coast League MVP. While he will strike out a lot, it’s not outrageous to think he could also hit 25-30 home runs.
Sharon Douglass from Cornerbrook, NL, asks: After watching Roy Halladay finish so strong this season, I’m hoping that they’ll be able to sign him to a contract extension and he’ll finish his career as Jay. What have you heard?
CARSON: A lot of things have to happen before addressing Halladay as he enters his final contract year with the Jays. First and foremost, the president/GM issue has to be resolved and the sooner (Monday?) the better. If ownership ups the payroll and they can surround him with proven free agents with an eye on going for it in 2010, then they keep Doc and worry about his coming free agency after next season. But if the payroll stays the same, I don’t see how they can keep him and just get two draft picks in 2011 for the greatest pitcher ever developed by this franchise. If they do decide to trade him, I’m hoping it’s outside of the AL East so that he won’t come back to haunt them six times a season.

Matt Danko from Calgary AB, asks: If J.P. Ricciardi is fired this off-season and by some strange chance you get hired as the new G.M., what would you do to this club in the off-season to make this team better?
CARSON: Were you the guy that was holding up a ‘SCOTT CARSON FOR G.M.’ sign at the Metrodome a couple of years back? If so, thanks! No, seriously, there is a litany of things I’d do, the first being going to Rogers, hat in hand, for a payroll boost to compete with the big boys. I would surround myself with the top scouts in the game and get this franchise back to going about things the ‘Blue Jay Way’ using the same blueprint that Pat Gillick did when turned the Jays into the model franchise from 1985-1993. Then it would be a contract extension for Halladay. And I would bring speed and switch-hitters back into the offensive equation, something that has been lacking in recent years. Oh, and I’d change the uniform back to the retro look that most Jays fans grew up with.

Gord Armstrong from Toronto, ON, asks: When do you think I will be able to purchase playoff tickets again?
CARSON: Keep putting your loonies and toonies in the jar and be patient. I know that sounds hollow with the fans’ patience being at an all-time low, but this team is still at least three years away from contending unless they can find the money to bring in outside talent. Sure they have developed several players/pitchers that are forming the nucleus of a good team, but they have yet to draft and develop the type of difference-makers that playoff teams need. The big decisions that will be made this off-season will go a long way to setting the direction of a franchise at the crossroads.
CARSON: That’s a very interesting question. We all assumed that Cito would be back next year, but with the front office picture so cloudy and recent revelations that he’s “lost the team,” that’s no longer a slam dunk. A new team president would likely bring in a new general manager who might bring in his own manager. As for Lind and Hill, I think Cito and hitting guru Gene Tenace had more of an influence on Lind than Hill. Lind was never too far from the veteran hitting minds and his breakout season is a testament to putting lessons into action. As for Hill, I think it was more a matter of him bouncing back from the lost concussion season of 2008 and finally putting it together. Either way, both these young hitters were the two brightest lights this season.
Thanks again for all the questions. We’ll try and do this again after the New Year as the Jays head toward spring training 2010.