"The Doc Deal"

One of the biggest trades in Blue Jays history (known as "The Doc Deal") was executed on December 16, 2009, when the Blue Jays traded Roy Halladay and US$6 million to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud and Michael Taylor;^[1] Taylor was then traded to the Oakland Athletics for Brett Wallace. Halladay signed a contract extension with the Phillies worth $60 million for 3 years, with an option for another year worth $20 million.^[2] The Phillies were scheduled to play in Toronto on June 25, 26 and 27, however due to the G20 summit meeting in Toronto, those games were held in Philadelphia. Halladay made his first start against his old team in spring training, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits.

Arrivals and departures

For more detailed information about arrivals and departures see Free agency and Waivers.

In total, the Blue Jays lost 16 players in the offseason, 4 as free agents, but one re-signed. It was a trade-filled offseason, including The Doc Deal, which landed the Jays three players for Roy Halladay. The Jays made five trades in total. The Jays traded cash considerations for two pitchers in separate deals, and traded a player to be named for Zach Jackson. All told, the Blue Jays added 26 new players to their roster.^[3]

Free agency

Of the five major league free agents of the Blue Jays, John McDonald was the only one to re-sign with the team, accepting a two-year, $3 million deal. Michael Barrett and Kevin Millar were designated for assignment and subsequently released, becoming minor league free agents. Rod Barajas declined salary arbitration, signing a contract with the New York Mets in February 2010;^[4] this gave the Blue Jays a supplemental first-round compensation draft pick for the 2010 Major League Baseball draft (pick 41). Marco Scutaro signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox, giving the Blue Jays Boston's second-round draft pick (pick 81) and a supplemental first-round compensation draft pick (pick 32).

The team non-tendered Raúl Chávez, then signed him to a minor league deal. The Blue Jays signed shortstop Álex González to a one-year, $2.75 million contract on November 26, 2009, and catcher John Buck to a one-year, $2 million contract on December 16, 2009.

On January 13, 2010, the Blue Jays signed four minor leaguers, Chris Lubanski, Willie Collazo, Jorge Padilla and Jesús Merchán.^[5] On January 19, they also signed Jeremy Reed and Steven Register to minor-league contracts,^[6] and on January 22 the Blue Jays signed Shawn Hill.^[7]

On January 19, 2010, José Molina signed a one-year deal with an option for 2011 with the Blue Jays, and on February 2, 2010, relief pitcher Kevin Gregg signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Blue Jays.

Blue Jays minor league free agents signed by other teams include Fabio Castro (Boston), Bill Murphy (Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan), and Bryan Bullington and Buck Coats (both signed by the Kansas City Royals).

Waivers

The Blue Jays made some moves with potential on the waiverwire. Alex Anthopolous made his first transaction ever when he picked up reliever Sean Henn from the Orioles in late October 2009. He acquired Jarrett Hoffpauir on November 3. Once free agency started to kick in, he claimed shortstop Mike McCoy from Colorado, and never made a transaction for the rest of 2009. Anthopolous made his first waiver claim of 2010 on January 7, when he claimed Brian Bocock from the San Francisco Giants. Bocock was waived and picked up by the Phillies on January 26. The Blue Jays' only waiver loss during the 2009–2010 offseason was utility player Joe Inglett, who was claimed by the Texas Rangers.

Salary arbitration

On January 15, 2010, six Blue Jay pitchers filed for salary arbitration.^[8] Shaun Marcum^[8] re-signed with the Blue Jays on January 18 to a one-year, $850,000 contract.^[9] The next day, Jeremy Accardo, Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, Casey Janssen and Brian Tallet^[8] signed one-year deals with the club.

Staff

With three games left during the 2009 season, articles about Cito Gaston in the Toronto media suggested that some players had turned against him. Gaston responded to the accusations by saying "I've treated everybody with respect, so I am not sure what their bitch is."^[10] There was also a report that Gaston's managerial techniques caused Scott Rolen to request a trade out of Toronto. Vernon Wells stated that "Obviously, there are issues". On the same topic, Wells was asked if he could play for the Jays next season, and he replied with "I cannot answer that at this point in time".^[11] One day later, Blue Jays General Manager J. P. Ricciardi was fired. Ricciardi had received criticism for signing bulky, no-trade-clause contracts to players such as Vernon Wells, Frank Thomas, Alex Ríos and B. J. Ryan; three of the four were eventually released. Problems were also raised with Ricciardi's drafts and scouting. He had drafted more than 200 players during his tenure, and had only six were the major league players at the time of his firing. One of his biggest failures was drafting Russ Adams 14th overall in the 2002 entry draft,^[12] passing by future All-Stars pitchers Scott Kazmir, Cole Hamels, and Matt Cain, also missing out on Nick Swisher. In other drafts, such as the one in 2005,^[13] he narrowly missed out on a franchise player, like Ryan Braun and one pick later, got Ricky Romero, who took more time to develop. Some others criticized him for not drafting 30-home run slugger Troy Tulowitzki. Ricciardi made one of his biggest mistakes publicizing a trade for the face of the Blue Jays, Roy Halladay. In an interview on the FAN 590, he was asked if he was interested in trading Halladay, and he replied by saying "We would not be doing our job if we did not entertain offers from other teams". He went on to make numerous trade offers to the Phillies for top pitching prospects, primarily Kyle Drabek, or J. A. Happ.^[14] The Phillies stuck with reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee instead, closing any door on Halladay being traded. The Jays had just lost three of four in a crucial series in New York when the rumours started, and the Jays' season went downhill. Affected by the trade talks, the Jays went from seven games behind to 13, and the Rays surpassed the Jays for good during the slide. On October 30, Cito Gaston announced that he will retire after the 2010 season, but he signed a four-year consulting deal with the Jays for post-retirement. The Jays had two other members of the coaching staff leave; Brad Arnsberg left to be the Pitching Coach of the Houston Astros, and hitting coach Gene Tenace also announced that he will retire, only he will not be present for the 2010 season. These moves resulted in former bullpen coach, Bruce Walton becoming the pitching coach, and the former first base coach Dwayne Murphy took over at hitting coach. The two new coaches are Rick Langford, who took the helm as Bullpen Coach, and Omar Malavé became the new first base coach. Brian Butterfield moved from first to third giving Malave room at first, and bumping Nick Leyva up to be the bench coach.

Ownership

After the death of Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers following the 2008 season, speculation has also surrounded a potential change in team ownership. Home attendance reached its lowest since the 2003 season, and the Jays' management pursued attempts to shed payroll, including the releases of B. J. Ryan and Alex Ríos and the trade of Scott Rolen to the Cincinnati Reds. These moves spurred fans to speculate that Rogers Communications was attempting to make the franchise more attractive to potential buyers. On October 21, 2009, during an interview with radio station Fan 590, Tony Viner, the president and CEO of the company's media division that also controls the Blue Jays, stated emphatically that, "the team is not for sale. We are committed to winning and to doing the things that it takes to win."^[15]

2009

• September 15: Blue Jays and the rest of the MLB release the 2010 schedule.^[16]

• October 3: J. P. Ricciardi is fired as GM of the Toronto Blue Jays, and was replaced by Assistant General Manager Alex Anthopoulos.^[17] He had been criticised "for poor free agent signings and off-field missteps".^[17]
• October 9: The Blue Jays make their first offseason moves in the front office, changing up their scouting officials. Andrew Tinnish has been named Director of Amateur Scouting, Perry Minasian was named Director of Professional Scouting, and Jon Lalonde has been named their Professional Scout. These moves resulted in Rob Ducey being relieved of his duties.^[18] Alex Anthopoulos makes changes to the Jays Player Development Department as Tony LaCava and Charlie Wilson are named Directors. Doug Davis was named Minor League Field Coordinator, resulting in Mike Basso being relieved of his duties; Dick Scott was also let go.^[19]
• October 13: GM Alex Anthopoulos hires former scouting director of the Washington Nationals Dana Brown as a special assistant. Alex and Dana were together in 2002, with the Montreal Expos.^[20]
• October 26: Blue Jays name Mel Didier and Mel Queen as Senior Advisors to the player development staff.^[21]
• October 27: Blue Jays sign Paul Beeston as their president and CEO for 3 years.^[22]
• October 28: The Jays designated catcher Michael Barrett for assignment. Blue Jays claim left-handed relief pitcher Sean Henn off waivers from the Orioles.^[23] Blue Jays name Mike Mordecai Roving Minor League Infield Instructor.^[24]
• October 30: Cito Gaston announces that 2010 will be his final season as a manager; he signed a four-year consulting deal with the team, starting from 2011. Pitching coach Brad Arnsberg quit, then signed a contract with the Houston Astros, and hitting coach Gene Tenace announced his retirement from baseball. Bullpen coach Bruce Walton was reassigned as the pitching coach, and the former first base coach Dwayne Murphy was named the hitting coach. Rick Langford was signed as the bullpen coach, and Omar Malavé as the first base coach. Brian Butterfield and Nick Leyva switched roles, the former becoming the third base coach and the latter the bench coach.^[25]
• November 3: Blue Jays claim second baseman Jarrett Hoffpauir off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. This triggered the Jays to designate relief pitcher Bill Murphy for assignment, making room for Hoffpauir on the 40-man roster.^[26] Blue Jays also announced that third baseman Edwin Encarnación underwent surgery on October 30 for a damaged left wrist, the same procedure center fielder Vernon Wells was scheduled to undergo. This is the same wrist Wells damaged in early 2008 while making a sensational diving catch in Cleveland. Wells underwent successful surgery on November 13.^[27]
• November 6: 1B/ DH Kevin Millar files for free agency.^[28]
• November 8: Blue Jays call off a trade that would have sent Lyle Overbay to Arizona for Chris Snyder.
• November 9: Rod Barajas files for free agency.^[29]
• November 12: Adam Lind and Aaron Hill are awarded the AL Silver Slugger for their respective positions for their performance in 2009.^[30] Alex Anthopoulos adds even more scouts, naming Gary Rajsich a professional cross-checker, Brandon Mozley as a regional cross-checker, Brian Parker as the professional scout, and Dan Cox as an area scout.
• November 16: The Blue Jays release their 2010 spring training schedule.^[31]
• November 19: Blue Jays add Reidier Gonzalez to the 40-man roster, preventing him from being eligible for the Rule 5 draft on December 10.^[32]
• November 20: MLB free agency period begins, resulting in the loss of Marco Scutaro and John McDonald.^[33]
• November 25: Infielder John McDonald signs a two-year, $3 million deal with the Jays.^[34]
• November 26: Shortstop Álex González signs a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Jays.^[35]
• December 1: Blue Jays offer salary arbitration to Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas. If the one-year deals are declined (which they were), the Blue Jays would receive three compensation picks for the 2010 Draft (2 for Scutaro, one for Barajas).^[36]
• December 3: Marco Scutaro signs a deal with the Boston Red Sox, thus rewarding the Jays with two compensation picks for the 2010 MLB Entry Draft.
• December 4: Blue Jays lose utility player Joe Inglett to the Texas Rangers via waivers.^[37]
• December 7: Red Sox pick up minor league free agent Fabio Castro from the Blue Jays.^[38]
• December 8: Rod Barajas declines salary arbitration, giving the Jays another compensation pick.^[39]
• December 10: Blue Jays acquire pitcher Zech Zinicola through the rule 5 draft.^[40]
• December 11: Blue Jays announce that Buck Martinez will join Rogers Sportsnet, and that current play-by-play announcer Jamie Campbell will be reassigned to a new role with Sportsnet.^[41]
• December 13: Blue Jays lose catcher Raúl Chávez as a non-tender free agent. The Blue Jays must now pick up two free-agent catchers to fill the void behind the plate.^[42] Blue Jays make some moves at catcher, signing John Buck to a one-year, $2 million deal. The Jays also kept Chávez on the free agent wire for a short time, as they re-signed him to a minor league deal. The Jays also netted speedy centerfielder Joey Gathright as anticipated. They also avoided salary arbitration, as they re-signed José Bautista to a one-year, $2.4 million deal. They also struck a 1-year, $500,000 deal with Dustin McGowan.^[43]
• December 14: Blue Jays trade ace Roy Halladay to Philadelphia.^[44] See "The Doc Deal" for full story.
• December 22: Brandon League and a minor league player are traded to the Seattle Mariners for Brandon Morrow.^[45]

2010

• January 7: Jays claim shortstop Brian Bocock off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.^[46]
• January 9: Pitcher Zach Jackson gets traded from Cleveland back to Toronto for a player to be named.^[47]
• January 18: Shaun Marcum signs a 1-year, $850,000 deal to avoid salary arbitration.
• January 19: Five other pitchers (Jeremy Accardo, Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, Casey Janssen and Brian Tallet) avoid arbitration and re-sign with the Blue Jays.^[48]
• January 20: Blue Jays acquire relief pitcher Merkin Valdez from San Francisco for cash considerations.^[49]
• January 22: Shawn Hill signs a minor league deal with the Jays.
• January 26: Brian Bocock is claimed off waivers by the Phillies.
• February 2: Closer Kevin Gregg signs a 1-year, $2.75 million deal with the Blue Jays.^[50]
• February 4: It is announced that Dirk Hayhurst will undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery on February 5.^[51]
• February 6: Blue Jays acquire pitcher Dana Eveland from Oakland for cash considerations.^[52]
• February 19: World Series champion catcher José Molina signs a 1-year deal with the Jays, with a club option for 2011.^[53]
• March 4: Starter Scott Richmond is placed on the 60-Day disabled list, and pitcher Casey Fien is claimed off waivers to take Richmond's roster spot.^[54]
• March 18: Zech Zinicola fails to make the cut at Blue Jays camp and is returned to the Washington Nationals organization.^[55] The Jays also release Casey Fien.
• March 22: Shaun Marcum is named the opening day starter for 2010.^[56]

• March 28: Joey Gathright is released by the Jays.
• April 5: Toronto kicks off their 2010 season against the Texas Rangers; Toronto lost 5–4.
• April 12: Toronto loses their home opener 8–7 to the Chicago White Sox in 11 innings.
• April 13: Toronto signs free agent shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a 4-year, $10,000,000 contract. He is optioned to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League.^[57]

• April 16: The Blue Jays make another trade with San Francisco, as they acquire speedy outfielder Fred Lewis for a player to be named.^[58]

• June 1: Blue Jays acquire Minor League pitcher Ronald Uviedo from Pittsburgh for left-handed pitcher Dana Eveland.^[59]

• July 14: Blue Jays acquire shortstop Yunel Escobar and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes from Atlanta for shortstop Álex González and two minor leaguers.^[60]

• July 29: Blue Jays acquire outfield prospect Anthony Gose from Houston for infield prospect Brett Wallace.^[61]

• August 11: Despite the team's surprising success during the 2010 season, Cito Gaston confirms he will not return as manager.^[62]

American League East

American League Wild Card

Record vs. opponents

• Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2010

Roster

Injuries

The Blue Jays suffered their first injury seconds into 2010, when a freak accident occurred. Third baseman Edwin Encarnación was celebrating New Years at his hometown in Dominican Republic when a fireworks malfunction caused fireworks to go out of control. Encarnación suffered minor facial injuries to the front and right side of his face after he was struck by a firecracker rocket near his jaw and it exploded. No serious damage was done, and Encarnación was ready to play by spring training. He suffered first and second-degree burns.^[68] The Jays still have other injury issues with their pitching staff. Their 3–4–5 pitchers in 2008 all underwent Tommy John surgery, and are all expected to be back for 2010. Jesse Litsch underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2009, and it is hoped he will return to the active roster in June 2010. Shaun Marcum also underwent Tommy John surgery after he went down late in 2008, and while a September 2009 return was possible, the Jays decided to sideline him for the rest of 2009. Marcum was the team's starter for Opening Day 2010, and will be the ace of the rotation. Dustin McGowan was the third Jay to have the same surgery, and he is not expected to be back in time for the start of 2010. A May return is a more realistic time for McGowan to return.^[69] On January 29, McGowan took a step forward as he threw off a mound, with no pain.^[70] Pitcher Dirk Hayhurst had arthroscopic shoulder surgery on February 5, and he will be out indefinitely. A couple of days before pitchers and catchers reported for training, Scott Richmond was sidetracked with a shoulder impingement,^[71] which can be a sign of tendinitis or an actual tear of the rotator cuff. Richmond was later placed on the 60-day DL. Jesse Litsch and Dirk Hayhurst were placed on the 60-day DL on the week that pitchers and catchers reported.^[72] The Jays suffered no major injuries during spring training except for Marc Rzepczynski, who suffered a broken finger on a bouncer that came back to the mound. Rzepczynski was placed on the 15-day DL along with Dustin McGowan, due to arm fatigue.^[73] The first injury during the season was a significant one, as All-Star second baseman Aaron Hill was placed on the 15-Day DL with a tight hamstring on April 12.

Expectations

As expected the Blue Jays are entering 2010 as re-builders, due to the loss of hitters (Barajas and Scutaro) to free agency, and the blockbuster trade of their long-time ace Roy Halladay for non-MLB ready prospects. Most fans and writers have called 2010 a rebuilding year, but a bright future is projected by Blue Jay writers and reporters.^[74] It was a different story at "State of the Franchise" press conference held at the Rogers Centre on January 28, 2010. Paul Beeston said "we're not in a rebuild mode. We're in build mode". Alex Anthopolous then discussed his interest in free agents Carlos Delgado and Johnny Damon. Cito Gaston said he wants Carlos Delgado back. Beeston said in a later interview that winning will bring fans into the stadium, and that is their goal.^[75]

Summary

Standings

Regular season

The 2010 MLB and Toronto Blue Jays schedule was announced on September 15, 2009. It includes 162 games (as usual) – 81 at home, 81 on the road. The Jays open and close on the road, started off in Arlington and lost to Rangers on Easter Monday, and will close it out with a four-game set in the brand new Target Field against the Twins. The Jays home opener opponent was the Chicago White Sox on a Monday night at 7:20 pm (past home openers have started at 7:15 pm), and lost 8–7 in 11 innings. The Jay's final home game of 2010 will be held on September 29 against the New York Yankees.

• All times are p.m. Eastern

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging percentage

Source:

Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts

Source: