--Roberto Alomar, arguably the best player to wear a Blue Jays uniform, will be a guest coach at the spring training. Alomar was an All-Star second baseman for the Jays from 1991 through 1995.
--At the end of the 2008 season, general manager J.P. Ricciardi expressed interest in obtaining a veteran hitter he could plug in as the designated hitter. Now that job will be split by two young left-handed hitters -- Travis Snider and Adam Lind. Lind is expected to get the majority of bats in the DH slot, and Snider figures to be the everyday left fielder. "We just feel it's going to take at-bats away from Travis Snider and Adam Lind," Ricciardi said of the option of adding a veteran player. --The Blue Jays added some depth to their Triple-A roster by signing OF Jason Lane and INF Brandon Fahey to minor-league deals. Both players received invitations to the Blue Jays major league spring training camp. Lane, 32, has appeared in 497 major league games, primarily with Houston, batting .241 with 61 home runs and 189 runs batted in. Fahey, 28, posted a .226 average with nine doubles, two triples and 12 RBIs in 58 games last year with Baltimore.
--General manager J.P. Ricciardi is confident that RHP Casey Janssen is recovered from shoulder surgery performed in March 2008 and will be a strong candidate for one of the two open spots in the starting rotation. "There's nothing holding him back," Ricciardi said. "He's ready to go."
--The Blue Jays parted ways with assistant general manager Bart Given, marking the first time they have cut a member of their baseball operations in the economic downturn. Given, 35, had been with the Blue Jays since 1998 and had been an assistant to general manager J.P. Ricciardi and a vice-president of baseball operations since 2006. His duties will fall to fellow assistant GMs, Alex Anthopoulos and Tony LaCava.
BY THE NUMBERS: 28.8 -- The percentage of runners thrown out in 2008 by C Rod Barajas, fourth best in the American League.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It would be nice to get Rafael Furcal, it would be nice to get Manny Ramirez. But hopefully we're putting ourselves in a position to get those players. Maybe we have to step back a bit for the future." -- Paul Beeston, president and chief executive officer, on the new fiscal responsibility of the Blue Jays.
