Blue Jays finish spring training on winning note over Phillies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Josh Johnson will never complain about this kind of run support.

Jose Bautista hit his sixth homer of the spring and the Toronto Blue Jays rode their high-powered offense to a 10-4 drubbing of the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

``It's something I can get used to,'' Johnson said.

Playing a lineup of regulars in their exhibition finale, the Blue Jays jumped on Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick right away. Bautista took the right-hander deep with two outs in the first inning, and Toronto scored four times in the third - highlighted by doubles from Jose Reyes and Edwin Encarnacion.

``We're ready to go,'' Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. ``Everybody's excited. I think these two games here were good for us. It's a lot like the regular season, in a big stadium with big crowds. It helps rev things up a little bit.''

A crowd of 40,811 came out to watch the Phillies finish their exhibition schedule at 16-17-1, the same as Toronto. John Mayberry Jr. homered for Philadelphia leading off the third, and newcomer Michael Young had a two-run double.

Johnson, acquired in a blockbuster trade with Miami during the offseason, allowed four runs and four hits in four innings for the Blue Jays. He struck out two, walked two and finished with a 2.70 ERA in 20 spring innings.

The 29-year-old right-hander gave up all his runs Saturday in the third.

``I was just rushing,'' he said. ``Once I calmed myself down, I made some pretty good pitches and got myself out of it. It was good to get that one out of the way.''

Last season, Johnson went 8-14 with a 3.81 ERA in 31 starts for the last-place Marlins.

Kendrick, slated to start Philadelphia's home opener on April 5, gave up five runs and six hits in three innings. He had a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings this spring.

``I felt good,'' said Kendrick, the team's No. 4 starter. ``My arm feels good. My body feels good. Today, the results obviously weren't there. I fell behind in some counts and gave up some runs. The good thing is they don't count. I'll be ready to go.''

Toronto also appears ready to go after an aggressive winter in which the club emerged as a top contender in the AL East. The Blue Jays acquired a four-time All-Star in Reyes, revamped their pitching staff by adding R.A. Dickey, Johnson and Mark Buehrle, and signed outfielder in Melky Cabrera, who was leading the NL with a .346 batting average last year before he was suspended for a positive drug test.

Dickey, the NL Cy Young Award winner, will start the season opener Tuesday against Justin Masterson and the Cleveland Indians.

``We're a deep team and have everything it takes to do it,'' Johnson said. ``Now we have to go out and do it. I've been waiting for this moment for a while. It's going to be fun.''

The Phillies open the regular season Monday night in Atlanta, with Cole Hamels facing Tim Hudson. The 2008 World Series champions, the Phillies were riddled with injuries last season and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

``There's been a lot of talk of underdog role, but we have experienced winning and being an underdog,'' first baseman Ryan Howard said. ``A lot of that is all talk. Not to take anything away from the

(Washington) Nationals. Those guys had a great season last year. They won the division, but that's why we've got to go out there and play the games. It's not 2012 anymore, it's 2013.''

NOTES: The Phillies set their opening day roster before the game. Humberto Quintero beat out Steven Lerud for the backup catcher's job, and LHP Raul Valdes secured the final spot in a three-lefty bullpen. ... For the second straight game, pitchers Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels assisted the Phillie Phanatic in launching hot dogs into the stands. ... Toronto closer Casey Janssen and left-handed reliever Darren Oliver stayed in Dunedin, Fla., to pitch against minor leaguers. They'll rejoin the team for Monday's workout at Rogers Centre. ... Johnson is scheduled to make his first regular-season start Friday against the Boston Red Sox. ... Encarnacion double twice and drove in a pair of runs.

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Mets' Johan Santana to undergo 2nd shoulder surgery

Johan Santana is set for another shoulder surgery that he hopes will save his career.

The former New York Mets ace will have surgery Tuesday to repair the re-torn anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder, the team announced Saturday. The operation will be performed by Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek.

Santana is likely to miss the entire season for the second time in three years, which means he may have thrown his last pitch for the Mets. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is in the final year of a $137.5 million contract.

"It's very difficult. If anybody can do it, it would be Johan," Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said. "We wish him luck and we feel sick about what's happened."

Santana had surgery on Sept. 14, 2010, and did not make it back to the major leagues until last April 5. The 34-year-old left-hander didn't pitch in any exhibition games this spring and threw his last bullpen session in early March without the team's permission.

Mets third baseman David Wright said he was not surprised by Santana's decision to have surgery.

"I've known Johan long enough to know that I don't think that he'd want to go out like that. He's going to probably work just as hard, if not — if it's possible — work harder, to come back from this. I wouldn't be surprised at all if I see him pitch again," Wright said after the Mets lost to Baltimore 7-1 in their exhibition finale.

Santana's comeback reached its apex last June 1 when he pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history, throwing a career-high 134 pitches that night in his second consecutive shutout. But he was 3-7 with an 8.27 ERA after that, including 0-5 with a 15.63 ERA after throwing eight scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 30.

He went on the disabled list for three weeks because of a sprained ankle and didn't pitch after Aug. 17 because of lower back inflammation.

Warthen said Santana's injury isn't "a byproduct of the no-hitter."

New York owes Santana $31 million as part of the six-year deal he signed before the 2008 season, and general manager Sandy Alderson said the remainder of the contract is not covered by insurance.

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Giants hand Buster Posey largest deal in club history

At age 26, Buster Posey can envision one day retiring with the San Francisco Giants.

For now, he is their new franchise man.

The Giants rewarded the NL MVP and batting champion catcher with a $167 million, nine-year contract Friday, a deal that includes a club option for 2022 that could raise the value to $186 million over a decade.

"It's hard to put into words what I feel right now, just an incredible feeling know that for the next nine years I'll be a part of this very storied franchise," Posey said. "I'm incredibly humbled to know I'll be a part of that."

Posey had been due to make $8 million this year. He instead gets a $7 million signing bonus, with $5 million payable Oct. 15 and the remainder Jan. 15, and his 2013 salary is reduced to $3 million.

He will make $10.5 million in 2014, $16.5 million in 2015, $20 million in 2016 and $21.4 million in each of the following five seasons. The Giants' option is for $22 million with a $3 million buyout.

"Obviously this is a big day for the Giants and a big day in Giants history," CEO Larry Baer said. "By any measure the largest and boldest commitment we've ever made to a player, and obviously that's a big deal. We don't make these kinds of commitments lightly. ... In order to make a commitment like this we have to look at other measures, too, and look at the person. A nine-year commitment sounds like a lot but it wasn't scary to us when you look at Buster the person."

Historic contract

Posey's agreement includes a full no-trade clause and is the longest for a catcher and the largest in Giants history, surpassing Matt Cain's $127.5 million, six-year contract signed before the start of last season.

In addition, the deal is a record guarantee for a player with fewer than three years of major league service time — more than doubling the $80 million, seven-year contract Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez received before the 2011 season. It also is a record guarantee for a player with fewer than four years of service time, topping the $151.45 million over 11 years Colorado's Todd Helton was assured in March 2001.

"I don't know if we had a mountain to climb but we had a hill to climb to try to get on the same page," general manager Brian Sabean said. "If he's not the face of the franchise, he's certainly a player that comes around either once every baseball life or not that often."

The Giants captured their second championship in three years behind the play of the All-Star, who won the NL batting title and MVP award after missing most of 2011 following season-ending left leg and ankle injury.

Posey knows that there will be times things don't go as well as they have so far for him with a World Series and Rookie of the Year award in 2010 followed by another title and season of honours last year.

"You get kind of spoiled when you win the World Series in your first year," he said. "I can't see how you can play here and not want to spend your career here."

Posey received his deal a day after the Giants gave Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy contract extensions through 2016.

Impressive stats

Posey batted .336 with 24 homers and 103 RBIs while playing 148 games for the NL West champions, including 111 starts at catcher and 29 at first base. During the Giants' 2010 and '12 championship runs, Posey has hit a combined .244 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

Two of those homers and five RBIs came in last year's NL division series against the Reds, when San Francisco became the first team in big league history to rally from a 2-0 deficit to win a five-game series with three straight road victories.

"We've got a group of guys who are not going to rest on what we've accomplished so far," Posey said. "Nine years is a long time. It's exciting. I enjoy the challenge of trying to get better. I enjoy the ups and downs that baseball brings."

On May 25, 2011, Posey tore three ligaments in his left ankle and broke a bone in his lower leg in a devastating collision at the plate with Scott Cousins, then with the Marlins.

Posey received his nice payday two days after turning 26. He will donate $50,000 per year to Giants charities.

He could wind up playing his entire career in the Bay Area — and the Giants certainly hope that will be the case. The club posted a photo on its Twitter account Friday of Posey, Baer, Sabean, vice-president and assistant general manager Bobby Evans and Bochy — with the hashtag "SFG4Life."

"It's truly one of the great days for Giants fans," Baer said. "Our fans will be very privileged to watch Buster for the foreseeable future, and ideally Buster will be wearing a Giants uniform for the entirety of his career, which is our goal."

The 2010 NL Rookie of the Year is represented by the same agency that negotiated Cain's deal last year, and both sides were eager to do something again this year to lock Posey up for the long-term.

"We're extremely pleased to reach an agreement that keeps Buster in a Giants uniform for a long time," agent Jeff Berry of CAA Baseball said. "Buster and the Giants have brought each other mutual success, and this contract reflects Buster's extraordinary accomplishments in just three years in the Major Leagues."

The contract includes the following bonuses: $100,000 for NL MVP, $100,000 for World Series MVP, $75,000 for NL championship series MVP, $50,000 for a Gold Glove, $50,000 for All-Star Game election, $25,000 for All-Star selection and $50,000 for a Silver Slugger.

In 2010, Posey wasn't even called up from Triple-A Fresno until late May but still batted .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs in 108 games to help the Giants capture their first NL West crown since 2003.

Even with the injury, Posey plans to catch for as long as his body allows it.

"My passion is to be behind the plate for as long as I can," he said. "For anyone who's caught, it's a special position you can't describe until you get back there."

Yet he did once play all nine positions in one game during college.

San Francisco gave him $6.2 million when he signed in August 2008 as the fifth overall pick out of Florida State, the richest deal for an amateur joining the Giants.

For Evans in his negotiations, there weren't many players to use as a gauge for having so many accomplishments in such a short career. The Giants entered talks with the idea they would find a way to sign Posey for the long haul.

"The organization will be better off for it each day he's in our uniform," Sabean said.

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Justin Verlander, Tigers agree to record $180M deal

For Justin Verlander, $180 million was enough. No need to wait two seasons, become a free agent and find out how much baseball's biggest spenders would offer.

"I wondered what it would be like to test free agency, but the pull of Detroit was too much," the Tigers' ace said Friday after agreeing to a seven-year contract, the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history. "Once spring training started I knew I wanted to stay."

Verlander's deal broke the record for pitchers set just a month earlier when Seattle's Felix Hernandez agreed to a $175 million, seven-year contract.

"It's a very exciting day," Tigers President Dave Dombrowski said. "It's a big day for us. He's as fine a pitcher as there is in baseball. His record speaks for itself. He can be one of the greatest, if not the greatest pitcher in Tiger history."

The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner had been signed through 2014 under an $80 million, five-year contract paying him $20 million in each of the next two seasons.

The new deal keeps those salaries and adds $140 million in guaranteed money: $28 million each season from 2015-19. It includes a $22 million option for 2020 that would become guaranteed if he finishes among the top five in 2019 Cy Young voting. The deal could be worth $202 million over eight seasons.

"The city of Detroit is committed to winning," he said. "I'm so excited to be playing in Detroit. I was never shy about saying I wanted to stay in Detroit. It's tough to put into words how much I love Detroit. We have the best fans in baseball."

Considered an elite pitcher since winning the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year award, the 30-year-old right-hander is 124-65 with a 3.40 ERA in eight major league seasons with two no-hitters. He was 24-5 two years ago, becoming the first starting pitcher to sweep Cy Young and MVP since Boston's Roger Clemens in 1986.

Verlander also has compiled a 19-win season and two each of 18 and 17. He led the big leagues in strikeouts and innings in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

"He is never going to be content," Dombrowski said. "He wants a World Series, and he wants the Hall of Fame."

Verlander's teammates were pleased for their star pitcher.

"First, he deserves it because it means a lot for all of us," pitcher Max Scherzer said. "From now on, every time we go out to dinner, I am not even going to make a token effort to pull out my credit card. Every dinner this year is on him."

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National League players to watch

The 2013 Major League Baseball season opens Sunday evening with an all-Texas matchup between the Rangers and hometown Houston Astros, the American League's newcomers, followed by action on 12 fronts on "Opening Day" April 1.

It's a time when optimism will reign in several cities across the major leagues as many believe it could be one of the more wide-open seasons in recent memory.

But make no mistake. There are questions to go with the optimism.

Will Canadian closer John Axford turn in a rebound season in Milwaukee? Can Washington's Stephen Strasburg dominate National League hitters pitching a full season with his 96 mile-per-hour fastball? And will Joey Votto remain healthy and return to his MVP form of 2010 for Cincinnati?

All three men are featured in the gallery above as players to watch in the NL this season. In some cases, these aren't the best players on each team but those that bear watching, from a health or performance perspective.

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What will Melky Cabrera give the Blue Jays?

The Toronto Blue Jays' off-season signing of Melky Cabrera really signing surprised me. Here's what I think the Jays can expect this season from their new left-fielder as he comes off last year's 50-game suspension.

I'll admit, the Toronto Blue Jays' signing of Melky Cabrera surprised me.

To be fair, each of the big moves this off-season surprised me. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is great at keeping rumors from getting out before he is ready to announce a deal. But with all the salary the Jays took on in their blockbuster trade with the Marlins, I figured the Rogers ownership wouldn't spend any more money. I thought they'd hit the limit.

The Jays needed to improve on the production they got from left field last year. It was a sink hole. In spring training last year there was a battle for the left-field job between Eric Thames and Travis Snider. Both had good springs, and the Jays gave the job to Thames on the theory that he had it at the end of the 2011 season and had done nothing to lose the job.

When the season started, Thames did everything he could to lose the job, but Snider injured his wrist, so at the end of May Rajai Davis took over. He wasn't much better. When Snider was finally healthy, he got the role and did OK for 10 games before Anthopoulos traded him to the Pirates for Brad Lincoln. A few hours later Thames was sent to the Mariners for Steve Delabar, and Davis had the job again.

Those three played the lion's share of Toronto's games in left field (Anthony Gose had a few games at the end of the season). Davis had a WAR (explanation coming) of 0.5, Snider 0.0 and Thames minus-0.6, adding up to a WAR of minus-0.1 from the Jays' three main left-fielders.

For those unfamiliar with WAR, a quick explanation (if you're comfortable with WAR, you can skip this paragraph). WAR stands for Wins Above Replacement. Basically, it compares a player to the average triple-A player that any team could call up to fill a spot. It takes into account all the things a player does on the field. For non-pitchers, that means base running, defence and batting. Knowing the mathematical formula for calculating WAR isn't important. The rule of thumb is that a WAR of less than 1 is a poor player, 2 is an OK player, 3 a decent player, 4 a good player, 5 an All-Star, and 6-plus is an MVP-calibre star. You should also know that different websites have different formulas for WAR, which can vary the final number slightly. I'm using Fangraphs' WAR stats.

The Jays needed better production from left field, but I figured they would try to fill the role with Gose, even though he needs more time in the minors, because he wouldn't cost anything. I was wrong. Anthopoulos signed Cabrera to a two-year contract at $8 million US a year.

That might seem like a lot of money, but had it not been for the 50-game suspension he received for testing positive for high levels of testosterone, Cabrera would have received at least a four-year contract offer, at double the yearly pay, from someone. For comparison's sake, note that the Yankees just traded for Vernon Wells and will pay him about $7 million for each of the next two years (the Angels will pick up the rest of the tab). That the Jays are getting Cabrera for just a million more a season amazes me.

But what should we expect from Melky this year? Looking back at his career:

Year    Age  Team  Games  WAR
2006    21    NYY    130         1.7
2007    22    NYY    150         0.5
2008    23    NYY    129         0.2
2009    24    NYY    154         1.6
2010    25    ATL     147        -1.1
2011    26    KCR    155         4.2
2012    27    SFG    113         4.6

So, reading along, he came up young, and he had a pretty good rookie season. That's generally a good sign for a player's career. The best players make it to the majors at an early age. If a player can be average at age 21, you are looking at someone who is likely to be very good. But, in Melky's case, he didn't really progress over the next three seasons. He was traded to the Braves and had just an awful season for them. After the season, he signed with the Royals and suddenly he became a very good player.

I know what you're thinking: "That's when he started using PEDs." And you may be right. Coming off a terrible year, he may have been worried about his career and looking for an edge.

The question is: how much of the improvement came from a bottle and how much was a player entering his prime, finally figuring out the game?

Cabrera has talent. No one makes the majors at 21 without talent. The prime years for baseball players are generally 26-30. Players often take a big step forward entering those years. With Cabrera entering his age 28 season with Toronto, I don't think there were be a huge drop-off in production because of the lack of PEDs. I would think that Cabrera will be working extra hard to prove that the stats of the last two seasons weren't caused by cheating.

He is hitting great this spring. After Tuesday's game he had a .382 batting average with three home runs in 55 at bats (first rule of sports writing: don't read much into spring training stats, unless, of course, they support a point you are trying to make).

Last year, Melky was hitting .346 when his season ended after 113 games due to the suspension. He won't hit .346 again this year. That average was propelled by a .379 BABIP (batting average on balls in play), a number that isn't sustainable. This year his BABIP is likely to be closer to his career mark of .311.

We also have to factor in his new home ballpark, the Rogers Centre, which is a much better place for hitters. Home runs fly out of there much easier than at San Francisco's AT&T Park. Doubles and triples also happen more often on Rogers' harder-than-grass artificial surface.

My guess is that Melky will finish with a WAR of about 4, a batting average around .300, with 15 to 20 home runs, which is much better than the production the Jays received from their left fielders last year.

Spring training notes

• Brett Lawrie will start the season on the 15-day DL, but the start date of his DL stint is backdated to the last time he played in a spring game, so he could be back on the roster as soon as April 6. Maicer Izturis and Mark DeRosa will split time at third base until he's ready to play.
• Jose Bautista has hit five home runs this spring, so we can feel pretty confident that he is recovered from the wrist injury that cost him 60-plus games last year.
• Edwin Encarnacion has missed a few games after he sprained a finger in the Dominican Republic's win in the WBC championship game. He took batting practice Tuesday and said there was no pain. He plans on playing Thursday.
• Emilio Bonifacio leads the team in spring stolen bases and appears to have won at least a share of the second base job. He should be playing second on opening day.
• Potential closers Sergio Santos and Casey Janssen both have missed time this spring with arm soreness but both look to be ready for opening day.
• J.P. Arencibia caught R.A. Dickey's knuckleball several times this spring, including Dickey's two WBC starts, and has impressed his manager enough to get to catch Dickey on opening day. 41-year-old Henry Blanco has won the backup catcher spot over Josh Thole. I think Thole would be the better choice, but the team feels that he would be better off playing every day in Buffalo.
• Starting pitcher Josh Johnson is having a great spring. He has a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings, with just one walk and 21 strikeouts. Johnson is a free agent after this season.

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2013 Toronto Blue Jays vs. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays

With the Toronto Blue Jays' overhauled roster getting set to hit the diamond for the start of the regular season next week, many fans are dreaming of a return to the post-season and perhaps even a World Series championship for the first time since the team won its second consecutive title in 1993.

But how do the 2013 Jays stack up to their 1993 counterparts?

Is Jose Bautista a better outfield slugger than Joe Carter? R.A. Dickey a superior Opening Day starting pitcher to Jack Morris? Adam Lind a more reliable first baseman than John Olerud? (OK, some matchups are easier to call than others).

Judge for yourself by comparing the 2013 and 1993 Blue Jays, position by position, with this interactive graphic from The Canadian Press:

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National League players to watch

The 2013 Major League Baseball season opens Sunday evening with an all-Texas matchup between the Rangers and hometown Houston Astros, the American League's newcomers, followed by action on 12 fronts on "Opening Day" April 1.

It's a time when optimism will reign in several cities across the major leagues as many believe it could be one of the more wide-open seasons in recent memory.

But make no mistake. There are questions to go with the optimism.

Will Canadian closer John Axford turn in a rebound season in Milwaukee? Can Washington's Stephen Strasburg dominate National League hitters pitching a full season with his 96 mile-per-hour fastball? And will Joey Votto remain healthy and return to his MVP form of 2010 for Cincinnati?

All three men are featured in the gallery above as players to watch in the NL this season. In some cases, these aren't the best players on each team but those that bear watching, from a health or performance perspective.

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Blue Jays option struggling Ricky Romero to single-A Dunedin

Ricky Romero's encouraging start Tuesday was not enough to make up for a rocky pre-season.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced that the left-hander has been optioned to single-A Dunedin of the Florida State League.

The move came shortly after Romero picked up the win in Toronto's 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh. It was considered a make-or-break start for Romero, who had a decent outing but didn't do enough to make up for his spring struggles.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the left-hander simply ran out of time to make him as good as he should be to be part of the club's rotation.

"We ran out of time," Anthopoulos said. "He's working on something that he hasn't completed yet. We didn't have enough time to get him to get him to complete it."

Romero went 1-1 in five Grapefruit League starts with a 6.23 earned-run average. But his worst outing doesn't show up in the exhibition standings. Romero was lit up in a worrying minor-league start last week, allowing four runs and five walks while retiring only eight batters.

Romero opened last season as Toronto's No. 1 starter, but struggled to a 9-14 record with a 5.77 ERA in 32 starts.

The move Tuesday came hours after Romero allowed six hits, three walks and three runs (two earned) while striking out two over 4 1/3 innings against Pittsburgh.

"Ricky was better today, there's no doubt about it and he's making strides," Anthopoulos said. "You could see it, everything was better but he's not there yet. Could we have started with him? Sure, and ultimately it may have come in Toronto as well because he's making strides here. But he's not ready and he's not as sharp as he needs to be and he needs more time."

Dunedin, the club's affiliate in the advanced-A Florida State League, was chosen because the weather is more conducive for getting in consistent work than teams in the northeast.

"It's hard to work on things at the big-league level," Anthopoulos said. "It's so results oriented."

The adjustments Romero is making involve him having his hips facing more directly to home plate on his delivery. He tends to throw across his body at times and that hampers his control.

Anthopoulos could not say how long the process would take, but he said that Romero has been showing progress during his work between starts.

Rotation spots

"It's now a matter of carrying over his bullpens to his games," Anthopoulos said. "And that takes time."

Romero found himself fighting for the last spot in the rotation this spring after the Jays picked up R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle over the off season.

J.A. Happ, who has pitched well in spring training, will likely get Romero's fifth spot in the rotation. Happ has a spring training record of 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA in six outings, including five starts.

Happ is scheduled to make his first start of the season on April 6 against the Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays open the season April 2 against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre.

Holdover Brandon Morrow is the other starter.

After his outing Tuesday, Romero seemed encouraged.

"Just focus on positives right now," he said. "I did some great things out there. It was a little bit weird with the weather and some balls kind of fell. I felt great. It's a good start.

"I'm just trying to find that rhythm," Romero continued. "I'm not trying to win the Cy Young or anything this spring. Obviously the results haven't been there and I see it, but it's not like I'm not working. Sometimes I overwork on stuff and try to see the results so quick. I think that's the biggest problem. Sometimes we want to see results right away and it doesn't happen you get frustrated."

Romero has been working with pitching coach Pete Walker on adjusting his delivery. There were times when the fastball didn't come out Tuesday at full velocity.

"Some of those were fastballs, sometimes you kind get a little out of whack and you try to aim and all of a sudden you get back on your horse and then you get back to your normal velocity," he said. "It's just a matter of getting back to that arm angle and not speeding up the body, and when I speed up the body it seems like I'm throwing a grenade to home plate and it's not as fast as it should be. When I stay within myself and stay back within my mechanics it's pretty natural."

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2013 Toronto Blue Jays vs. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays

With the Toronto Blue Jays' overhauled roster getting set to hit the diamond for the start of the regular season next week, many fans are dreaming of a return to the post-season and perhaps even a World Series championship for the first time since the team won its second consecutive title in 1993.

But how do the 2013 Jays stack up to their 1993 counterparts?

Is Jose Bautista a better outfield slugger than Joe Carter? R.A. Dickey a superior Opening Day starting pitcher to Jack Morris? Adam Lind a more reliable first baseman than John Olerud? (OK, some matchups are easier to call than others).

Judge for yourself by comparing the 2013 and 1993 Blue Jays, position by position, with this interactive graphic from The Canadian Press:

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American League players to watch

The 2013 Major League Baseball season opens Sunday evening with an all-Texas matchup between the Rangers and hometown Houston Astros, the American League's newcomers, followed by action on 12 fronts on "Opening Day" April 1.

It's a time when optimism will reign in several cities across the major leagues as many believe it could be one of the more wide-open seasons in recent memory.

But make no mistake. There will be questions to go with the optimism.

Will Baltimore Orioles closer Jim Johnson repeat his 51-save season of a year ago? Can R.A. Dickey duplicate his National League Cy Young numbers pitching for the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto? And will Canadian outfielder Michael Saunders carry his MVP performance in Round 1 of the World Baseball Classic into the season with Seattle?

All three men are featured in the gallery above as players to watch in the AL this season. In some cases, these aren't the best players on each team but those that bear watching, whether it be from a health or performance perspective.

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Josh Johnson strikes out 8 as Blue Jays dominate Phillies

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) J.P. Arencibia received some good news before the game and made more during Toronto's one-sided victory over Philadelphia.

Arencibia homered twice, Josh Johnson struck out eight in 5 1-3 shutout innings and the Blue Jays beat the Phillies 13-4 on Monday.

Toronto manager John Gibbons said prior to the first pitch that both Arencibia and backup Henry Blanco will catch knuckleballer R.A. Dickey this season.

That means Arencibia will start on opening day.

``It's not about me, it's about the team,'' Arencibia said. ``It hasn't been the craziest transition. I think that I've proved I've been able to catch him pretty well.''

The Blue Jays had been thinking about having a personal catcher, possibly Blanco, work with Dickey fulltime.

``After watching J.P. catch him in the WBC and did a nice job, they'll both catch him,'' Gibbons said. ``To be honest with you, I thought J.P. might have a hard time with him and catching a knuckleball.''

Arencibia hit a three-run shot and Jose Reyes had a two-run triple during an eight-run second off Phillies starter John Lannan. Mark DeRosa, Rajai Davis and Melky Cabrera each had RBI singles.

``A great lineup, and they're swinging,'' said Lannan, who allowed 12 runs and 14 hits over four innings.

``Most of the day I was up in the zone, and they took advantage,'' Lannan added. ``For the most part, it was solid contact. You've got to move on. You've got to kind of look at it like, you're getting it out of the way I hope.''

Arencibia, who had three hits, added a two-run drive in a three-run fourth.

Johnson gave up four hits and one walk. The right-hander also started March 15 in Dunedin, a 17-5 Blue Jays victory over the New York Yankees.

``Awesome,'' Johnson said. ``The last start I had over here, it was the same thing - long innings - but I'll take (it).''

Toronto closer Casey Janssen struck out all three of his hitters in his second spring training appearance. He had surgery in November to address lingering shoulder soreness.

Zach Miner replaced Lannan in the fifth and gave up Cabrera's leadoff homer.

It wasn't all good news for the home team. Toronto third baseman Brett Lawrie will start the regular season on the disabled list due to a strained rib. He felt discomfort in his left side during an exhibition game with Canada's WBC team against the Cincinnati Reds on March 6.

``He's not going to be ready,'' Gibbons said. ``It's not like he had a big setback or anything, it's a precautionary thing.''

Lawrie doesn't have a timetable on when he might return.

``When I do things out on the field, it just doesn't feel it's right on that side,'' Lawrie said. ``Now I'm just trying to make sure that it's 100 percent and everything is out of there, and I can just go out there and play.''

The Blue Jays will likely platoon DeRosa and Maicer Izturis at third.

Toronto first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, out with a sore right index finger, could play in the next couple days. He expects to take batting practice Tuesday.

Erik Kratz had a two-run single during the Phillies' four-run ninth off Brett Cecil.

---

NOTES: Johnson walked Ben Revere in the third. which was his first of the exhibition season. He has 21 strikeouts. ... Struggling Toronto LHP Ricky Romero will start Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh. ... Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick didn't make trip and was scheduled to pitch in a minor league game. ... The Blue Jays optioned RHP Brad Lincoln, C Josh Thole and OF Anthony Gose to Triple-A Buffalo, and sent RHP David Bush to their minor league camp. ... Toronto RHP Dustin McGowan, who had three shoulder operations in the last five years, is scheduled to pitch an inning Tuesday against the Pirates.

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Blue Jays' Brett Lawrie to start season on DL

The Toronto Blue Jays aren't willing to risk third baseman Brett Lawrie suffering another long-term injury.

The team announced Monday that the native of Langley, B.C., will open the season on the disabled list with strained rib cage. The Blue Jays had been holding out hope that Lawrie might be ready to open the season on time, but decided a careful approach was needed.

Last season Lawrie tried to play through pain and ended up missing two months with a right oblique injury.

"It's a precautionary thing," manager John Gibbons said Monday before Toronto's exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies. "And with those injuries, like we've said before, if you aggravate them again sometimes they become long-term and we don't want to risk that."

Lawrie has not played since March 6 after he strained a muscle in his left rib cage in Canada's exhibition game against the Cincinnati Reds leading up to the World Baseball Classic.

Because he has not played his move to the disabled list will be backdated, so that he will miss only the first four games of the season if he is ready to return.

Gibbons put no time frame on Lawrie's return.

"It's not like he had a big setback or anything," Gibbons said. "You look at the schedule, a week from tomorrow we're starting. He had limited at-bats before he went to the WBC and he hasn't had any since. Basically, we're not going to be able to get him into enough games before the season starts to feel comfortable with it."

Gibbons also said Monday regular catcher J.P. Arencibia and backup Henry Blanco would share the catching for knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey. Having a personal catcher for Dickey and his tricky knuckleball had been a consideration.

"They will both catch him," Gibbons said. "There will be nights when we want J.P.'s bat in there and it will also give Blanco a chance to catch some of the other pitchers."

Arencibia will catch Dickey in the season opening game on April 2 against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre.

Catcher Josh Thole, who caught Dickey last season when the two were with the New York Mets, was optioned to AAA Buffalo.

Dickey won the National League Cy Young Award last season.

The Blue Jays were satisfied with the way Arencibia handled the knuckleball in the WBC where he caught both Dickey's starts for Team USA.

'Good job'

"To be honest with you I thought J.P. might have a hard time catching the knuckleball, having never caught it and it kind of made sense [to have a personal catcher]," Gibbons said. "But he did a good job, all the reports we got and everything we saw. Henry won't strictly be his guy, they'll both catch him."

Dickey was asked for his input and agreed with the move.

"We asked him how he liked throwing to these guys." Gibbons said. "And he said: 'I like throwing to all of them. They all did a nice job."'

Blanco has caught Dickey's past two outings since he returned from the WBC, both minor-league games.

The moves were among those announced Monday as the Blue Jays solidify their roster for the opening of the season.

Gibbons said that the Blue Jays likely would have an eight-man bullpen to open the season while Lawrie is on the disabled list. Mark DeRosa and Maicer Izturis will share third base in Lawrie's absence.

First baseman Edwin Encarnacion is expected to return to action within the next few days and Gibbons expects him to be ready for the season opener. Encarnacion has not played since returning from helping the Dominican Republic win the WBC title because of a swollen index finger

In other moves made Monday outfielder Anthony Gose was sent to triple-A Buffalo on option while right-handed pitcher David Bush was assigned to the minor-league camp and will start at Buffalo.

Catcher Mike Nickeas will stay with the Blue Jays through their two exhibition games Friday and Saturday against the Phillies in Philadelphia before being assigned to the minors, Gibbons said.

Right-hander Brad Lincoln, who has been out since March 9 with a sore right shoulder, was scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game on Monday. The plan had been to stretch him out so that he could be a long reliever or a starter and that if he opened the season in the minors it would be as a starter.

Instead he will be used a reliever when he opens his season, likely with Buffalo.

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Yankees work to acquire Vernon Wells: report

Vernon Wells might become the latest addition to the New York Yankees' injury-depleted lineup.

As the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 in 10 innings Sunday behind a pair of two-run homers by Kevin Youkilis, New York was negotiating with the Los Angeles Angels to acquire the outfielder.

A person familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks were ongoing, said the sides had not yet agreed to the money that would be included in a trade. Wells is owed $42 million over the next two seasons.

"Veteran leadership, a good guy," Youkilis said. "He's got power. Plays the outfield real well. I've always respected Vernon as a player. It would be great."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman declined comment. Before the game, Cashman said captain Derek Jeter was likely to join Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson on the disabled list at the start of the season.

The Angels are set in the outfield with Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos, and have designated hitter Mark Trumbo available as a backup. Wells would have to waive a no-trade provision to go to New York.

The 34-year-old Wells would take over in left field while Granderson is recovering from a broken right forearm and join an outfield that includes centre fielder Brett Gardner and right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. Wells is owed $21 million in each of the next two seasons as part of the $126 million, seven-year contract he agreed to with Toronto in December 2006. Los Angeles would have to agree to pay most of the remaining money.

Wells hit .230 with 11 homers and 29 RBIs last year and has just 36 homers and 95 RBIs in two seasons with the Angels. He is batting .361 in spring training this year with four homers and 11 RBIs in 36 at-bats.

"We haven't seem him a lot the last two year just because he was hurt some," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We don't see the Los Angeles Angels as much. I know when he was in our division, he was a very good player."

Jeter doubtful for opener

Jeter, recovering from surgery to repair the left ankle he broke last October during the AL championship series, probably will miss opening day for the first time since 2001 and only the second time since he became New York's shortstop in 1996. If he goes on the DL, he could be activated as soon as April 6.

Rodriguez isn't expected back until after the All-Star break following left hip surgery on Jan. 16. Teixeira hasn't ruled out missing the first two months of the season because of a partially torn tendon sheath in his right wrist, while Granderson is expected to be out until the first week of May.

The 38-year-old Jeter, who has repeatedly vowed to be ready for opening day, played in his first big league spring training game on March 9 as a designated hitter. He returned to shortstop four days later, then played consecutive games on March 15 and 16 before inflammation kept him out of the lineup.

He received an anti-inflammatory injection Wednesday and had four at-bats as a DH Saturday in a minor league exhibition game.

"I know Derek extremely well, and I can read his face," Cashman said. "And his face today tells me that the reality of his circumstances is starting to sink in, and the disabled list might be necessary. I told him what I think, and he didn't fight me on it. That's reality."

Eduardo Nunez, known for his bat more than his glove, would fill in at shortstop for the 13-time All-Star.

Jeter is 3 for 11 with a double in five spring training games. New York could put him on the DL backdated to Friday, meaning he could be activated on April 6, when the Yankees are at Detroit.

"It's a goal, it doesn't mean an absolute," Cashman said. "We'll respond to how he's feeling. That's all we can do. At some point this will be behind him."

As for Sunday's game, closer Mariano Rivera struck out one,and allowed a broken-bat infield single and bloop single during a scoreless sixth. The right-hander has experienced migraine headaches and underwent tests, which included an MRI. Cashman said the test results were good.

"Everything is fine," Rivera said. "I don't like to feel headaches, I don't like to feel that stuff. I wanted to know what was going on."

Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings.

Suzuki singed in the fifth, but went too far past the base and was thrown out at first by right fielder Matt Joyce. Suzuki was called out after trying to jump over Hellickson's tag.

"Kind of an interesting play," Joyce said. "I didn't know if he was going to try to go to second. Once I saw how far he was, I threw behind him and I knew I had a chance to get him out."

Travis Hafner had a sixth-inning solo homer, and Ronnier Mustelier won it in the 10th with a leadoff homer.

Youkilis hit two-run drives in the first and eighth.

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J.A. Happ, Janssen sharp in Jays' win over Red Sox

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) Toronto closer Casey Janssen opened in impressive fashion.

Janssen struck out two during a perfect seventh inning in his spring debut as the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0 Friday.

``First time out there, I guess it couldn't have gone any better,'' Janssen said.

Janssen, who finished with 22 saves last season, had surgery in November to address lingering shoulder soreness. After striking out Lyle Overbay and Mauro Gomez, the right-hander got a grounder from Mike Carp.

``His ball was exploding,'' Toronto manager John Gibbons said. ``I thought he was popping the ball pretty good, so that's a great sign.''

J.A. Happ continued his strong exhibition season, allowing two hits in six shutout innings for Toronto. The left-hander could begin the season at Triple-A, in a long relief role or at some point move into a starting spot if the Blue Jays decide to drop struggling Ricky Romero from the rotation.

Happ admitted that his undetermined status has weighed on him.

``The great thing is, my teammates are great,'' Happ said. ``That certainly helped.''

Happ has given up four runs over 19 innings in six games.

Gibbons again reiterated that Romero is in the rotation.

Romero is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in four big league exhibition games. The left-hander had control issues in a minor league game Thursday after working on mechanics with pitching coach Pete Walker.

``He's making some changes, and you don't expect them to happen right away,'' Gibbons said. ``Hopefully his next go around it's going to be better.''

Romero is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Pittsburgh.

Sergio Santos, expected to fill in if Janssen is not ready for opening day, struck out three, walked one and had two wild pitches during a scoreless eighth.

Boston reliever Alfredo Aceves got the start and scattered two hits over five shutout innings.

The Red Sox lineup consisted of mostly backup candidates and prospects. Overbay, the former Toronto first baseman, went 0 for 2.

``We're going to take every day available to us to make a decision on how our bench is going to round out,'' Boston manager John Farrell said.

Overbay can opt out of his contract Tuesday.

Boston designated hitter David Ortiz (heel) and shortstop Stephen Drew (concussion) remain out, but have been hitting in a cage at the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers. Both could be on the disabled list when the Red Sox open the regular season April 1 at the New York Yankees.

The Yankees will be without first baseman Mark Teixeira (wrist), third baseman Alex Rodriguez (hip) and outfielder Curtis Granderson (forearm). Shortstop Derek Jeter might also miss the opener due to ankle soreness.

``A lot of temporary situations because of injuries,'' Farrell said. ``I'm sure everybody who pays attention to every opening series, you want to see the marquee players perform. In both cases, we're dealing with some banged-up rosters.''

Toronto opening day starter R.A. Dickey threw 102 pitches over eight innings in a minor game on Friday.

``It was a great day for me,'' Dickey said. ``Great in the sense that I threw eight innings and felt fantastic. I got better as the game went on, and felt strong in the later innings.''

Boston left-hander Jon Lester didn't make the trip and also pitched against minor leaguers.

Toronto infielder Edwin Encarnacion could miss a couple games because of a sore index finger that resulted from an at-bat at the World Baseball Classic.

``It swelled up a little bit,'' Gibbons said. ``The X-ray (Thursday) was fine. No concerns.''

NOTES: Toronto claimed RHP Todd Remond off waivers from Baltimore and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The 27-year-old Remond made his major league debut last season with Cincinnati. To make room on the 40-man roster the Blue Jays put RHP Drew Hutchison on the 60-day disabled list. ... Blue Jays 3B Brett Lawrie (strained rib) is increasing his on-field work, but hasn't resumed batting practice. There is a chance he won't be ready for opening day. ``If he had to start the season a few days late, so be it,'' Gibbons said. ``We don't want this thing to creep up again.'' ... Red Sox prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. had one of the two Boston hits. The outfielder is hitting .429 overall. ... Toronto sent RHPs Claudio Vargas and Ramon Ortiz, and INFs Eugenio Velez, Ryan Schimpf, Jim Negrych, Mike McCoy and Luis Jimenez to its minor league camp.

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Brandon Morrow tires late in Jays' loss to Braves

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) Brandon Morrow wasn't concerned about one tough inning.

Morrow allowed four of his five runs in the fifth inning Saturday during the Toronto Blue Jays' 10-5 loss to an Atlanta Braves spilt squad.

Morrow wound up giving up eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. He has allowed 15 runs over 15 innings in five starts.

``I was cruising, and a hiccup there getting out of the fifth,'' Morrow said. ``They hit some good pitches. Guys got their hands in on some inside fastballs, which were well located. They kind of singled me to death.''

Reed Johnson had a two-run single, the Braves' fourth consecutive hit off Morrow with two outs in the fifth, that pulled Atlanta to 4-3. After the tying run scored on Morrow's wild pitch, Justin Upton hit a run-scoring infield single for a 5-4 lead.

``Good, except for that one inning,'' Toronto manager John Gibbons said. ``Looked like he ran out of gas a little bit.''

In all, six straight Braves reached - on five singles and a walk - in the fifth, after Morrow had retired nine in a row.

Minor league callup Edward Salcedo hit an eighth-inning solo homer and had a three-run drive in the ninth for the Braves. It was his first two at-bats in a major league spring training game.

Rajai Davis, Melky Cabrera and J.P. Arencibia all hit solo homers off Sean Gilmartin, who gave up five runs and 10 hits in five innings.

``You can't leave the ball over the plate and up,'' Gilmartin said. ``They're going to be a tough team to beat in the AL East.''

Toronto closer Casey Janssen was feeling some body soreness, a day after striking out two during a scoreless inning against Boston. He is scheduled to pitch again Monday against Philadelphia.

Gibbons expects Janssen to be ready for opening day. The right-hander, who finished with 22 saves last season, had surgery in November to address lingering shoulder soreness.

``I think we're working towards that, and I think that's everybody's hope,'' Janssen said. ``We're taking it outing by outing, day by day. See how it goes Monday. It's not doubt. I don't want to give false hope. I'm probably more than a little on the conservative side.''

Gibbons was not ready to say how he plans to use his bullpen in eighth-inning situations. He didn't rule out using Sergio Santos, who would take over the closer's role if Janssen was not ready to start to start the season, in key relief situations before the eighth.

Santos missed almost all of last season after shoulder surgery.

``He's healthy, but he's not spotting it real well right now,'' Gibbons said. ``We've got to fine-tune him. When that happens, that's when he's really good.''

After Davis homered in the first, Gilmartin induced an inning-ending, double-play grounder from Adam Lind with the bases loaded. The left-hander gave up Cabrera's homer and Maicer Izturis' two-run single during a three-run third that made it 4-1.

Arencibia's homer tied it at 5 in the fifth.

B.J. Upton joined his brother Justin, as did fellow Atlanta outfielder Jason Heyward on the trip. The trio went 3 for 9.

``When you look at our outfield, it's going to unbelieveable,'' Gilmartin said.

NOTES: Salcedo has not played above Class A in the regular season. ... Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion (sore index finger) could play Monday. ... Toronto 3B Brett Lawrie (strained rib) is fielding grounders and hitting off a tee. He might be able to return in a few days. ... Blue Jays LHP Mark Buehrle is to pitch in a minor league game Sunday and not make the trip to Fort Myers for the game against Minnesota. ... Atlanta RHP Cristhian Martinez gave up two hits over three shutout innings. ... Toronto RHP Dustin McGowan, who had three shoulder operations in the last five years, threw an inning in a minor league game.

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Blue Jays built to contend

A flurry of high-profile off-season moves by GM Alex Anthopoulos, plus a healthy Jose Bautista, better luck with avoiding injuries, and some improvement from younger players could land the Toronto Blue Jays in the post-season for the first time since 1993.

This is the year.

I've been blogging about the Toronto Blue Jays for a few years now and those are the words I've always wanted to say. Finally, this year I get to.

This is the year.

There were a few (too few) hopeful moments during the J.P. Ricciardi era. Unfortunately, the Jays were never able to get past the terrific Yankee and Red Sox teams of the former general manager's time.

Alex Anthopoulos's first two seasons as GM were spent rebuilding the farm system, building for the future. He hoarded draft picks and traded for prospects any chance he had. His work paid off as the Jays went from having one of the lowest-ranked farm systems to one of the best in a very short time. But, being a long-time (and long-suffering) Blue Jays fan, I kept hoping he would make a "win now" trade. He didn't seem to have that in his DNA.

Not that I'm complaining about the moves Anthopoulos did make. That he could trade the immovable contract of Vernon Wells alone should be enough to put Anthopoulos into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'd have bet any amount of cheese doodles (currency in the world of bloggers) that it couldn't be done. Without that trade, there wouldn't have been the financial flexibility to make the big moves of this off-season. 

Last spring, there was some hope that the "build for the future" tack was going to pay off early. The team had a terrific spring training record of 24-7 (repeat after me: spring training numbers mean nothing) and there was some hope that a youthful, enthusiastic team would be able to sneak up on the more experienced teams in the AL East.

For the first half of the season, Toronto was on the edges of contention, but a plague of injuries exposed a lack of depth at the top levels of the system -- not that any MLB team could have enough depth to succeed with the number of injuries the Jays had. The last couple of months of the season were very depressing.

The Trade

The off-season came, and once again I was hoping Anthopoulos had a "win now" deal or two in him.

But first came the mess of John Farrell trying to get out of his contract to go for his "dream job" managing the Red Sox. If a 22-37 record over the last two months of the season wasn't depressing enough, hearing that your team's manager craves the same job with one of your most bitter rivals, and the only team in the division to finish below you in the standings, was enough to drive a blogger to drink.

With Farrell heading out, Anthopoulos brought back John Gibbons for his second stint as the Jays' manager. In the end, good riddance to Farrell. I hope he chokes on his dream job.

For his first major personnel move of the winter, Anthopoulos signed Maicer Izturis to a three-year, $10-million US contract. It was the biggest free-agent signing of Alex's tenure as the Blue Jays general manager to that point. Not to knock Izturis -- he's an OK baseball player and all -- but $10 million is chicken scratch in baseball terms, and Izturis isn't the sort of player that gets your fanbase all excited about the season ahead. Fortunately, there was more to come.

To say the next deal surprised us would be an understatement. I didn't think Anthopoulos had this sort of move in him. To recap, though you all probably remember: Anthopoulos traded Yunel Escobar, Henderson Alvarez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis and some of the Jays' top prospects to the Miami Marlins for almost everyone on their team that was to be paid more than the league minimum this season: Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck.

The trade filled the Jays' biggest needs: a leadoff hitter (Reyes) and a starting pitching (Johnson). Reyes gives the Jays their best leadoff hitter in years and is one of the most exciting players in baseball. Johnson was one of the best starting pitchers in the National League three years ago. He then ran into some arm troubles, but he's recovered now and should be back to what he was.

Buehrle has thrown 200-plus innings for 12 straight seasons. Last year no Blue Jay pitched 200 innings. On a team with as many injuries to pitchers as Toronto had last year, someone who can throw 200 innings is golden.

The trade added $30 million to the Jays' payroll for 2013, and more in future years. It instantly made Toronto a contender. I figured that was it for big moves. Wrong again.

Cabrera, Dickey arrive

Anthopoulos surprised us again by signing free agent Melky Cabrera to a two-year, $16-million contract. Cabrera hit .346 last year, with a .390 on base percentage and 11 home runs. He would have been in line for a contract netting at least twice the $8 million a year the Jays are giving him, if he hadn't tested positive for testosterone, earning him a 50-game suspension last August when he was playing for the Giants. How much of his production came from a medicine bottle is an open question, but he should be much better than what the Jays had in left field last year.

Anthopoulos wasn't finished. He sent top-prospect catcher Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard (one of the organization's best pitching prospects), John Buck and a minor leaguer to the Mets for 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and a pair of young catchers.

It isn't a trade I would have made. I think d'Arnaud will become a very good major league catcher, which is a lot to give up for a 38-year-old pitcher. But Dickey isn't your average 38-year-old pitcher. He throws a knuckleball, and a 38-year-old knuckleballer can still be in the prime of his career. It takes a long time to master that pitch, but once perfected it can extend a pitcher's career well into his 40s.

Anthopoulos is betting Dickey will age well. He signed Dickey to a two-year contract extension (plus a team option year) at $12 million a season with a $1 million buyout, keeping Dickey under the Blue Jays' control through at least the 2016 season.

Beyond the big moves, Anthopoulos added some power arms to the bullpen, convinced 42-year-old left-handed reliever Darren Oliver not to retire and improved the team's depth at several positions.

With all those moves, plus a healthy Jose Bautista, better luck with injuries and some improvement from the younger players, this season could see the Blue Jays in the post-season for the first time since 1993. And most of the important Blue Jays players are signed beyond this season, so Toronto should have a very good team to watch for the next few years. 

This is the year. It's going to be a fun ride.

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J.A. Happ, Janssen sharp in Jays' win over Red Sox

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) Toronto closer Casey Janssen opened in impressive fashion.

Janssen struck out two during a perfect seventh inning in his spring debut as the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0 Friday.

``First time out there, I guess it couldn't have gone any better,'' Janssen said.

Janssen, who finished with 22 saves last season, had surgery in November to address lingering shoulder soreness. After striking out Lyle Overbay and Mauro Gomez, the right-hander got a grounder from Mike Carp.

``His ball was exploding,'' Toronto manager John Gibbons said. ``I thought he was popping the ball pretty good, so that's a great sign.''

J.A. Happ continued his strong exhibition season, allowing two hits in six shutout innings for Toronto. The left-hander could begin the season at Triple-A, in a long relief role or at some point move into a starting spot if the Blue Jays decide to drop struggling Ricky Romero from the rotation.

Happ admitted that his undetermined status has weighed on him.

``The great thing is, my teammates are great,'' Happ said. ``That certainly helped.''

Happ has given up four runs over 19 innings in six games.

Gibbons again reiterated that Romero is in the rotation.

Romero is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in four big league exhibition games. The left-hander had control issues in a minor league game Thursday after working on mechanics with pitching coach Pete Walker.

``He's making some changes, and you don't expect them to happen right away,'' Gibbons said. ``Hopefully his next go around it's going to be better.''

Romero is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Pittsburgh.

Sergio Santos, expected to fill in if Janssen is not ready for opening day, struck out three, walked one and had two wild pitches during a scoreless eighth.

Boston reliever Alfredo Aceves got the start and scattered two hits over five shutout innings.

The Red Sox lineup consisted of mostly backup candidates and prospects. Overbay, the former Toronto first baseman, went 0 for 2.

``We're going to take every day available to us to make a decision on how our bench is going to round out,'' Boston manager John Farrell said.

Overbay can opt out of his contract Tuesday.

Boston designated hitter David Ortiz (heel) and shortstop Stephen Drew (concussion) remain out, but have been hitting in a cage at the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers. Both could be on the disabled list when the Red Sox open the regular season April 1 at the New York Yankees.

The Yankees will be without first baseman Mark Teixeira (wrist), third baseman Alex Rodriguez (hip) and outfielder Curtis Granderson (forearm). Shortstop Derek Jeter might also miss the opener due to ankle soreness.

``A lot of temporary situations because of injuries,'' Farrell said. ``I'm sure everybody who pays attention to every opening series, you want to see the marquee players perform. In both cases, we're dealing with some banged-up rosters.''

Toronto opening day starter R.A. Dickey threw 102 pitches over eight innings in a minor game on Friday.

``It was a great day for me,'' Dickey said. ``Great in the sense that I threw eight innings and felt fantastic. I got better as the game went on, and felt strong in the later innings.''

Boston left-hander Jon Lester didn't make the trip and also pitched against minor leaguers.

Toronto infielder Edwin Encarnacion could miss a couple games because of a sore index finger that resulted from an at-bat at the World Baseball Classic.

``It swelled up a little bit,'' Gibbons said. ``The X-ray (Thursday) was fine. No concerns.''

NOTES: Toronto claimed RHP Todd Remond off waivers from Baltimore and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The 27-year-old Remond made his major league debut last season with Cincinnati. To make room on the 40-man roster the Blue Jays put RHP Drew Hutchison on the 60-day disabled list. ... Blue Jays 3B Brett Lawrie (strained rib) is increasing his on-field work, but hasn't resumed batting practice. There is a chance he won't be ready for opening day. ``If he had to start the season a few days late, so be it,'' Gibbons said. ``We don't want this thing to creep up again.'' ... Red Sox prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. had one of the two Boston hits. The outfielder is hitting .429 overall. ... Toronto sent RHPs Claudio Vargas and Ramon Ortiz, and INFs Eugenio Velez, Ryan Schimpf, Jim Negrych, Mike McCoy and Luis Jimenez to its minor league camp.

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Blue Jays built to contend

A flurry of high-profile off-season moves by GM Alex Anthopoulos, plus a healthy Jose Bautista, better luck with avoiding injuries, and some improvement from younger players could land the Toronto Blue Jays in the post-season for the first time since 1993.

This is the year.

I've been blogging about the Toronto Blue Jays for a few years now and those are the words I've always wanted to say. Finally, this year I get to.

This is the year.

There were a few (too few) hopeful moments during the J.P. Ricciardi era. Unfortunately, the Jays were never able to get past the terrific Yankee and Red Sox teams of the former general manager's time.

Alex Anthopoulos's first two seasons as GM were spent rebuilding the farm system, building for the future. He hoarded draft picks and traded for prospects any chance he had. His work paid off as the Jays went from having one of the lowest-ranked farm systems to one of the best in a very short time. But, being a long-time (and long-suffering) Blue Jays fan, I kept hoping he would make a "win now" trade. He didn't seem to have that in his DNA.

Not that I'm complaining about the moves Anthopoulos did make. That he could trade the immovable contract of Vernon Wells alone should be enough to put Anthopoulos into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'd have bet any amount of cheese doodles (currency in the world of bloggers) that it couldn't be done. Without that trade, there wouldn't have been the financial flexibility to make the big moves of this off-season. 

Last spring, there was some hope that the "build for the future" tack was going to pay off early. The team had a terrific spring training record of 24-7 (repeat after me: spring training numbers mean nothing) and there was some hope that a youthful, enthusiastic team would be able to sneak up on the more experienced teams in the AL East.

For the first half of the season, Toronto was on the edges of contention, but a plague of injuries exposed a lack of depth at the top levels of the system -- not that any MLB team could have enough depth to succeed with the number of injuries the Jays had. The last couple of months of the season were very depressing.

The Trade

The off-season came, and once again I was hoping Anthopoulos had a "win now" deal or two in him.

But first came the mess of John Farrell trying to get out of his contract to go for his "dream job" managing the Red Sox. If a 22-37 record over the last two months of the season wasn't depressing enough, hearing that your team's manager craves the same job with one of your most bitter rivals, and the only team in the division to finish below you in the standings, was enough to drive a blogger to drink.

With Farrell heading out, Anthopoulos brought back John Gibbons for his second stint as the Jays' manager. In the end, good riddance to Farrell. I hope he chokes on his dream job.

For his first major personnel move of the winter, Anthopoulos signed Maicer Izturis to a three-year, $10-million US contract. It was the biggest free-agent signing of Alex's tenure as the Blue Jays general manager to that point. Not to knock Izturis -- he's an OK baseball player and all -- but $10 million is chicken scratch in baseball terms, and Izturis isn't the sort of player that gets your fanbase all excited about the season ahead. Fortunately, there was more to come.

To say the next deal surprised us would be an understatement. I didn't think Anthopoulos had this sort of move in him. To recap, though you all probably remember: Anthopoulos traded Yunel Escobar, Henderson Alvarez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis and some of the Jays' top prospects to the Miami Marlins for almost everyone on their team that was to be paid more than the league minimum this season: Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck.

The trade filled the Jays' biggest needs: a leadoff hitter (Reyes) and a starting pitching (Johnson). Reyes gives the Jays their best leadoff hitter in years and is one of the most exciting players in baseball. Johnson was one of the best starting pitchers in the National League three years ago. He then ran into some arm troubles, but he's recovered now and should be back to what he was.

Buehrle has thrown 200-plus innings for 12 straight seasons. Last year no Blue Jay pitched 200 innings. On a team with as many injuries to pitchers as Toronto had last year, someone who can throw 200 innings is golden.

The trade added $30 million to the Jays' payroll for 2013, and more in future years. It instantly made Toronto a contender. I figured that was it for big moves. Wrong again.

Cabrera, Dickey arrive

Anthopoulos surprised us again by signing free agent Melky Cabrera to a two-year, $16-million contract. Cabrera hit .346 last year, with a .390 on base percentage and 11 home runs. He would have been in line for a contract netting at least twice the $8 million a year the Jays are giving him, if he hadn't tested positive for testosterone, earning him a 50-game suspension last August when he was playing for the Giants. How much of his production came from a medicine bottle is an open question, but he should be much better than what the Jays had in left field last year.

Anthopoulos wasn't finished. He sent top-prospect catcher Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard (one of the organization's best pitching prospects), John Buck and a minor leaguer to the Mets for 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and a pair of young catchers.

It isn't a trade I would have made. I think d'Arnaud will become a very good major league catcher, which is a lot to give up for a 38-year-old pitcher. But Dickey isn't your average 38-year-old pitcher. He throws a knuckleball, and a 38-year-old knuckleballer can still be in the prime of his career. It takes a long time to master that pitch, but once perfected it can extend a pitcher's career well into his 40s.

Anthopoulos is betting Dickey will age well. He signed Dickey to a two-year contract extension (plus a team option year) at $12 million a season with a $1 million buyout, keeping Dickey under the Blue Jays' control through at least the 2016 season.

Beyond the big moves, Anthopoulos added some power arms to the bullpen, convinced 42-year-old left-handed reliever Darren Oliver not to retire and improved the team's depth at several positions.

With all those moves, plus a healthy Jose Bautista, better luck with injuries and some improvement from the younger players, this season could see the Blue Jays in the post-season for the first time since 1993. And most of the important Blue Jays players are signed beyond this season, so Toronto should have a very good team to watch for the next few years. 

This is the year. It's going to be a fun ride.

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Jose Bautista, Blue Jays top Rays

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) With every ball that Jose Bautista launches far over the wall, the Toronto Blue Jays are more certain he's back to form.

Bautista hit his fifth home run of the spring, a long solo shot that helped the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 Thursday.

Bautista, a two-time home run champion, had season-ending surgery on his left wrist last Sept. 4. He finished the year with 27 homers and 65 RBIs while batting .241.

His drive to deep left-center field was another reassuring sign for his team.

``He's healthy. We've felt good about him the last three weeks,'' Toronto manager John Gibbons said. ``He's gotten past that and shown no signs of anything being wrong.''

Roberto Hernandez is feeling better himself, too.

The Tampa Bay pitcher threw six innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two and walking no one. He also got Bautista to ground into a double play in the first. The only blemish was a home run by Colby Rasmus.

``Everything was working,'' Rays manager Joe Maddon said. ``His fastball really had good dive to it. Nice changeup, His slider. All good.''

By now, most are somewhat familiar with the Hernandez story. He is probably still best known as Fausto Carmona. It was under that name that in 2007, at age 26, he went 19-8, finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting and helped the Indians get within a game of World Series.

A big contract followed, but Hernandez was never able to replicate the success he enjoyed that season. His heavy sinking fastball didn't sink enough, and he couldn't locate the rest of his pitches.

The 32-year-old Hernandez was later arrested in the Dominican Republic on false identity charges. The charges were dropped after he completed a work program, and Major League Baseball suspended him for three weeks.

Hernandez sprained his right ankle last August and missed the rest of the year. He has pitched seven years in the majors, all with Cleveland. He was 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA last season.

The Rays, remembering the 19-8 arm and not the struggles that followed, signed him in the offseason. He is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation.

``Every game is very important for me,'' he said. ``Whenever I have the opportunity to go the mound, every pitch is important. Today, I think I did great. I tried to keep the ball down and get some groundballs.''

Eugenio Velez also homered for Toronto. The Rays' only run came in the sixth inning on an infield single from James Loney.

Four Blue Jays pitchers, led by starter Claudio Vargas, combined to allow only six hits and struck out nine.

NOTES: Rays LHP Matt Moore threw 60 pitches in a simulated game. Moore needed the work after missing his start as a result of Wednesday's rainout. ... Evan Longoria hit his team-leading sixth double for the Rays. ... Tampa Bay's Desmond Jennings stole third base standing up for his sixth spring training theft.

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Quiz: Know your Toronto Blue Jays, past & present?

In less than two weeks, the most anticipated Toronto Blue Jays season since the team won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and '93 will be underway.

A lot has happened since the Jays played their first game on April 7, 1977 at Exhibition Stadium against the visiting Chicago White Sox.

There's Doug Ault's franchise-first home run, George Bell's catch in left field to clinch the American League East in 1985, Dave Stieb's no-hitter in 1990, Joe Carter's World Series-winning home run in 1993, and this off-season's acquisitions of starting pitchers R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle.

How many of these top moments, and others in Blue Jays history, do you know?

Test your baseball knowledge by taking our quiz!

Take Our Quiz!

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2013 is Blue Jays' year to contend

A flurry of high-profile off-season moves by GM Alex Anthopoulos, plus a healthy Jose Bautista, better luck with avoiding injuries, and some improvement from younger players could land the Toronto Blue Jays in the post-season for the first time since 1993.

This is the year.

I've been blogging about the Toronto Blue Jays for a few years now and those are the words I've always wanted to say. Finally, this year I get to.

This is the year.

There were a few (too few) hopeful moments during the J.P. Ricciardi era. Unfortunately, the Jays were never able to get past the terrific Yankee and Red Sox teams of the former general manager's time.

Alex Anthopoulos's first two seasons as GM were spent rebuilding the farm system, building for the future. He hoarded draft picks and traded for prospects any chance he had. His work paid off as the Jays went from having one of the lowest-ranked farm systems to one of the best in a very short time. But, being a long-time (and long-suffering) Blue Jays fan, I kept hoping he would make a "win now" trade. He didn't seem to have that in his DNA.

Not that I'm complaining about the moves Anthopoulos did make. That he could trade the immovable contract of Vernon Wells alone should be enough to put Anthopoulos into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'd have bet any amount of cheese doodles (currency in the world of bloggers) that it couldn't be done. Without that trade, there wouldn't have been the financial flexibility to make the big moves of this off-season. 

Last spring, there was some hope that the "build for the future" tack was going to pay off early. The team had a terrific spring training record of 24-7 (repeat after me: spring training numbers mean nothing) and there was some hope that a youthful, enthusiastic team would be able to sneak up on the more experienced teams in the AL East.

For the first half of the season, Toronto was on the edges of contention, but a plague of injuries exposed a lack of depth at the top levels of the system -- not that any MLB team could have enough depth to succeed with the number of injuries the Jays had. The last couple of months of the season were very depressing.

The Trade

The off-season came, and once again I was hoping Anthopoulos had a "win now" deal or two in him.

But first came the mess of John Farrell trying to get out of his contract to go for his "dream job" managing the Red Sox. If a 22-37 record over the last two months of the season wasn't depressing enough, hearing that your team's manager craves the same job with one of your most bitter rivals, and the only team in the division to finish below you in the standings, was enough to drive a blogger to drink.

With Farrell heading out, Anthopoulos brought back John Gibbons for his second stint as the Jays' manager. In the end, good riddance to Farrell. I hope he chokes on his dream job.

For his first major personnel move of the winter, Anthopoulos signed Maicer Izturis to a three-year, $10-million US contract. It was the biggest free-agent signing of Alex's tenure as the Blue Jays general manager to that point. Not to knock Izturis -- he's an OK baseball player and all -- but $10 million is chicken scratch in baseball terms, and Izturis isn't the sort of player that gets your fanbase all excited about the season ahead. Fortunately, there was more to come.

To say the next deal surprised us would be an understatement. I didn't think Anthopoulos had this sort of move in him. To recap, though you all probably remember: Anthopoulos traded Yunel Escobar, Henderson Alvarez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis and some of the Jays' top prospects to the Miami Marlins for almost everyone on their team that was to be paid more than the league minimum this season: Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck.

The trade filled the Jays' biggest needs: a leadoff hitter (Reyes) and a starting pitching (Johnson). Reyes gives the Jays their best leadoff hitter in years and is one of the most exciting players in baseball. Johnson was one of the best starting pitchers in the National League three years ago. He then ran into some arm troubles, but he's recovered now and should be back to what he was.

Buehrle has thrown 200-plus innings for 12 straight seasons. Last year no Blue Jay pitched 200 innings. On a team with as many injuries to pitchers as Toronto had last year, someone who can throw 200 innings is golden.

The trade added $30 million to the Jays' payroll for 2013, and more in future years. It instantly made Toronto a contender. I figured that was it for big moves. Wrong again.

Cabrera, Dickey arrive

Anthopoulos surprised us again by signing free agent Melky Cabrera to a two-year, $16-million contract. Cabrera hit .346 last year, with a .390 on base percentage and 11 home runs. He would have been in line for a contract netting at least twice the $8 million a year the Jays are giving him, if he hadn't tested positive for testosterone, earning him a 50-game suspension last August when he was playing for the Giants. How much of his production came from a medicine bottle is an open question, but he should be much better than what the Jays had in left field last year.

Anthopoulos wasn't finished. He sent top-prospect catcher Travis d'Arnaud (one of the organization's best pitching prospects), Noah Syndergaard, John Buck and a minor leaguer to the Mets for 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and a pair of young catchers.

It isn't a trade I would have made. I think d'Arnaud will become a very good major league catcher, which is a lot to give up for a 38-year-old pitcher. But Dickey isn't your average 38-year-old pitcher. He throws a knuckleball, and a 38-year-old knuckleballer can still be in the prime of his career. It takes a long time to master that pitch, but once perfected it can extend a pitcher's career well into his 40s.

Anthopoulos is betting Dickey will age well. He signed Dickey to a two-year contract extension (plus a team option year) at $12 million a season with a $1 million buyout, keeping Dickey under the Blue Jays' control through at least the 2016 season.

Beyond the big moves, Anthopoulos added some power arms to the bullpen, convinced 42-year-old left-handed reliever Darren Oliver not to retire and improved the team's depth at several positions.

With all those moves, plus a healthy Jose Bautista, better luck with injuries and some improvement from the younger players, this season could see the Blue Jays in the post-season for the first time since 1993. And most of the important Blue Jays players are signed beyond this season, so Toronto should have a very good team to watch for the next few years. 

This is the year. It's going to be a fun ride.

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Dominican Republic blanks Puerto Rico to win WBC title

Tony Pena passed around the shiny trophy and let all of his players offer their besitos, or little kisses. Robinson Cano passed around a phone as his teammates took turns receiving congratulations from Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina.

"We appreciate that from the president," Jose Reyes said. "This win is all about the Dominican Republic. They were hungry waiting for this moment, and we did it."

The Dominican Republic has its World Baseball Classic crown, at last.

Cheers of "Dominicana! Dominicana!" rang out through the rain at AT&T Park in San Francisco all the way to the lively streets of Santo Domingo.

The Dominican Republic has its World Baseball Classic crown, at last.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run double in the first inning that held up, and the Dominicans capped a dominant, unbeaten run through the WBC with a 3-0 win against Puerto Rico for the championship Tuesday night.

"Tomorrow will be a national holiday," said Moises Alou, the proud Dominican general manager. "It was a tremendous win."

Robinson Cano earned MVP honours, Erick Aybar added an RBI double to back winner Samuel Deduno, and the demonstrative Dominican righty threw his arms into the air in delight after watching a run-saving defensive gem by centre fielder Alejandro De Aza in a tough fifth.

The Dominican fans — fanaticos, indeed — didn't let the Bay Area's wet weather keep them from dancing in the stands, waving flags and tooting horns. Flags became makeshift ponchos.

Robinson Cano of the Dominican Republic earned the MVP honours. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

It was fitting, too, perhaps, considering the World Series champion Giants clinched the NL pennant against the Cardinals in a downpour on this very field last fall.

Some 50,000 more supporters gathered to watch on televisions inside and outside of Estadio Quisqueya in the Dominican capital city.

"There will not be anybody watching any other channel — soap opera, news, nothing," manager Tony Pena said before the game.

Redemption

Now, the Dominicans get their long-awaited fiesta. A party they figured to have in 2009, when the Netherlands spoiled the plan by beating them twice for a stunning first-round exit.

After Fernando Rodney struck out Luis Figueroa to end it, the Dominicans rushed the mound — each player waving his own flag. Well, Rodney held up his lucky plantain that served him well for the second straight day. He won't eat this platano, which he said "is going to be my second trophy."

"This is my gold medal," he said. "It will be my black diamond, because it's changing colour. I kept telling everybody to relax and not to worry about [the pressure]."

The Dominicans (8-0) won it in the city where countrymen Felipe, Jesus and the late Matty Alou made history in 1963 when they appeared in the same Giants outfield for several games. Moises Alou is the son of former San Francisco skipper, Felipe.

No matter their team, Caribbeans had so much to cheer in the championship of a tournament missing the star-studded American team yet again. The U.S. failed to reach the final for the third time in as many WBCs.

And Puerto Rico eliminated two-time reigning Classic champion Japan with a 3-1 victory Sunday night to make in all-Caribbean final.

This game gave new meaning to the idea of a Caribbean championship.

Deduno followed up a fine outing in a win against the Americans last Thursday with another strong performance that will send him back to the Minnesota Twins with some nice momentum.

Unhittable pitching staff

Deduno struck out five in five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three to finish with a 0.69 ERA for the tournament. And Rodney struck out two and finished for his seventh save as the bullpen closed out this special run with 25 2-3 scoreless innings. The relievers didn't allow a run after the fourth inning of their first-round victory against Puerto Rico on March 10 in San Juan.

"I'm excited and I'm thrilled," said reliever Santiago Casilla, who won the WBC title and World Series championship in all of about five months.

In the top of the fifth, the grounds crew scurried out to rake the mound after it became slippery in the rain and Deduno walked Alex Rios on five pitches to lead off the inning.

After Carlos Rivera flied out, De Aza ran down Andy Gonzalez's long fly to the gap in left-centre and made a reaching snag at the warning track with his back to the infield.

Deduno then walked Jesus Feliciano. Pena paid the pitcher a mound visit but stuck with him, and Deduno struck out Angel Pagan swinging after falling behind 2-0. Deduno pumped his fists again as he charged off the mound and was surrounded by celebratory teammates.

In the bottom half, De Aza did it with his bat. He snapped an 0-for-12 stretch when he laid down a perfect bunt single toward third.

The Dominicans became the first unbeaten WBC champion, beating Team Puerto Rico for the third time in this Classic.

And now they earn the distinction of world champion, too — the first time in WBC history.

Red-hot from start to finish

Cano had a big hand in it.

The New York Yankees star finished his sensational Classic batting .469 (15 for 32) with two home runs, six RBIs, six runs scored and two doubles.

He also earned MVP honours in each of the first two rounds. Encarnacion finished with six RBIs in the WBC.

"I'll tell you one thing: Tonight we're going to celebrate, tomorrow we're going to celebrate, and Thursday we're going to worry about spring training," Cano said.

After drawing a pair of intentional walks a night earlier, Cano had another in the first inning against loser Giancarlo Alvarado.

The Puerto Rican right-hander surrendered Encarnacion's double two pitches later, and was done after one shaky inning featuring 22 pitches and only 10 strikes.

Hiram Burgos relieved and struck out five in 4 2-3 innings.

After Miguel Tejada started at third base and Hanley Ramirez played designated hitter a night earlier in a 4-1 semifinal win against the Netherlands, Ramirez returned to third and Erick Aybar was back in the lineup at DH. Tejada replaced the Dodgers' Ramirez at third in the sixth and made a diving catch in the bullpen area in which he landed hard on his left side and came up grimacing.

Pena's move paid off as Aybar doubled and singled and Ramirez added a base hit in the winning effort.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was among those to attend the game — available on television to 440 million households worldwide in 200 countries and territories, and in 15 languages — that drew 35,703 fans on a cool, drizzly March night at AT&T Park.

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Mark Buehrle has rough inning in Jays' win over Astros

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) Mark Buehrle gave up four runs and eight hits over four innings in the Toronto Blue Jays' 10-6 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Brandon Barnes hit his fourth exhibition homer, a two-run shot during a four-run third off Buehrle. Houston opened the inning with five consecutive hits.

Buehrle is part of a revamped Blue Jays rotation that includes other offseason acquisitions R.A. Dickey and Josh Johnson.

Melky Cabrera hit a first-inning solo homer off Jordan Lyles, who allowed six runs and 10 hits over 3 2-3 innings. The right-hander has struggled as he attempts to keep his rotation spot, giving up 24 runs in 11 2-3 innings overall.

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Chris Carpenter says baseball career may be over

Chris Carpenter realizes his baseball career may be over.

The 37-year-old right-hander made a surprise appearance at the St. Louis Cardinals' spring-training camp Monday and said he's still dealing with numbing and tingling sensations in his pitching hand, arm and shoulder.

"I'm not going to have surgery anymore," Carpenter said. "We'll see what happens. I don't see it. With the things that are going on in times of every day life, I just don't see it getting better to be honest with you."

Asked if he wanted to continue pitching, Carpenter said, "I do. I just don't think I can."

The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner is 144-94 with a 3.76 ERA in 15 big league seasons.

He underwent neurogenic thoracic outlet surgery last July to eliminate a nerve issue that he's pitched with in his right shoulder since 2008. He returned to make three starts in September and three in the playoffs and planned on a healthful start to 2013.

But as Carpenter ramped up his bullpen sessions in St. Louis the week before spring training, the weakness and numbness that he had dealt with for years returned. He informed the Cardinals that he was unable to continue pitching.

"It's just weird," Carpenter said. "Some days all of a sudden I was driving in the car, and I don't know if I'm in a certain spot or things happen, but there's definitely weaknesses. Just walking on the beach in Puerto Rico, my shoulder would get tired and start aching and be sore and things that you don't normally deal with."

'I'll never officially retire. I'm going to continue to work hard and try to stay in shape and move on in the direction of what these doctors have to say to make sure nothing serious is going in there that will affect the rest of life.'— Injured Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter

Carpenter's contract calls for a $12.5 million salary this year, of which $2 million is deferred without interest and is to be paid in $200,000 installments each July 1 from 2017-26.

"I'll never officially retire," he said. "I'm going to continue to work hard and try to stay in shape and move on in the direction of what these doctors have to say to make sure nothing serious is going in there that will affect the rest of life. That's the thing that we're going to make sure is happening, and that is that my arm and my shoulder are going to be OK to do normal stuff throughout the rest of my life and not have any affects, five six ten years down the road."

Carpenter returned to camp at the urging of his wife and kids, who all just finished a week long spring break trip to Puerto Rico.

"I was in there working out and the game's on ESPN against the Yankees," Carpenter said. "I start thinking about wanting to try it and see what can happen, but I know the ultimate result won't be good."

Carpenter plans to stay for about a week and attend the Cardinals' home opener on April 8. He spoke with manager Mike Matheny and several teammates Monday as his kids joined a pickup baseball game outside.

"I love seeing him," Matheny said. "I've been pounding on him since we first heard the news to get down here and just enjoy it. I'd love to get him in uniform, but that's a push right now. But just seeing him down here and having him here is a good thing."

Carpenter plans to visit with team doctors in the next few weeks when he returns to St. Louis. But his focus remains on eliminating the pain from his everyday life. "I've been coming to spring training since I was 18 years old and this was the first year I wasn't able to play," Carpenter said. "It was definitely tough but it's good to see these guys."

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Dominican Republic powers past Netherlands to reach WBC final

This time, the Dominicans didn't let the Netherlands interfere with their road to the World Baseball Classic championship.

Late lineup addition Moises Sierra hit a tying RBI double in the fifth, Jose Reyes added a go-ahead single two batters later and the Dominican Republic reached the WBC final with a 4-1 win against the Netherlands on Monday night.

Edwin Encarnacion had an RBI single as the undefeated Dominicans survived a rocky start from winner Edinson Volquez, who benefited from Sierra's catch over the left-field wall in foul territory to end a first-inning threat.

"We didn't try to make history," Volquez said. "We're just trying to keep winning."

Now, it's Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico, for the title in their third meeting this tournament. The teams will play Tuesday night at AT&T Park just three days after the Dominicans (7-0) won Saturday in Miami before each club flew West.

One of these proud island nations will get to throw quite a party.

"Whoever wins the Classic is really the Caribbeans," Dominican manager Tony Pena said. "It could be the Dominicans, it could be Puerto Rico, but it will belong to the Caribbeans."

Tuesday's winner will earn the distinction of world champion for the first time in the three-event history of the WBC.

Puerto Rico eliminated two-time defending Classic champion Japan 3-1 on Sunday night. Fernando Rodney finished Monday's game for his sixth save as dozens of seagulls swirled right above the field.

Players rushed out of the dugout as fans chanted "Dominicana! Dominicana!"

The Dominicans were still fuming four years after the Netherlands beat them twice in the 2009 WBC's first round for a stunning early exit. They were a pair of one-run games played in San Juan, Puerto Rico, including and 11-inning victory in an elimination contest.

"We kept it in the past," Volquez said. "We're just focused on our game."

Former Oakland and San Francisco shortstop Miguel Tejada earned a start at third base and singled twice and scored a run. He drew cheers from the Bay Area fans during pregame introductions.

'Whoever wins the Classic is really the Caribbeans. It could be the Dominicans, it could be Puerto Rico, but it will belong to the Caribbeans.'— Dominican manager Tony Pena

Andruw Jones hit a two-out single in the fourth for the first Dutch hit against Volquez, who yielded Wladimir Balentien's first-inning RBI groundout before settling in to earn the win.

Carlos Santana hit a one-out double in the fifth and Sierra followed with an RBI double as the Dominicans tied the game at 1 and later chased Netherlands starter Diegomar Markwell.

The Dutch lefty, who came in at a 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his two previous WBC outings, didn't allow a runner past first base through four innings. But his pitch count quickly went up in a four-run fifth as the Dominicans tagged him for five hits, so that was it considering the WBC pitch limit is 95.

Tom Stuifbergen replaced Markwell with two outs in the fifth and threw a wild pitch on his first offering to Robinson Cano, allowing Reyes to score from third for an insurance run.

Cano — batting 15 for 29 (.517) this tournament with two home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored and two doubles — went 1 for 2 with two intentional walks.

The second baseman and Yankees star made a pretty stop on Roger Bernadina's sharp grounder in the sixth in which he lunged left then spun and threw to first.

Now, Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens will head back to the Arizona desert for his other gig: hitting coach of the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. The Dutch-born Meulens' mother is Dominican, so he had fans on both sides for this one.

About half of the Dutch roster is from Holland and the others from his native island of Curacao. He warned his team that the Dominicans had all the big names and the major league experience, but not to let it affect the Dutch doing what got them this far: playing solid, fundamental baseball.

"I'm proud of our guys," Meulens said. "I thanked them for playing with a lot of heart."

This game drew only 27,527, compared to 33,363 a night earlier as Japan went down to the surprising Puerto Ricans.

While hardly as festive without the favored Japanese, some sections of fans stayed on their feet and danced to music and the beat of drums and horns. One man cheered "Let's go Giants!" in the top of the fourth inning.

Volquez, the Dominican right-hander, had a pair of walks and a wild pitch — with two mound visits by Santana, the catcher — through the first two batters of the game.

He threw nine balls among his first 11 pitches, but got out of it with minimal damage after allowing Balentien's run-scoring grounder. And the Dominican Republic's reliable bullpen did the rest.

"They base their team on that," Meulens said. "It showed today. Despite a shaky start for Volquez, he settled down and pitched five pretty good innings."

Pena made a lineup switch after consulting with his coaches, going with Sierra in left field and in the No. 8 hole instead of the slumping Ricardo Nanita.

Sierra ended the Netherlands' first-inning threat by going over the fence in foul territory near the bullpen to catch Jones' tough fly while falling into several fans.

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