Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos made an appearance on Mike Richards in the Morning on TSN 1050 and wouldn’t you know it the main topic of conversation was pitching.

Anthopolous says they are interested in adding a pitcher and still continue to have dialogue but that they won’t go out and grossly overpay to get their pitching.

Anthopoulos also mentioned that unlike last year they enter this year with depth in the starting pitching category with 10 or 11 starters, Anthopolous also believes that Marcus Stroman is big league ready.

AA also raved about the potential of new catcher Dionner Navarro and the potential of having a good tandem with either Erick Kratz or Josh Thole who will battle it out for the backup role to Navarro.

Hearing that Stroman is ready should really liven up the competition this Spring. Which is one thing that many observers have said was missing last spring when the rotation spots were locked up. The other thing that the Jays won’t have to contend with is the throng of media that was a part of the hype machine that was around the team all last spring. As well there is no World Baseball Classic which hurt the Jays last year as many of the new guys were at the WBC and the team didn’t get a chance to really gel and get to know one another as early as they should have.

RIP Jim Fregosi

News broke this morning that former Blue Jays manager Jim Fregosi had passed away in a Miami hospital after being taken off of life support Thursday night. Fregosi has suffered a series of stroke while on a MLB Alumni Cruise last week. Fregosi was a baseball lifer and was respected by all in the game. Fregosi managed the Jays in 1999, getting the job in the middle of Spring Training after then Manager Tim Johnson was fired. Fregosi also managed the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies team that lost to the Jays in the World Series that year.

Pitchers and Catchers Report

Pitchers and Catchers report on Sunday for the Blue Jays although many players are already in Dunedin. The first exhibition game for the Blue Jays goes Wednesday February 26th when they travel to Clearwater to take on the Philadelphia Phillies.