The signing of veteran catcher Greg Myers won't lead to a jamming of the phone lines at the Blue Jays season ticket sales office but it does give J.P. Ricciardi some peace of mind.
Myers, 38, came on board yesterday when he agreed to a minor-league deal with an invitation to the major league spring training camp. If he makes the big club -- and it's expected he will -- Myers will receive $700,000 US, a $200,000 cut from his 2004 salary.
Last year he played just eight games as on April 26 he blew out his ankle running the bases and never made it back. The year before, Myers was a marvel as he hit .307 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs -- all the numbers career highs.
The re-signing of Myers gives the Jays and Ricciardi some insurance in the event they can't come to terms with free agent catcher Gregg Zaun, who filled in admirably after Myers went down.
Ricciardi would prefer to see the veteran duo of Myers and Zaun back of the plate in 2005. They've offered Zaun a one-year deal and a pay hike over the $400,000 he made last year. Zaun, who hit .269 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 107 games with the Jays, has drawn interest from other clubs and may go elsewhere.
"If he's healthy, which he should be, he should have no problem making our club," Ricciardi said of Myers. "We'd still like to sign Zaun because with the two of them we think it would be a pretty good one-two punch."
The Jays will also probably offer Zaun salary arbitration -- they have until Dec. 7 to do so. Zaun is classified as a grade 'B' free agent which means that if he spurns the Jays and signs elsewhere they would receive a second-round draft pick from the team that signs him. That could drop the interest level.
If Zaun departs, Ricciardi would look for another veteran catcher. Rookie Kevin Cash was a disappointment last year.
"We'd try to get another veteran guy to hold the fort down until (Guillermo) Quiroz (who likely will start the 2005 season with triple-A Syracuse) gets ready," Ricciardi said.
As for other developments -- free agents, trades -- Ricciardi doesn't think much will happen until Dec. 7.
"I think the seventh is going to be a big day for a lot of people," Ricciardi said. "A lot of things will get settled at that point. Teams will know if they're willing to give up a draft pick or not. I know I don't want to."
Now he's got Myers back. It's a start.
