CLEARWATER, Fla. -- While the Blue Jays spent the afternoon playing their fourth extra-innings contest of the spring, eventually losing 6-3 in 10 innings, the rumour mill at Bright House Field was working overtime, as well.
For more than a week now, whisperings have had the Jays and Phillies in trade discussions involving outfielder Alex Rios and a variety of Phillies, including pitcher Jon Lieber and outfielder Aaron Rowand.
Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi has denied the Jays are considering trading Rios and, given what the Phils have to offer, that makes a great deal of sense. Rios is on the verge of becoming one of the premier outfielders in the American League, combining superior defence with 30-home run potential.
Lieber has been a good starter, but he is now 35 and coming off a losing season. He is also in the final year of a contract and could become a free agent at the end of the season. Rowand is a good defensive outfielder who a has limited upside as a run-producer and is also a potential free agent at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, on the field, Brennan King snapped a 3-3 deadlock in the bottom of the 10th with a three-run homer off Jays minor-league pitcher Jesse Carlson.
Four of Toronto's seven spring games have gone to extra-innings. The Jays are now 2-1-1 in those games.
Gus in a groove
Best news of the day for the Jays was another solid outing by lefty Gustavo Chacin, who allowed just one hit and no walks in three innings. The lone hit was a two-out single in the first by Phils second baseman Chase Utley. Chacin's assignment this spring has been to pick up the pace on the mound and throw more strikes. He accomplished both, using just 35 pitches in three innings, 25 of them thrown for strikes.
"Everything is fine," he said. "I worked ahead. I got a lot of first-pitch strikes and I think that's the key.
"It's important to have good tempo because you don't give extra time for the batter. I'm just trying to work that in."
In Chacin's first spring outing, he gave up a three-run home run on his last pitch of a two-inning stint against the Red Sox in Fort Myers.
It's Tomo today
Today, Tomo Ohka will pitch against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, accompanied by a Jays travelling squad thin on regulars. Several of the Jays' stars, including pitcher A.J. Burnett, will play in an unofficial B game against the Phils in Dunedin.
