A more horrific defensive lineup would be hard to imagine.  Let's hope Ricky manages some combination of 27 strikeouts and groundballs to Lawrie.  Anything else will be tempting fate.

Is it possible that the Ricky Romero rebuild needed just a little more than 7 innings in the Florida State League?

Hayhurst rakes the Jays about this, especially regarding Romero's mental outlook and confidence. eg:

...barring some miraculous turn of events, the Jays have ruined Romero.

...

Ricky was climbing out of a dark place only to be driven back into it. Lord only knows when he’ll feel ready or confident enough to trust himself again. Lord knows when he’ll trust the Jays again.

Lawrie doesn't look very good at the plate.  He's far too busy.  His hands move, his front leg wobbles and his entire body teeters. 

I looked at highlights from his 2011 season.  He was MUCH quieter at the plate.  His hands still moved causing the bat to wobble a la Gary Sheffield (though much less violently than Sheffiled), but his front leg and core were almost static.  He had a much more calm and simple approach, and the results were great.

Why isn't Mottola doing anything about this?

Sorry Ron!  I was already typing but you beat me to it.

Isn't this was hitting coaches are paid for?  To notice these problems and correct them?

It's one thing to blow a call in real time, and I know that in these parts I am one of the least sympathetic towards umpires when this happens. But to blow a call even when you get to use instant replay, well, that's a whole different level of ineptitude.

There is a real problem with a lack of accountability

You sing it, man. Far too many professions offer this "luxury".

Edgar Gonzalez DFA.

Yesterday, I was all set for a snarky comment about how Edgar should fear coming into a game because of the prevalent one-and-done DFA strategy that befell Ortiz, Bush, Jeffress and Germano. But I thought that this situation would be different, that while Gonzalez was nothing more than replacement level, the team needed a warm body for long relief.

Maybe this DFA is specifically due to the number of innings he logged last night and the fact that he'll need a few days rest now. Maybe the proximity of Buffalo means that the last man in the pen is a "virtual" job to continually be filled by the freshest replacement level arm available.

With another double so far today Negrych is batting .429 with an OPS well above 1.100. What is AA waiting for?

I really wish that the club had lengthened Lincoln and/or Cecil some time ago; this was foreseeable.

The only success Lincoln has ever had in the majors was as a reliever, and when they did try to lengthen him out in the spring to take advantage of his arsenal he developed shoulder soreness. I can't see how trying it again so soon would end well. As for Cecil, he's had two years in a row of mediocre to bad performance as a starter, appears to finally be in a role that works for him, and still hasn't shown any improvement against right-handers in spite of increased velocity. I would rather hope for 5 innings of 3 runs from Ortiz and leave the others in place (while keeping a watchful eye for more useful parts when opt-outs start kicking in on minor league deals).

I wonder if Aaron Laffey is regretting his decision to opt for free agency.

"AA told McCown he wanted to see a bigger sample size from Negrych"

2011:  .304/.370/.402 in 281 AB in AA

2012:  .270/.366/.402 in 398 AB in AA and AAA (almost exclusively AAA)

And of course we know what he's done this year.  The sample size is actually quite large.  Even if you discount this year's statistics, I think a .260/.350/.380 is a realistic expectation, which is better than what I expect to see from Bonficacio and the defense can't possibly be any worse.  He'd also be a better fit with matchups, giving the Jays another left-handed bat.  Bonifacio becomes reduntant when you have Davis on the team.

I think that Cecil (and probably Lincoln) can do quite a bit better than that.

Sure, but my main point is that I would rather throw a replacement level arm out there than risk the foundations of success that have started to build for those two by trying for a bit more due to an emergency need. Whether that replacement arm is Ortiz or another is a separate matter entirely to me.

I agree completely!

Ditto.

Cecil has found success as a LOOGY. Maybe, just maybe, he can grow up to be Scott Downs one day. For now, accept that he is able to contribute at all, because that was certainly not a given.

Lincoln, too, would seem to have the tools to be a very strong reliever. Last summer's success in Pittsburgh attests to that.

I'd even apply this principle to the very talented Lawrie. Lawrie is the poster boy for twitch reflexes. He has shown terrific ability at third base. Why mess with that? Why even entertain the idea of moving him to the middle of the diamond? Were he a shortstop or second baseman, he'd have far too much time to think before throwing. Even when he plays rover on the shift, he's using him same fundamental skills. See ball. React. Throw. Bay the moon.

I do agree that there can be a peril in too quickly converting everyone to a reliever and moving everyone too far to the left on the defensive spectrum. I guess the trick is to know who has Petered out and who can be thrust into a more demanding role. That said, I am surprised by middling pitchers who sometimes turn into decent starters, so maybe I'd be too cautious as a manager.

you think that they're better off to send Ramon Ortiz out there for 4 starts?   It's not about theory in this case, it's about cold hard options.

I think all "solutions" to this problem are ugly. Sub-replacement starters Ortiz and Bush figure to be run-an-inning types. But I'd be very concerned about Cecil facing a RH-heavy lineup and Brad Lincoln's track record suggests he ain't no starter (but may be a decent reliever).

I'm certainly not entrenched in my position, but I'd sooner one sacrificial lamb, like Ortiz, who has no future with the team rather than two who do. But the team is 10 games under .500, so everything should open for discussion.

It wasn't that long ago that the team had too many starters and concerns about depth were given short shrift. The gods do love punishing hubris.

Morrow is apparently ready to start on Sunday. Davidi first reported this late last night and the prognosis hasn't changed.

That being said, with the number of times "a couple of days" has turned into something longer with this front office, I'm nearly at the stage of I'll believe it when Morrow's making his warmup tosses in the pen.