Geoff Baker confirms some of the rumours that have been floating around in a few threads here : The Jays are trying to sign Miguel Batista before this weekend's baseball winter meetings.

Apparently J.P phoned Batista's agent just before his appearance on The Fan yesterday and has "has offered the Batista camp deals ranging from two to three years in length and varying in annual salary", Batista is looking for 3 years and $12m +.

Matthew Elmslie, an astute Jays fan and frequent visitor to this site, takes a thoughtful look back at the Gord Ash era in his latest column at Blue Jay Way. This isn't entirely about the ex-GM; it's an entertaining recap of the highlights and lowlights, on and off the field, during his tenure. There are many other great lines I could have quoted, but this summary of Ash's weaknesses had me nodding in agreement:

Gord Ash does not understand certain realities about how baseball games are won and lost. He doesn’t understand the importance to an offense of plate discipline. He doesn’t understand how players’ talents decline with age. He doesn’t understand how talent is distributed among ballplayers. He hasn’t shown any special ability to identify real prospects. And he doesn’t understand that rebuilding has different stages, and that the stages can’t be skipped over.

I had given up on the Blue Jays ever returning to Gillick-era glory under the man Elmslie calls "out of his depth," only to have my optimism rekindled when Paul Godfrey made his best decision as team president. Though there's been a positive, exciting change in direction over the past two years, it's too soon to put the Ricciardi plan in a similar box -- I hope Matt doesn't write that piece for quite some time.

The Winter Meetings in Nawlins (that's "New Orleans," for those of you unfamiliar with the Cajun of Loozyana) are just 24 hours away, and all signs are that it's going to be a barn-burner. A probable new Boston home for Alex Rodriguez, the predictable subsequent eruptions from Mount Steinbrenner, and a Guerrero-centric shopping spree in Baltimore figure to be the backdrop of one the busiest and most entertaining meetings in years. It will not be lost on Bauxites that all three of these developments concern the AL East -- but them's the cards the Jays have been dealt. By the time these meetings end, Toronto should have come away with one or two free-agent pitchers, perhaps conducted or laid the groundwork for trades, and generally should have all but completed their roster construction for 2004. Hang on to your collective hat, folks -- the Mardi Gras of Winter Meetings oughta be a whole lot of fun.

It's almost that time of year again: the Rule 5 Draft takes place this Monday during the Winter Meetings in New Orleans. Baseball America gives us a preview of the proceedings and highlights four organizations -- including the Blue Jays -- who could lose multiple players. For myself, I wouldn't consider any of the listed players to be irreplaceable, so if they go, no real harm done.

In terms of acquisitions, the consensus seems to be that this year's crop isn't nearly as talented as last year's, when the Jays had two legitimate keepers in Aquilino Lopez and Jason Dubois (and potentially a third in Gary Majewski) but could only keep one (the right one, as it turned out). Moreover, this year's Toronto roster is stronger than last year's, so the chances that a 25th man could stick around unnoticed all year are fairly minimal anyway. Unless the Jays snag a real keeper -- someone worth either stashing on the roster or working out a deal to acquire full-time -- don't expect to see a whole lot coming out of the Rule 5 this year.

Spencer Fordin (along with Tony LaCava and Dick Scott) looks at Alexis Rios in his newest article on MLB.com.

Thanks to Homsar for the heads-up!

This would not be a good day to cross George Steinbrenner's path. Not only is the handshake deal betwen George and Gary Sheffield in serious jeopardy, making a Yankee run at Vlad Guerrero a sudden possibility, but now comes news that lifetime Yank Andy Pettitte is about to sign with the Astros. If confirmed, this would be a serious hit to the one area that the Yankees have spent the winter trying to upgrade: the pitching staff. And it comes just one day after Bartolo Colon, a possible Pettitte replacement, went off the market. A Jeff Weaver-Kevin Brown deal would seem very likely, and who knows what else the Yankees might do on the eve of the Winter Meetings (Kevin Millwood? Sidney Ponson? Miguel Batista?) Hang tight....

Thanks to several Bauxites who spotted this remarkably candid and detailed interview of JP Ricciardi by Marty York. JP confirms that Miguel Batista is a Jays target; perhaps surprisingly, so is Sidney Ponson. Read on for more.

Matt Welch has a look back at the whole Moneyball saga and throws in a few nice shots at Griffin and Baker.

There are not enough good writers like this writing about baseball, it's always a refreshing change to read something like this. Welch is a long standing Bill James reader and demonstrates a faultless grasp of sabermetrics while giving the Griffins and Morgans of the world a good 'fisking'.

It looks like the rumoured Colon deal has been finalised.

The CBC reports a four-year, $48 million US deal . Somewhere Roy Halladay's agent is printing the article...

If Colon is worth that much - what price HLH ?

In a twist on its usual prospect ratings, Baseball America has turned its eye to the next wave of potential General Managers in baseball, with this Top Ten list compiled by Josh Boyd. The list includes some familliar names, including the Phillies' Mike Arbuckle, who might well have ended up in Toronto had JP Ricciardi not been available, and former Jays Scouting Director Tim Wilken, touted as a possible successor to Chuck Lamar in suddenly-intriguing Tampa Bay.

Speaking of Josh Boyd, we're very happy to announce that Josh has agreed to speak with Batter's Box about the Blue Jays farm system! We'll be conducting the interview this week, and hope to have one or more articles ready to go by as early as next Monday. Keep watching for more details on another Batter's Box exclusive interview!

At the request of Commissioner Moffatt (aka "Double M-Cup"), this thread is to discuss the BBFL, sepcifically Winter Trading.

Toronto's bullpen just got considerably stronger with the reported signing of reliever Kerry Ligtenberg , recently non-tendered by Baltimore. More details to come as they arrive, but assuming the price is right, it's a terrific move. Now that compensation issues are settled, we can probably expect more quick strikes by JP and Co. in the next little while.

Breaking News ... Da Box has learned that the illegitimate love child of George Steinbrenner and Georgia Frontiere (named Georgie, of course) has been granted a new major league franchise that will be located in Alexandria, Va., and play part of its home schedule in Portland, Ore.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and of course, San Juan, P.R.

To stock the roster of the new team, the blank-check-driven Georgie will sign the following roster of 25 non-tendered players. "I could've built an entire second team of 25 that'd win the freaking A.L. Central," said Frontbrenner. "But I'll leave that to the wise contributors to various baseball blogs around the Internet."

Here's the starting lineup ...

It'll be Hideki against Kazuo in New York next spring, as the Mets have signed Japanese shortstop Kazuo Matsui to a three-year, $20 million contract. To make room for Matsui, the Mets are going to move 20-year-old sensation Jose Reyes to second base. Is this a good idea? Well, ask yourself if you would've moved Tony Fernandez to second base after his rookie season, because that's essentially what the Mets are doing here. Shortstop was one of the few areas the Mets didn't need help at. But this isn't about baseball sense nearly so much as it's about keeping up with the Steinbrenners in the New York dailies.

Will this Matsui showdown turn into New York's very own Most Extreme Elimination Challenge? Right you are, Kenny.

We're well past our de-facto limit of 116 comments on Hijack Central IV, so it's time for a new thread. Feel free to discuss any late-breaking news here. Possible discussion-starters include the Twins inking Shannon Stewart, local hero and MVP candidate, to a three-year, $18 million contract.