From the G&M...
We had an interesting talk with Cito Gaston, the Blue Jays manager, earlier on Wednesday, about Toronto's dicey prospects heading into the 2009 season.
Gaston, who arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday, concedes that Toronto's lack of pitching depth could be their Achilles' heel.
Having said that, it was somewhat surprising to hear Gaston say that for the Jays to go all-out to try to convince A.J. Burnett to sign a new contract to remain in Toronto is not the proper move.
The rub, Gaston said, are the injuries to pitchers Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan.
Marcum is gone for the entirety of 2009 after undergoing elbow surgery while McGowan is not expected to return to the lineup until May at the earliest after recovering from shoulder surgery.
"If you really sit down and look at it, would it make us a better team if we signed A.J. back right now?" Gaston said. "I don't think so. It wouldn't make us a bad team. But do we have enough, do we have enough to get where we want to go with him back because you have two other starters that you're missing."
Gaston said that without Burnett, the Blue Jays are actually not stepping back but moving forward, forcing the team to relay more heavily on youngsters like Dave Purcey that will hopefully pay dividends long term.
Gaston said if Toronto fans can continue to be patient they will be rewarded, but probably not next season.
"It's going to take us a little while to get there," Gaston said. "But I see the future of this team.
"Like I said, whether I'm here or not, you really think about this team and some of those kids can come along and pitch well…it's going to be a good ballclub for a long time."
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