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TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays have re-acquired pitcher Jason Frasor.

The right-hander spent eight seasons with the Blue Jays before the club dealt him to the Chicago White Sox last July 27. The Sox sent him back to Toronto on Sunday and picked up pitching prospects Daniel Webb and Myles Jaye in return from the Jays.

Frasor made a combined 64 relief appearances for the Jays and White Sox last season, posting a record of 3-4 with a 3.60 earned run average. In his first stint with Toronto, he was 24-28 with 36 saves and a 3.69 ERA in 455 games.

The White Sox will pick up a pair of right-handed hurlers who have not pitched above Class-A ball.

Jaye, who turned 20 on December 28, made his pro debut in 2011 and was 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA at Bluefield of the Appalachian League. Webb, 22, spent most of 2011 with Single-A Lansing and was 4-5 with a 5.48 ERA.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

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TSN The Sports Network

The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a minor-league contract with left-hander Aaron Laffey and invited him to spring training.

Laffey was 3-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 47 relief appearances for Seattle and the New York Yankees last season.

He held left-handed batters to a .242 average.

The Blue Jays have also signed on Saturday right-handers Jerry Gil, Garret Mock and Robert Coello, and shortstop Brian Bocock to minor-league contracts and invited them to spring training.

What do you guys think about this.

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TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-hander Aaron Laffey and invited him to spring training.

Laffey was 3-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 47 relief appearances for Seattle and the New York Yankees last season. He held left-handed batters to a .242 average.

The Blue Jays have also signed on Saturday right-handers Jerry Gil, Garret Mock and Robert Coello, and shortstop Brian Bocock to minor league contracts and invited them to spring training.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly signed left-handed pitcher Darren Oliver to a one-year deal, pending a physical.

Oliver, an 18-year MLB veteran, was the Texas Rangers top southpaw the past two seasons and in 2011 he posted a 2.29 ERA in 61 games (51 innings) with a 1.137 WHIP and 44 strikeouts.

Oliver would give the Blue Jays a veteran left-handed option in their bullpen in addition to the talented, yet inconsistent, Luis Perez.

In each of the past three seasons Oliver has lowered his ERA. He earned $3,250,000 in 2011.

On Friday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, citing two major league sources, reported the Blue Jays were close to signing the 41-year-old lefty.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have placed reliever Jon Rauch on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to September 5, and he is likely done for the season.

The 6-foot-10, 32-year-old right-hander suffered a right-knee cartilage tear and will consult a knee specialist in Colorado to ascertain whether surgery is recommended. The recovery process could take at least six weeks.

The Jays had just activated Rauch from the 15-day disabled list on the first day of September.

Rauch had his appendix removed in August after feeling discomfort in his stomach. Rauch went 5-4 with a 4.85 ERA and saves 11 in 16 chances. He also gave up 11 home runs in 52 innings and had a 10.81 ERA in his last seven appearances. The Jays still must decide whether to exercise a US$3.75-million option to keep Rauch in 2012.

Toronto should get centre-fielder Colby Rasmus back from a wrist injury this week. Rasmus was 0-for-7 in two games as a DH with Double-A New Hampshire over the weekend.

Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today.

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NEW YORK — Reliever Frank Francisco has signed a two-year contract with the New York Mets.

The 32-year-old Francisco went 1-4 with 17 saves and a 3.55 ERA in 54 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. The right-hander has appeared in 50 or more games in each of the last five years. He had 25 saves with the Rangers in 2009.

Francisco is 18-19 with a 3.72 ERA with 368 strikeouts in 334 innings in seven years with Texas and Toronto.

The deal was announced Monday.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

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Christmas could come early for fans of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The agent for Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish sent out a tweet on Monday morning saying an announcement will be made on the winning bid at around 9pm et.

Don Nomura tweeted that the announcement will be made late Tuesday morning, Japan time.

Earlier reports indicated the Blue Jays made the highest bid for the negotiating rights for Darvish, a bid that could be in the neighbourhood of $50 million.

The Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are all believed to have made a bid for Darvish’s services.

Darvish’s Japanese team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have until 5pm et on Tuesday to accept or reject the highest bid but they do not know the identity of that team.

Should the Jays have the highest bid and it is accepted, they would have 30 days to work out a deal. If they can’t sign him, the Jays would then have their bid money returned.

The 25-year-old Darvish has a lifetime record of 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in Japan.

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Reliever Frank Francisco #50 of the Toronto Blue Jays at Busch Stadium on June 25, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) — Reliever Frank Francisco has signed a two-year contract with the New York Mets.

Francisco is 18-19 with a 3.72 ERA with 368 strikeouts in 334 innings in seven years with Texas and Toronto.

The deal was announced Monday.

What do you guys think about this.

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By SportsDirect

Multiple reports say the Toronto Blue Jays have won the negotiating rights to highly touted Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish. Neither the Blue Jays nor Major League Baseball has confirmed that Toronto made the high posting bid, expected to approach $50 million. The results of the posting process are expected to be made public early next week. If reports are true, Toronto will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the 25-year-old, widely considered one of the best pitchers not in the majors. It’s believed the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs were the other three teams most interested in Darvish’s services. Darvish was sensational in Japan last season, posting a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts over 232 innings. If he heads to the majors, he’ll leave Japan with a career 1.99 ERA.

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Yu Darvish of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. (Getty Images)

Tribune news services

12:42 p.m. CST, December 16, 2011

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have posted a bid close to $50 million for the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, according to the New York Post.

The Cubs also reportedly submitted a bid, but there is no word on the dollar amount.

Several sources with knowledge of the situation told the Post’s George A. King III that the Blue Jays made the bid on orders from owner Rogers Communications.

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Home : Pleased to meet Yu? Jays bid big for hurler: reports

Pleased to meet Yu? Jays bid big for hurler: reports

Josh Visser, ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Friday Dec. 16, 2011 10:18 AM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have made a massive bid for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish and may have won negotiating rights to sign him, according to a report.

The New York Post says the Jays are believed to have made an offer in excess of $40 million US for Darvish, outbidding the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees.

The Post says the Jays made the bid on orders from Roger Communications. Darvish, a massive star in Japan, could be a marketing goldmine.

The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have until 5 p.m. Tuesday EST to accept or reject the highest bid for their star player.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been characteristically mum on the subject. He personally scouted Darvish last year in Japan.

If the Jays won the bid, they would have 30 days to sign the 6’5, 215-pound pitcher to a deal. It is believed Darvish is seeking a five-year, $70-million deal.

Darvish, 25, holds a 93-38 career record with a 1.99 earned run average in the Japanese league.

While unproven in the MLB, Darvish could solidify the top of the Jays rotation, along with ace Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow.

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We won’t know for certain until Tuesday, but the New York Post reports Friday morning that the Toronto Blue Jays are the high bidder for the services of Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish:

Having made a posting bid above $40 million and possibly close to $50 million, the Blue Jays are the favorites to land the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish.

There is a belief the Cubs also made a large bid on the right-hander but a number hasn’t been attached to their bid.

The Yankees made a bid Wednesday night, but it’s not expected to top what the Blue Jays submitted. The Rangers are also believed to have bid.

According to several sources with knowledge of the situation, the Blue Jays’ made the monster bid on orders from owner Rogers Communications.

Take this with the usual grains of salt, especially considering this tweet:

Well. First, Bowden misspelled “corroborating”. Second, the team doesn’t have “until Tuesday” to complete a deal; the deadline for Darvish’s Japanese club, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, to decide to accept the bid, is Tuesday at 7 a.m. Japan time, according to the Japanese newspaper the Daily Yomiuri. 7 a.m. in Japan is 5 p.m. ET the previous day, so we should know for certain late Monday.

Presuming the Fighters accept the bid, the winning team then has 30 days to reach a contract agreement with Darvish; if that doesn’t happen, the winning team get its posting fee back and Darvish plays another year in Japan.

As always, we await developments.

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The Toronto Blue Jays may be in position to win the Yu Darvish sweepstakes.

According to the New York Post, the Blue Jays are believed to have made the highest bid for the negotiating rights to the highly touted starting pitcher from Japan.

The report indicates the Blue Jays made a bid of more than $40 million and maybe even close to $50 million.

The Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are all believed to have bid for Darvish’s services.

Darvish’s Japanese team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have until 5pm et on Tuesday to accept or reject the highest bid but they do not know the identity of that team.

Should the Jays have the highest bid and it is accepted, they would have 30 days to work out a deal. If they can’t sign him, the Jays would then have their bid money returned.

The 25-year-old Darvish has a lifetime record of 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in Japan.

“He is making $6 million a year in Japan on the field, close to that off the field,” a scout from a team that did not post a bid told the newspaper. “So you are starting at $12 million a year over here. I would say five years for $75 million is about right.”

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Read More: Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs

Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish has no doubt been on the radar of teams like the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers for years, but now that the 4 p.m. CST Wednesday deadline for MLB teams to submit their bids for his services has passed, we will soon find out who wanted him the most. The 25-year old right-handed pitcher burst onto the scene when he lead the Japanese national team to a World Baseball Classic title back in 2009, but he has been dominating Japanese teams for quite a while now — he went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA, to go with 276 strikeouts and just 36 walks in 232 innings of work for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2011.

Bidding was a four-day blind auction process, and at least five MLB teams (possibly up to 10) have made formal bids as a posting fee, including the Cubs, Yankees, Rangers and Blue Jays. The highest bid is expected to be announced later on Thursday, at which point the Fighters will have four days to decide if they accept the bid. If they do accept the bid, the MLB team with the accepted bid then has 30 days to negotiate with Darvish and work out a deal. If no deal is reached during the negotiation window, the posting fee is waived and Darvish will return to the Fighters for another season.

Here is what SB Nation’s Chicago Cubs blog, Bleed Cubbie Blue, has to say about Darvish:

…So being posted at 25 is exactly right. Whoever signs Darvish will be getting his prime years.

Now, check out the numbers he has already posted in NPB. He doesn’t walk people. He doesn’t give up many hits or runs — he has posted ERAs under 2.00 for five consecutive seasons, and almost had WHIPs under 1.00 all five of those years, barely going over that mark at 1.01 in 2010. Even if you think NPB competition isn’t quite what MLB is, that is absolute dominance. No other Japanese pitcher currently in NPB is anywhere close to those kind of numbers. Look, for example, at his ERA compared to the league. There aren’t a ton of innings on his arm, either; over that five-year period of dominance he has averaged about 204 innings, not an extraordinary total.

For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for Cubs rumors and transactions.

That’s all the news for today.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have signed catcher Jeff Mathis and right-handed pitchers Jesse Litsch and Dustin McGowan to one-year contracts.

All three players were eligible for arbitration. Mathis will earn $1.5 million US in 2012, Litsch will make $975,000, while McGowan gets $600,000.

Mathis had three home runs, 22 RBIs and a .174 batting average in 93 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season.

Litsch went 6-3 with a 4.44 ERA in 28 games with Toronto last season.

McGowan, meanwhile, made his return to the lineup late in the season after undergoing two shoulder surgeries. He had not appeared in a game since 2008 and finished 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in five games.

The Blue Jays made a series of other moves Monday, claiming right-hander Jim Hoey off waivers from Minnesota, outrighting catcher Brian Jeroloman and right-hander Drew Carpenter to triple-A Las Vegas and designating right-hander Jesse Chavez for assignment.

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Dec 12, 2011 – If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly confusing Ben Francisco with Juan Francisco. Today’s news will do absolutely nothing to change that, as the Philadelphia Phillies have traded the Ben Francisco to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Frank Gailey.

The first word I saw came from Jon Morosi, who texted the message to Twitter because he’s too good for an app. I say that today’s news will do nothing to stop the confusion because Ben Francisco is changing teams, not names. I guess he won’t be wearing red anymore, which will kind of help.

Francisco is a 30-year-old right-handed outfielder with another two years of arbitration eligibility. You’d think he might be cut out for a platoon, but he’s shown pretty much zero platoon split over his career, which admittedly doesn’t present a huge sample. He owns a career 103 OPS+ and is leaving one crowded outfield for another. This could free up the Blue Jays to trade Travis Snider, or it could not. I am not the Blue Jays.

Gailey is a short, 26-year-old left-handed reliever who so far has topped out at double-A. That does not bode well. He’s from the Philly area, so if he ever makes it to his new parent club he could be a fan favorite, but he could also be a fan not-favorite in the event that he is bad. He has a lot of work to do and is presently not much.

John Mayberry and Laynce Nix now have a clearer path to playing time. Neat for them! They deserve it.

Read More: Ben Francisco (RF – PHI), Frank Gailey (P – TOR), Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays

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TORONTO (AP)—The Philadelphia Phillies have traded Ben Francisco to the
Toronto Blue Jays for minor league pitcher Frank Gailey.

The teams announced the deal Monday.

The 30-year-old Francisco hit .244 with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 100
games for the Phillies this past season. Over parts of five major league seasons
with Cleveland and Philadelphia, he’s batted .260 with 45 home runs and 174
RBIs.

The 26-year-old Gailey went a combined 5-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 45 relief
appearances for the Class A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire. He is from
Philadelphia.

Toronto also designated right-hander Jesse Chavez for assignment to make
room on the 40-man roster.

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DALLAS (AP) — The Chicago White Sox traded closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, sending him back to the organization where he spent three seasons trying to make the majors as a shortstop.

Toronto gave up pitching prospect Nestor Molina to acquire the 28-year-old Santos in a swap made at baseball’s winter meetings.

Santos earned 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 63 games. The 28-year-old righty is a strikeout pitcher, fanning 92 in 65 1-3 innings. He made a major league-record 25 straight scoreless appearances on the road to start the season.

Santos was golfing when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to tell him about the trade. The deal caught Santos by surprise – a few days after the season ended, he signed an $8.25-million, three-year contract with the White Sox.

“I think he expected to be in Chicago,” Anthopoulos said.

Santos was in Toronto’s minor league system from 2006-08 as a shortstop. He converted to pitching in 2009 while in the White Sox organization and made his big league debut the next year.

Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ assistant GM when Santos was in their organization. The team asked Santos if he wanted to take a try on the mound, but he wasn’t interested.

“He didn’t want to pitch. He believed in himself as a shortstop,” Anthopoulos said.

Santos made it as high as Triple-A as an infielder. He was a career .248 hitter with 72 home runs in the minors, starting out in 2002 in the Arizona system.

The Blue Jays really wanted him back and were willing to trade Molina. The 22-year-old starter has excelled in his minor league career, going 27-7 with a 2.21 ERA overall. He was a combined 12-3 with a 2.21 ERA in Double-A and Class A last season.

Anthopoulos said Santos’ contract situation and “electric stuff” made him especially attractive, given his arm hasn’t endured a lot of wear because of his late switch to pitching.

Toronto’s saves leader last season was Frank Francisco with 17. Santos immediately inherited the role.

“He’s got the ninth inning for us,” Anthopoulos said. “We think he’s got a chance to be an elite closer.”

Chris Sale was second on the White Sox last season with eight saves. Chicago had planned to move him into the rotation next year.

There is the quick update of the day.

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Read More: Sergio Santos (P – TOR), Nestor Molina (P – CWS), Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox

There are now confirmed reports that the Chicago White Sox have traded bullpen ace Sergio Santos for minor league pitcher Nestor Molina.

The trade, which sends the de facto White Sox closer to the Toronto Blue Jays, occurred early Tuesday afternoon. According to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, the Santos trade is ”the start of a rebuilding.” Last year, the Sox finished with a 79-83 record, 16 games behind the Detroit Tigers.

Nestor Molina pitched a total of 130 and 1/3 innings with Toronto’s High-A and Double-A affiliates. Primarily a starter at both levels, Molina managed a 2.58 ERA and 2.45 FIP in his time with the Dunedin Blue Jays (A+).

Dunedin plays in the Florida State League, a league particularly known for its offense, so Molina’s 2.58 ERA is noteworthy, given the league’s 3.94 average ERA. (The average ERA in the NL in 2011 was 3.81.)

In five combined minor league seasons, Molina has pitched 292 and 2/3 innings with a strong 2.21 ERA.

For more updates on the hot stove, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more on the White Sox, check out South Side Sox, SB Nation’s Chicago White Sox blog. And for news from around major league baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

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