NewsBarajas officially a free agent
Mutual interest may bring catcher back with Blue Jays
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com
11/09/09 7:50 PM EST
TORONTO -- Rod Barajas filed for free agency on Monday, but that does not mean the veteran catcher has no interest in returning to the Blue Jays. Barajas made that very clear during the final weekend of the regular season."I'm in," Barajas said. "I've enjoyed my time here. I've enjoyed my teammates, and I enjoy the city. From Day 1, I wasn't thinking of going elsewhere. My first choice has always been here, and I'd love to come back and hang out with my teammates. This is a great group of guys. I have a blast when I'm inside this clubhouse. For me, I see no reason for me to want to leave."
For what it's worth, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has maintained -- as recently as during a conference call on Saturday -- that he has an interest in bringing Barajas back for 2010. That being said, Anthopoulos has been weighing his alternatives and taking everything into consideration in relation to Barajas' future.
The Blue Jays do not appear to be realistically close to contending in the American League East, and Anthopoulos is looking well beyond 2010 in his planning.
One factor that could play a role in Barajas' chances of re-signing with Toronto is his status as a Type B free agent. If the Jays offer him arbitration and he declines, subsequently signing with another team, Toronto would receive a sandwich pick in the First-Year Player Draft in June 2010. An extra pick in Anthopoulos' first career Draft as a GM could be tempting.
The Blue Jays have exclusive negotiating rights with Barajas, as well as free-agent shortstops Marco Scutaro and John McDonald, through Nov. 19. Other teams can begin offering contracts to any free agents on the open market beginning Nov. 20.
This past weekend, reports surfaced that the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks were discussing a possible trade that would have sent Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay to Arizona in exchange for catcher Chris Snyder. The talks reportedly broke down, but that development showed that the Jays are searching for alternatives to Barajas.
This past season, the 34-year-old Barajas appeared in a career-high 125 games, while earning $2.5 million with Toronto. He hit .226, launched 19 home runs -- his most since he belted 21 with the Rangers in 2005 -- and set a career best with 71 RBIs. In two seasons with the Blue Jays, Barajas has hit .237 with 30 homers and 120 RBIs over 229 games.
Beyond his offensive showing, Barajas is proud of the work he has done with Toronto's pitching staff. In 2008, the rotation was riddled with injuries, and that trend continued into this past season, when the Jays cycled through 12 different starters (five rookies). In '08, the Jays boasted the best pitching staff in baseball, and the club's patchwork cast remained respectable in '09.
"For the last two years," Barajas said, "I've felt like with all the question marks that we had -- the injuries, guys going down, not just the starting rotation but the bullpen -- I felt like I was able to help guide these guys and go out there and was able to get the most out of them. It's a tough game, especially when you're young and pitching in this division against the caliber of teams that we play day in and day out.
"They held their own. They went out there and they had some bad games, but they had some great games, and I feel like I was a part of that. I feel like I helped guide them. I helped show them. I believe that they had confidence in my ability to call games, and they kind of went with me. Overall, they had a pretty good season."
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
