Wells and Rios both homer in the same game!

Unbelievable.

Incredible.

My

eyes

are

burning

Ricciardi confirms Halladay will test free agency

As the days inch closer to the July 31st trade deadline, it appears even more likely that Roy Halladay will indeed be moved by the Blue Jays. Today in an interview with ESPN's Jim Rome, Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi indicated that Doc has stated his wish to hit free agency when his contract expires in 2010. Knowing this, the club is intent on dealing Halladay to maximize the return for their star ace.

I don't want Ricciardi to be the one making this trade. It's not as if his track record as Blue Jays GM has been stellar, because if it was, we wouldn't even be in this situation right now. It appears that Ricciardi will not be retained by the team next year, so why should he be the one to pull the trigger on what clearly will be the most important transaction in Toronto Blue Jays history.

I've never been one to tab Ricciardi's tenure in Toronto a total disaster, but in this case, he is a lame duck, much in the way former Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. was before he was fired. It seems that Assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos might be the new man at the helm next year, so why not send Ricciardi his pink slip to accelerate the process and install Anthopoulos as GM now? Ideally, Halladay would not be traded until after Ricciardi is gone.

Because with this team moving closer and closer to missing the playoffs for a 16th straight season, this potentially epic trade has to work.

Wells returns (did anyone realize he was gone?)

Vernon Wells made his return to the Blue Jays lineup against the Indians after sitting out the previous 3 game series against the Red Sox with a stomach ailment. Not so coincidentally, the Jays won 2 of 3 against their division rival in the $126 million dollar man's absence then lost to a garbage team when he came back Tuesday.

Did you even realize he was gone in the first place? It's not as if the team was hampered when he was gone anything because he's been terrible all year anyway. He returned last night to post a spectacular 0 for 4 showing at the plate.

No word on whether Wells mysterious stomach ailment occurred when he decided to dissect his horrendous first half of the season on film.

Inglett scorching in AAA

It's should only be a matter of time before Joe Inglett suits up in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform again after playing the majority of the season with AAA Las Vegas.

Inglett has been ripping it up as of late, hitting .429 in his last 10 games, with 18 hits, 6 doubles, 6 RBI and 3 stolen bases. On the campaign, he has a stellar .374 average. Inglett should replace David Dellucci, who is day to day after fouling a ball off his foot and has been pathetic prior to that with only 1 hit in 23 at bats as a Blue Jay.

Inglett played 15 games with the Jays earlier this season, but hit just .167 before being sent back down. He had been battling injuries prior to be recalled in May, and had just come off the disabled list so it's no wonder he scuffled this season. With his sensational play of late, he deserves to be called up, especially after his strong 2008 campaign with the team.

Who might the Jays trade at the deadline?

As the July 31st trade deadline quickly approaches, and the Blue Jays close to determining they're too far out of contention, who might the team trade at the deadline?

Roy Halladay is the obvious one that has drawn constant speculation and attention. The Mets reportedly rejected a trade offer for Halladay, and several teams including the Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers, Giants not to mention the Yankees and Red Sox reportedly have interest. I still don't think Doc is gone this year, however. The Jays will likely evaluate where they are in July next year (figuring with a healthy team they are contenders in 2010) to decide whether or not to deal him.

Other less expensive options include Scott Rolen, Marco Scutaro, John McDonald, Jason Frasor, Brian Tallet and Kevin Millar.

I expect Tallet to be moved to a team needing a decent left handed pitcher with versatility. Kevin Millar likely won't be back next year, and has plenty of experience so I'd be rather surprised he isn't moved for a mid level prospect, much like Matt Stairs and David Eckstein last year.

Rolen's amazing defense and solid bat would draw interest around the league, but his $11 million contract this year and next likely will scare teams off. Marco Scutaro would be a valuable piece for any team, but Toronto might hold on to him because they'll receive a 1st round draft pick as compensation should they lose him to free agency.

McDonald, as I've mentioned before, would be amazing to plug in for a contending teams lineup solely for his spectacular defense, and Jason Frasor has proven to be a quality reliever in the back end of the Jays bullpen this year.

I'll go with Millar, Tallet and possibly Frasor being traded at the deadline. I hope the Jays clearly define whether they are a buyer or a seller and not somewhere in between. This team needs an infusion of talent and has relatively good bargains from which to accrue talent.

Tallet moved back to bullpen

After a prolonged stint as a member of the Blue Jays rotation, the club has decided to return Brian Tallet back to the bullpen. Tallet, originally earmarked to fill in for a few starts while injuries mounted up to the rotation, aids a taxed 'pen that sorely needs another left hander following the release of B.J. Ryan. The move was made possible because the Jays have four off days in the next three weeks so the club will use a 4 man rotation.

In 17 starts, the lefty posted a respectable 5-6 record with a 4.86 ERA. After a dazzling beginning to his tenure in the rotation, Tallet has battled control issues. Additionally, Tallet has already thrown 40 more innings than at any point in his major league career so that could be why he's been showing signs of wearing down.

With the early success of rookie lefty Marc Rzepczynski, Toronto would like to get an extended look to see how the 23 year old can do, making it easier for the Jays to move Tallet back into his customary role of long reliever.

For any team needing pitching help down the stretch, don't be surprised to hear rumours about the Blue Jays entertaining trade offers for the versatile Tallet.

Carlson blows it again; Jays lose in extras

The Blue Jays are pathetic in the clutch. It's gotten to the point where the mounting frustration over how the team squanders chances to win on a consistent basis has turned into sheer comedy.

The Jays lost Saturday in extra innings (the 3rd time on the road trip that's happened, including 5 in a row overall) on a walk off home run by Melvin Mora in the 12th. The guy hadn't hit a long ball in 50 games! Of course, Jesse Carlson screwed the team over again.

Prior to that, Toronto had a perfect opportunity to bust the game open. In the 11th, Scott Rolen broke from first base on an attempted steal but was destined to be picked off until O's catcher Matt Wieters botched the ball allowing Rolen to move back to 1st safely. Alex Rios followed with a single to put Rolen on 3rd with only 1 out. With two chances to take the lead, that's when Lyle Overbay proceeded to strike out and Rod Barajas bounced out to end the threat. Typical.

The Jays are so infuriating that they really piss me off. Wait, I forgot. I said I was beyond that. They're just plain laughable now.