The Blue Jays have signed 36-year old switch hitting infielder Luis Figueroa to a minor league deal. Figueroa played in 38 games in Rookie+AAA-ball last season in which he was 35 of 131 (.267 avg, .661 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 18 RBIs. He last played in the majors in 2007 with the Giants. He has now played in 18 games in his major league career in which he is 2 for 16 (.125 avg, .313 OPS) with 2 runs scored. This was a organizational depth signing and little more for the Blue Jays.

Cito Gaston’s spot in Blue Jays’ history is secure as he has won the American League & the World Series twice. But, is he the right guy for essentially a massive rebuilding project? I’m not so sure. Gaston led the Blue Jays to a 75-87 (46.3%) record last season but with the talent on the roster I think he actually did a good job. He will have it a bit rougher this season without Roy Halladay around to anchor his starting rotation. Still I have a feeling that Gaston will get the most out of his players in 2010 but it might not reflect that in the team’s final record. Gaston has a 809-760 (51.6%) record in his 11 years with the Blue Jays.

GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: C

The Blue Jays have released outfielder Joey Gathright. Gathright played in 17 games for the Blue Jays this spring and he was 7 of 42 (.167 avg, .353 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. This pretty much means that Jeremy Reed has won one of the spots in the outfield. Reed is a great defender so he will likely get a lot of games in as a defensive replacement late in games for the Jays in 2010. The Blue Jays were hoping that Gathright would make the team because of his speed but it just wasn’t to be.

The Blue Jays would me smart to keep the depth they have in the bullpen the whole year but they will be tempted to trade some of these guys. 31-year old righty Kevin Gregg was signed on to be the closer for the Jays. He pitched in 72 games (0 starts) for the Cubs last season and he was 5-6 with 23 saves, a 4.72 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. In his last three years serving as a closer, Gregg has pitched in 218 games (0 starts) in which he is 12-19 with 84 saves, a 3.86 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He has only allowed 174 hits in 216 1/3 innings the last three years while whiffing 216 batters. But he has also walked 107 batters which often gets him into trouble.

32-year old righty Jason Frasor filled in really well for the Jays last season as the closer. He pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 7-3 with 11 saves, a 2.50 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Frasor only gave up 43 hits in 57 2/3 innings last season while whiffing 56 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. The Twins and Cubs both want to acquire Frasor in a trade but I think the Jays should keep him as he is a better pitcher than Kevin Gregg. If the Jays keep Frasor he might be closing at some point for them in 2010.

34-year old lefty Scott Downs is also a very solid late game pitcher for the Jays. He pitched in 48 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last season in which he was 1-3 with 9 saves, a 3.09 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. In his three years as a full time reliever, Downs has pitched in 195 games (0 starts) in which he was 5-8 with 15 saves, a 2.26 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Downs is another reliever that other teams really want but the Blue Jays should keep him.

28-year old righty Jeremy Accardo also has closing experience. He pitched in 26 games (0 starts) for the Jays last season in which he was 0-0 with 1 save, a 2.55 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. In his four years with the Blue Jays, Accardo has pitched in 133 games (0 starts) in which he was 5-8 with 35 saves, a 3.45 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Accardo is still a good pitcher so he will help the Jays in 2010.

29-year old lefty Jesse Carlson did not pitch too well for the Blue Jays last season. He pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 1-6 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The Blue Jays are hoping that Carlson gets back to the pitcher he was in 2008. In 2008, Carlson pitched in 69 games (0 starts) in which he was 7-2 with 2 saves, a 2.25 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.

34-year old righty Shawn Camp has been pitching the best baseball of his career in Toronto. He pitched in 59 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year in which he was 2-6 with 1 save, a 3.50 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Camp has now pitched in 99 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Blue Jays and he is 5-7 with 1 save, a 3.71 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He will be a middle reliever for the Jays in 2010.

27-year old righty Josh Roenicke came over from the Reds in a trade last season. He is the Blue Jays’ #7 rated prospect heading into the 2010 season according to Baseball America. Roenicke pitched in 13 games (0 starts) for the Jays last season and he was 0-0 with a 7.13 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He pitched in 24 games (0 starts) overall for the Jays & Reds last season in which he was 0-0 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Roenicke did whiff 33 batters in only 31 innings for the Blue Jays showing what kind of stuff he has. He will likely help the Blue Jays at some point in 2010.

28-year old righty Casey Janssen appeared rusty last season after missing the whole 2008 season due to injury. Janssen pitched in 21 games (5 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 5.85 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. He allowed a stunning 59 hits in only 40 innings pitched for the Jays last season. The Blue Jays are hoping that Janssen will return to the form he showed in 2007. In 2007, Janssen pitched in 70 games (0 starts) in which he was 2-3 with 6 saves, a 2.35 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: B

The Blue Jays have a lot of depth in the rotation for the 2010 season. 28-year old righty Shaun Marcum will likely be one of the Jays’ top starters in 2010. He started 5 games in AA+AAA ball last season in which he was 0-2 with a 2.30 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He last pitched with the Blue Jays in 2008. Marcum has pitched in 89 games (64 starts) in his four years with the Blue Jays and he is 24-17 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. If he can just stay healthy, Marcum will be the Blue Jays’ #1 starter in 2010.

25-year old lefty Ricky Romero really stepped up for the Jays as a rookie in 2009. Romero started 29 games for the Blue Jays in 2009 in which he was 13-9 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. He gave up 192 hits in 178 innings last season while walking 79 batters which is too many. Look for the Blue Jays to try to get Romero more aggressive in the strike zone in 2010 as he has the stuff to be a top line starter in the show.

25-year old righty Brandon Morrow came to the Blue Jays in a trade with the Mariners over the winter and he has a huge upside. Morrow pitched in 26 games (10 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 2-4 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He walked 44 batters while whiffing 63 in only 69 2/3 innings showing his wildness. But, Morrow has outstanding stuff and the Jays see him as a starting pitcher in 2010. If he starts throwing more strikes he could be a dominating starter down the road for the Jays.

24-year old lefty Marc Rzepcynski looked good in his first taste of the majors in 2009. He started 11 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 2-4 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He also pitched in 16 games (all starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year in which he was 9-5 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Rzepcynski, like Romero, has a nice upside as long as he starts throwing more strikes.

32-year old lefty Brian Tallet might win the #5 job for the Jays in 2010. He pitched in 37 games (25 starts) for the Blue Jays in which he was 7-9 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. In his four years with the Blue Jays, Tallet has pitched in 180 games (26 starts) in which he is 13-15 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Tallet could also be trade bait for the Jays this year.

26-year old lefty Dana Eveland pitched in 13 games (9 starts) for the A’s last season and he was 2-4 with a 7.16 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP. He gave up a stunning 70 hits while walking 26 batters in only 44 innings last year showing just how awful he was in 2009. Eveland has now pitched in 83 games (44 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-17 with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Blue Jays’ fans better hope that Eveland never pitches for them in 2010 as he is awful.

28-year old righty Dustin McGowan didn’t pitch last year due to injury and his shoulder is bothering him again. McGowan has pitched in 75 games (56 starts) in his four years in the majors in which he is 20-22 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. This is a shame as McGowan has shown the potential to be a huge asset for the Jays when healthy.

22-year old righty Kyle Drabek was one of the prizes the Blue Jays got in the Roy Halladay trade. Drabek was the Phillies’ #2 rated prospect according to Baseball America. Drabek pitched in 25 games (23 starts) in A+AA-ball last year in which he was 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He whiffed 150 batters in 158 innings in the minors last season while only allowing 141 hits showing what kind of stuff he has. Drabek will be in the Blue Jays’ starting rotation soon as early as this year.

23-year old lefty Brett Cecil was o.k. in his first taste of the majors in 2009. Cecil pitched in 18 games (17 starts) for the Jays in which he was 7-4 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. He did get pounded for 116 hits in 93 1/3 innings last season as he was hit pretty hard. Cecil is talented so look for him to be in the rotation at some point in 2010 if he doesn’t win a job out of spring training.

25-year old lefty Brad Mills is the Blue Jays’ #8 rated prospect according to Baseball America. Mills started 2 games for the Blue Jays this season and he was 0-1 with a 14.09 ERA and a 2.61 WHIP. He also started 14 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 2-8 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. In 3 years in the minors, Mills has pitched in 47 games (43 starts) in which he is 17-13 with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He has a very nice upside.

30-year old righty Scott Richmond got hit hard in his first taste of the majors in 2009. He pitched in 27 games (24 starts) for the Jays last season and he was 8-11 with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Richmond gave up 27 homers in 138 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year. He does not have much of an upside as what you see is what you get with him.

26-year old lefty Zach Jackson pitched in 3 games (1 start) for the Indians last season and he was 0-0 with a 9.35 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP. He also pitched in 30 games (14 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 4-8 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. The best thing about Jackson is that he is a lefty, period.

28-year old righty Shawn Hill started 3 games for the Padres last season and he was 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Hill has started 40 games in his five years in the majors and he is 8-16 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He will start the year in the minors.

24-year old righty Jesse Litsch will miss most of the 2010 season due to Tommy John Surgery. He started 2 games for the Jays last season and he was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. He has pitched 3 years for the Blue Jays appearing in 51 games (50 starts) in which he is 20-19 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROTATION IN 2010: C-