Backup infielder Joe Inglett is forcing his way into getting more playing time with his play on the field. Inglett has played in 51 games for the Blue Jays this season and he is 37 for 115 (.322 avg, .875 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 17 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. With Aaron Hill out for a while due to a concussion, Inglett is pushing Marco Scutaro and David Eckstein for playing time. He has played especially well since Cito Gaston has taken over as the manager and with the Blue Jays fielding offers for David Eckstein, Inglett could have a much larger role on the Jays in the near future.

The Blue Jays figured that they wouldn’t get much offense out of the catchers this season but they have been pleasantly surprised so far this year. Rod Barajas has played in 51 games this season for the Blue Jays and he is 45 for 155 (.290 avg, .839 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 6 homers and 24 RBIs. The Blue Jays knew that Barajas was capable of hitting some homers but the batting average has been a big surprise. Gregg Zaun has also had a solid season as he has played in 50 games for the Blue Jays this year and he is 39 for 151 (.258 avg, .766 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 5 homers and 16 RBIs. Look for these guys to have a pretty even split in playing time unless one of them starts really swinging a hot bat.

The Blue Jays have placed Shaun Marcum on the 15-day disabled list with soreness in his right elbow. Marcum has started 15 games this season for the Blue Jays and he is 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has only allowed 72 hits in 98.1 innings while whiffing 86 batters. Lefty John Parrish will likely be called up to replace Marcum in the rotation but this is a huge loss to the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays made a win move now as they have fired John Gibbons and replaced him with Cito Gaston. This move has the feel of when the Marlins fired Jeff Torborg in May of 2003 and then went on to win the World Series that year with ancient Jack McKeon calling the shots. Gibbons finished his career in Toronto with a 305-305 record (50% wins). Cito Gaston hasn’t managed in the major leagues since he left the Blue Jays in 1997. He led the Blue Jays to back to back World Series Championships in 1992-1993. Gaston has compiled a 683-636 major league record (51.8% wins) in his major league career and he is 18-16 in the post season. Make no mistake this is a win now move by the Blue Jays.

A.J. Burnett keeps saying that he wouldn’t mind getting traded to the Chicago Cubs so I was thinking about a trade that would make sense for both sides and I’ve come up with one. The Blue Jays would send A.J. Burnett and infielder Marco Scutaro to the Cubs for infielder Ronny Cedeno, outfielder Matt Murton and pitchers Kevin Hart and Sean Marshall. This would not be a white flag trade by the Blue Jays as it would help them a lot. Cedeno would become the starting shortstop of the Blue Jays with David Eckstein sliding over the 2B until Aaron Hill is ready to return to action. The 25-year old righty swinging Cedeno has played in 46 games for the Cubs this season and he is 29 for 104 (.279 avg, .723 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 1 homer, 19 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. 27-year old righty swinging Matt Murton would immediately be the starting left fielder for the Blue Jays over the group on non productive veterans who are sharing the job right now. Murton has only played in 9 games for the Cubs this season and he is 3 for 17 (.176 avg, .398 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs. But, Murton has been successful in the majors as he has played in 298 games in his major league career and he has a batting average of .294 with a .812 OPS. Murton has also scored 126 runs, whacked 28 homers and he has 102 RBIs in his career to date. Kevin Hart is a 25-year old righty reliever who would likely come right up to the Jays. He has pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Cubs this year and he is 2-1 with a 6.62 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP. Hart has now pitched in 20 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-1 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. 25-year old lefty Sean Marshall has been a reliever this season but he would likely take Burnett’s spot over in the rotation. Marshall has pitched in 13 games (0 starts) for the Cubs this season and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 4.15 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. Marshall has now pitched in 58 games (43 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-17 with a 4.81 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Basically, if A.J. Burnett doesn’t want to be in Toronto the Jays should get rid of him.