#1: Ricky Romero: 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Ricky Romero keeps getting better and the Jays hope that trend continues. He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Romero made his first All-Star Team in 2011. Romero has now pitched in 93 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Blue Jays and he is 42-29 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

#2: Brandon Morrow: 27-year old righty Brandon Morrow takes no-hitter stuff to the mound on almost every night, but he’s a tad wild and it gets him into trouble a lot of the time. Morrow pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 11-11 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has now pitched in 56 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 21-18 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Morrow has pitched in 187 games (71 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 29-30 with 16 saves, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. If Morrow can tame the flame, he could pass Romero by in the pecking order for the Blue Jays.

#3: Brett Cecil: 25-year old lefty Brett Cecil will likely hold down the #3 spot in the starting rotation for the Jays. He pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-11 with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Cecil was sent down to the minors for a while, but he returned to pitch pretty well. Cecil has now pitched in 66 games (65 starts) in his first three years with the Jays and he is 26-22 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

#4 and #5: Henderson Alvarez: 21-year old righty Henderson Alvarez looked pretty solid in his first taste of the majors in 2011. He pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 1-3 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He only walked 8 batters in 63 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year and that is pretty amazing. He also pitched in 17 games (16 starts) in A+AA-ball last year and he was 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. If Alvarez’ success wasn’t a mirage last year, he will likely lock up either the #4 or #5 spot in the rotation for the Blue Jays this spring.

Kyle Drabek: 24-year old righty Kyle Drabek was a mess last year for the Blue Jays. He pitched in 18 games (14 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. Drabek walked a stunningly awful 55 batters in only 78 2/3 innings last year for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays sent Drabek to the minors and he was even worse there. Drabek pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last year for the Jays and he was 5-4 with a 7.44 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. Drabek has now pitched in 21 games (17 starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 4-8 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.

Jesse Litsch: 26-year old righty Jesse Litsch is going to have a good shot of getting back into the Blue Jays’ starting rotation this spring. He pitched in 28 games (8 starts) for the Jays last year and he was 6-3 with 1 save, a 4.44 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Litsch has now pitched in 88 games (67 starts) in his first five years with the Blue Jays and he is 27-27 with 1 save, a 4.16 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. If Litsch’s arm holds up, I think he will win a job in the rotation this spring.

Dustin McGowan: 29-year old righty Dustin McGowan is a wild card here. He missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons due to shoulder problems. McGowan pitched in 5 games (4 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 80 games (60 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 20-24 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. If McGowan is completely healthy, he is going to have good shot of winning a rotation spot this spring.

Nelson Figueroa: 37-year old righty Nelson Figueroa is the biggest longshot of this bunch. He pitched in 8 games (5 starts) for the Astros last year and he was 0-3 with a 8.69 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP. Figueroa has now pitched in 145 games (65 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 20-35 with 1 save, a 4.55 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: C+

In the field: As soon as Jose Molina bolted to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Blue Jays dealt lefty starting pitcher Brad Mills to the Angels for Jeff Mathis. Mathis will backup J.P. Arencibia behind the plate in 2012. The Blue Jays seem to like collecting oufielders as they dealt for Ben Francisco from the Phillies. This could lead to a Rajai Davis or even Travis Snider deal before spring training opens. The Jays also acquired infielder Luis Valbuena from the Indians and he will have a good shot to stick with them as a backup infielder if he has a decent spring.

On the mound: The Blue Jays have been going to the candy store called the Chicago White Sox to rebuild the bullpen. The Jays acquired closer Sergio Santos and righty set-up Jason Frasor in separate deals with the Pale Hose. The Jays also signed lefty reliever Darren Oliver and he will work late in games for them in 2012. The Jays also inked righty Jesse Chavez and lefty Aaron Laffey to compete for bullpen jobs this spring.

Overall: The Blue Jays are making themselves better this winter without breaking the bank or trading top prospects.

UPDATE: (1/24/2012) - The Blue Jays have released Mark Teahan.