Alas, the big Filene's Basement store in downtown Boston is closed for renovations but like any good New Englander, J.P. Ricciardi knows where to find a bargain. So perhaps Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson are this year's Frank Catalanotto or Gregg Zaun, guys picked up in the bargain bin who went on to be productive players for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Globesports.com first reported the Blue Jays interest in Wilkerson Thursday, and it was a no-brainer: two of general manager Ricciardi's assistants, Alex Anthopoulos and Tony LaCava, know Wilkerson from his days as a high draft pick with the Montreal Expos and Blue Jays managers as far back as Buck Martinez have been high on what was Wilkerson's patient, left-handed bat. I spoke to a scout Thursday night who'd seen Wilkerson play for the Seattle Mariners this year and who knew Wilkerson, and he said: "I think the guy still has the patience, which is what his game is built around. He just really needed a change of scenery."
Wilkerson cleared unconditional release waivers Friday afternoon.
(Expos fans will remember Wilkerson as a kind of bon vivant who absolutely adored the city, and who broke down in tears when the Expos players stood on the field after the final game in franchise history. My guess is that some place on Crescent Street tonight, a couple of glasses will be raised once the news flickers over the ticker.)
Our Rob McLeod is in Cleveland with the locals, so he'll have all the details of the deal. But Ricciardi has tried to trade for Wilkerson at least once, and did not pursue him as a free agent only because he was represented by Scott Boras.
Mench also has some weird Blue Jays history. Once considered a bona fide power threat who spent much of his time with the Texas Rangers figuring in some enticing trade rumours. Urban legend is that when the Blue Jays approached the Rangers about a Vernon Wells for Mark Teixeira deal, the Rangers said thanks but no thanks - but, hey, what about Mench for Wells? It was also Mench who lined a ball off Roy Halladay's leg, fracturing it ... but, well, let's not go there on a night when Doc is pitching, OK?
Look, these additions don't mean that they get to play over the 10th inning of Thursday's game, when Alex Rios was stranded after a lead-off triple. But neither Gustavo Chacin or Sergio Santos, who were booted off the 40-man roster to make room for the pair, were going to be of much use during this 10-game road trip. The simple fact is this: if everything had gone according to Hoyle this year, which means guys hitting and Frank Thomas still in the Blue Jays lineup, the team would have signed Wilkerson in a similar situation and let Adam Lind finish out the year in Triple-A. The team came out of spring training looking for a left-handed bat that worked cheap. Mench is the right-handed equivalent - and if you're interested, despite what he says, I don't believe for a second that Ricciardi will avoid trading for a more significant bat if the team continues not to hit. Halladay and Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum are going nowhere and A.J. Burnett's a whole different issue. But Jesse Litsch, David Purcey and some miscellaneous relievers could be had, and I have to think that Lind and maybe even Lyle Overbay (who has a contract and is only now making consistent contact,) are names that Ricciardi would consider to cobble something together.
