Blue Jays close in on Lo Duca …

… and await word from Giants on Rios-for-Lincecum proposal

ROBERT MACLEOD

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

December 5, 2007 at 10:15 PM EST

NASHVILLE — The Toronto Blue Jays have made their best pitch for a pitcher and are now in a holding pattern to see if the San Francisco Giants are willing trade partners.

And the stakes are high as the Blue Jays are prepared to send all-star right fielder Alex Rios to the Giants in a one-for-one exchange that would land them promising right-handed pitcher Tim Lincecum, according to a team source.

And in another late development here Wednesday night at Major League Baseball's winter meetings it appeared the Jays are on the verge of signing veteran free-agent catcher Paul Lo Duca to a one-year contract.

"We're talking to Lo Duca's agent right now so we'll see," Ricciardi said earlier in the day.

The Blue Jays arrived at the winter meetings, which wind up Thursday, hoping to fill two needs - to try to bolster their pitching rotation and find a catcher to back up Gregg Zaun heading into the 2008 season.

Wednesday night, it appeared the Blue Jays were close to filling one of those wants as the American League club had another meeting over the dinner hour with Lo Duca's agent, Andrew Mongelluzi.

According to another team source, the Jays are offering Lo Duca between $3-to-$4-million (U.S.), bonuses included.

Mongelluzi is leaving Nashville this morning and has told the Blue Jays he wants to examine the offers he has - the Washington Nationals are also interested - and examine them in detail with Lo Duca before agreeing to anything.

It's possible Lo Duca might not sign anywhere until next week.

Lo Duca, who has spent the last two seasons with the New York Mets, is a four-time all-star with 10 years of MLB experience.

Last season with the Mets he played in 119 games, batting .272 with nine home runs and 54 runs-batted-in. He was successful in throwing out 23.4 per cent of base stealers.

While the Jays may be on track to getting Lo Duca, the club is still uncertain about its pursuit of Lincecum, a 23-year-old pitcher who turned heads in just his first year with the Giants in 2007.

Sporting a funky herky-jerky delivery, Lincecum made 24 starts and posted a 7-5 record with a 4.00 earned-run average. He struck out 150 over 146.3 innings of work while walking 65.

The Blue Jays met with Giants officials here on Monday and a Toronto team source said Wednesday that the deal that remains on the table is a straight one-for-one swap, Rios for Lincecum.

However, the Giants are being extremely cautious and the Blue Jays believe it could take until the new year before a decision is made one way or the other.

Ricciardi said as of Wednesday afternoon he had not heard any more from the National League club.

"We'd be willing to do some things [with San Francisco]," is about all Ricciardi would say directly about the state of negotiations with the Giants.

"I think they're weighing a lot of things on their end for other options."

San Francisco general manager Bruce Sabean said Wednesday night that there is no timetable on any deal the Giants may make with the Jays.

"It doesn't hinge on anything else," Sabean said, adding that he'd talk to the Jays one last time.

"There are still a couple of things that need to be flushed out," he said. "I don't know if it would happen with one call."

Ricciardi, speaking generally, said he is not enthusiastic about having to give up an everyday player for a starting pitcher.

But it is something he said he would not hesitate to do if he felt it improved the fortunes of the team.

"I think when you look at the game, the way it is, the hardest thing to get is pitching," Ricciardi said. "I would rather not do that but I think pitching is such a prime commodity that that's probably the price you have to pay.

"I think anytime you can pitch you've got the advantage. There's a reason why everybody's always after pitching."

The Blue Jays did manage to complete one minor deal, acquiring outfielder/infielder Buck Coats from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Coats, who the Blue Jays believe has a chance to make the 25-man roster, appeared in 20 games with the Reds last season, batting .206 in 34 at-bats.

The 6'3", 195-pound left-handed hitter, posted a .308 average with 11 homeruns, 63 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 127 games at the AAA level.

Ricciardi said Coats' best position is centrefield, but that he can also play third and shortstop.

Really, really flexible guy as far as positions he can play," he said. "We like his bat."

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