AL Notes: Jays, Orioles, Twins, Red Sox

The Blue Jays need to do some navel-gazing heading into trade season, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. The rotation leads the AL with 35 wins, but other stats like ERA and total bases allowed stack up less promisingly. Veteran Mark Buerhle has provided a timely career season, while other members of the rotation have been solid but volatile. Improvements to the rotation may rank at the top of the Jays’ trade deadline wish list.

• In the same piece, Davidi speaks with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. He acknowledges there will be inconsistency with the rotation and points to health as something that is particularly difficult to predict. He also reiterated his preference for in-season trades since it’s easier to gauge which teams and players are performing well.
• Orioles GM Dan Duquette recently addressed fans at the “State of the Orioles” address, reports MASNsports.com Steve Melewski. One of the topics discussed was Nolan Reimold’s role with the club. He’s currently hitting .326/.433/.522 at Double-A. Said Duquette “we’ll have to see if he can help our ballclub.” The Orioles must add Reimold to the active roster by Monday or else designate him for assignment. Given his current performance, it’s likely they will lose him if he’s placed on waivers.
• Despite rumors that the Yankees plan to spend upwards of $30 million in the international market, the Twins intend to participate aggressively, writes Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. According to Twins GM Terry Ryan, “we aren’t going to lie low.” He also expressed skepticism about the rumors of other teams blowing past their budget, saying “Once you start paying some of that tax, all of a sudden other people get involved.”
• Red Sox GM Ben Cherington spoke with reporters about the club’s direction, reports MassLive.com’s Jason Mastrodonato. Cherington highlights the team’s talent base as a reason to stay positive for the current season. While he wasn’t “sugarcoating” their 7.5 game deficit in the AL East, he didn’t rule out a trade deadline addition. It’s widely speculated that the Sox will deal from their depth of starting pitchers.