Gaston is not writing off Jays' season as rebuilding

[February 17, 2009]  DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) -- One of Cito Gaston's first tasks in his first Blue Jays' training camp as manager since 1997 is correcting the misconception that he's writing off this season.

At baseball's winter meetings in Las Vegas, Gaston said he saw 2009 as a rebuilding season for the Jays. But that's not what he meant.

"Maybe that didn't come out right," Gaston said. "It's kind of like regrouping. Nobody likes to use rebuilding. That's a bad word. We're not really rebuilding. We're getting ready for 2010."

Whatever the term, the Jays are hampered by several injuries from the outset.

Right-hander Dustin McGowan underwent shoulder surgery last July. He could rejoin the pitching rotation as early as May or as late as August, and fellow right-hander Shaun Marcum is out for the season following elbow surgery.

Gaston said: "It'd be a different ballgame (if they were healthy for this season) and I'm pretty sure J.P. (Ricciardi, the Jays general manager) and (interim president) Paul Beeston would've gone out and gotten some people and tried to keep A.J. (Burnett) or even just picked up another hitter."

But making trades and signing free agents to expensive multiyear contracts didn't make sense because, for next season, "we're saying that Dustin will be back in form and we know that Marcum will be back," he added.

Thus, the Jays did virtually no offseason dealing.

"Right now we need to use all the tools we have to survive against the Yankees, Boston, and this team down here (Tampa Bay)."

That starts with a pitching rotation that has just two sure things in Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch. After that David Purcey is a probable and there are two open spots.

Gaston said he told his pitchers this was an opportunity for them to fill those remaining two or three spots.

"If they pitch well, well take 'em. If they don't, then maybe the kids go back (to the minors) for another year, or the older guys, if they don't beat out the rookies, they don't get the job," Gaston said.

Notes: Former Jays infielder Mike Bordick was in camp and will be a guest instructor for several days. ... Third base coach Nick Leyva, who rejoined the team June 20 when Gaston took over for fired manager John Gibbons, was back at the Jays Engelbert Complex for the first time since 1997, when Gaston was fired after nine seasons.

[Associated Press]

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