Feel the heat

With only one game left in the regular season, it’s time to look ahead at the 2015 Blue Jays. Who to keep, who to dump and who to go after.

First, the easy part, who to let go: Colby Rasmus, who should be playing wherever they sell barbecue; Juan Francisco, a happy presence in the dugout, but a lug on the field; and R. A. Dickey, whose future is behind him. And if Dickey goes, catcher Josh Thole is sure to follow. Get rid of Casey Janssen. Aaron Sanchez or Brandon Morrow could be the closer. Or, either of them could be a starter. Whatever happens, both stay.

Let’s offer to trade Adam Lind and/or Jose Reyes and see what we can get. Let’s top any offer in order to keep Melky Cabrera. Anyway, he owes us one for giving him a chance for retribution. 

Rookie outfielder Kevin Pillar could be a superstar. Anthony Gose, John Mayberry Jr., Ryan Goins, and Dalton Pompey should play winter ball and come for a try-out in spring training.

As for pitching, Mark Buehrle will want to go to a winner and the Blue Jays aren’t that. Keep Happ, Cecil, McGowan, Hutchison and Stroman. This year we had five 10-game winners. We need a 20-game winner. Go get Jon Lester. 

We keep Bautista, Navarro, Encarnacion, Lawrie, Kawasaki and take a look in the spring at the health of Maicer Izturis. 

And, as for Gibby, I hope he goes. He’s no team leader, neither is he a strategist. He was just a guy looking for a job. We need a force in the locker room and an owner (or the owner’s representative) who instills the same feeling in the team that Andy Pettitte was talking about on ESPN a few days ago. The retired Yankee pitcher said everyone knew that owner George Steinbrenner would replace any member of the team who did not perform because there were lots of players waiting to take their place. The Jays of 2015 need to feel a bit of that heat every time they take the field.