The Blue Jays have acquired 25-year old lefty swinging 2B Luis Valbuena from the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations. Valbuena played in 17 games for the Indians last year and he was 9 for 43 (.209 avg, .506 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 229 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 166 of 735 (.226 avg, .630 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 13 homers, 57 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Valbuena will have a good shot of making the Blue Jays’ roster in 2012 if he has a solid spring.

UPDATE: (4/5/2012) - The Blue Jays have lost Luis Valbuena on waivers to the Chicago Cubs.

The Blue Jays have claimed 26-year old righty swinging catcher Brian Jeroloman off waivers from the Pirates, who recently claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays. Jeroloman played in 79 games in AAA-ball for the Blue Jays last year and he was 65 of 271 (.240 avg, .631 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 2 homers, 26 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 516 games in his first 6 years in the minors with the Blue Jays and he is 399 for 1,631 (.245 avg, .725 OPS) with 201 runs scored, 26 homers, 192 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He will likely start the 2012 season in AAA for the Blue Jays.

UPDATE: (12/8/2011) - The Blue Jays have designated Ben Jeroloman for assignment to make room on the roster for Kelly Johnson.

31-year old righty swinging RF/3B Jose Bautista finished 3rd in the voting for the A.L. MVP Award in 2011. He played in 149 games for the Blue Jays last year and he was 155 for 513 (.302 avg, 1.056 OPS) with 105 runs scored, 43 homers, 103 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Bautista also walked a stunning 132 times last year as teams were terrified to pitch to him. He has now played in 885 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 721 of 2,836 (.254 avg, .843 OPS) with 455 runs scored, 156 homers, 438 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. Bautista seems to just get better for the Blue Jays, so don’t be surprised if he eventually wins an MVP in the near future.

The Blue Jays will be looking to get some bang for their bucks in free agency. Here is the trio of free agents I would sign if running the Blue Jays:

1. Francisco Rodriguez - The Blue Jays need a closer and Francisco Rodriguez is still a really good pitcher. I think K-Rod would be a perfect fit at the back end of games for the Jays, giving the fans a reason to stay until the game is over.

2. Edwin Jackson - The Blue Jays actually had Jackson for a little bit last year, but he never pitched for them as he was traded to St. Louis as part of the huge Colby Rasmus deal. Jackson has the kind of arm and know how to pitch solid ball in the A.L. East.

3. Kelly Shoppach - The Blue Jays could use a new backup catcher with Jose Molina poised to sign with the Rays. Shoppach has a big time throwing arm and a lot of power when he makes contact with the ball.

The Blue Jays have claimed 26-year old righty reliever Andrew Carpenter off waivers from the Padres. Carpenter pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Phillies & Padres last year and he was 0-0 with a 7.98 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. He also pitched in 34 games (1 start) in AAA-ball last year and he was 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Carpenter has now pitched in 17 games (1 start) in parts of four years in the majors and he is 1-1 with a 8.51 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP. Based on how well Carpenter pitched in AAA last year, this is a solid gamble for the Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed 26-year old righty reliever Cole Kimball off waivers from the Washington Nationals. Kimball pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Nationals last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He also pitched in 12 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 1-0 with 5 saves, a 0.00 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Kimball was the Nationals’ #7 prospect coming into last year and he pitched well. The Nationals tried to sneak Kimball through waivers as he is coming off rotator cuff surgery. I like this pickup for the Blue Jays as Kimball has a good arm, when healthy.

UPDATE: (11/18/2011) - The Blue Jays have lost Cole Kimball on waivers to the Washington Nationals. The Blue Jays just didn’t feel comfortable with waiting for Kimball, who is going to miss at least the first half of the 2012 season.

27-year old lefty starting pitcher Ricky Romero has finished 10th in the voting for the A.L. Cy Young Award in 2011. Romero pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has now pitched in 93 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays in his first three years with the team and he is 42-29 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Romero is going to start getting votes every year for the Cy Young Award as he keeps getting better.

The Blue Jays have acquired 26-year old righty reliever Tyler Magnuson from the A’s for cash considerations. Magnuson pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the A’s last year and he was 0-0 with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He also pitched in 30 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 4-2 with 5 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The Blue Jays traded Magnuson to the A’s last winter as part of the deal that brought outfielder Rajai Davis to Toronto.

The Blue Jays have released 27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Adam Loewen. Loewen played in 14 games for the Blue Jays last year and he was 6 for 32 (.188 avg, .610 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. He also played in 134 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 159 for 520 (.306 avg, .884 OPS) with 83 runs scored, 17 homers, 85 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The Blue Jays might try to re-sign Loewen to a minor league deal over the winter.

The Blue Jays have picked up 28-year old righty swinging 1B/3B Edwin Encarnacion’s option for 2012, valued at $3.5 million bucks. Encarnacion played in 134 games for the Blue Jays last year and he was 131 for 481 (.272 avg, .787 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 17 homers, 55 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has played in 272 games in his first three years with the Jays and he is 249 for 967 (.257 avg, .781 OPS) with 142 runs scored, 46 homers, 129 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Encarnacion’s versatility in the field and his power at the plate, make him a bargain at $3.5 million bucks for 2012.