He still has value to a team however. He is versatile. He is a quality veteran player who understands his role and is a leader. With a salary of only $750,000 he barely impacts the budget. Although health was an issue last year, DeRosa still had an impact. He is a guy that is good to have around during tough times. He offers stability and perspective gained through his years of experience. There will always be trade interest in a veteran guy like DeRosa There has been some speculation that DeRosa might retire but so far his return to Toronto is likely. I know there are plenty of fans who fell in love with Munenori Kawasaki last season His passion for the game was obvious. He doesnt hit for average or power and doesnt possess any great tool for the game beyond his passion to play. Overall he is short on talent and talent wins in the big leagues. His $1M price tag became too much once the decision to keep DeRosa was made. This doesnt preclude the Jays from signing Kawasaki to a minor league deal and bringing him into camp for a chance to compete however. 3) They Jays hired Kevin Seitzer to be their new hitting coach - the third in three years. The Jays were disappointing .252 hitters last year - can a new hitting coach make that big a difference and what are your impressions of Seitzer in that capacity? I played in the minor leagues against Kevin Seitzer in 1984. I was in Class A with the New York Mets in Columbia, SC and Seitzer played for the Royals Class A team in Charleston, SC. I remember Seitzer as a player almost as much as I remember the swarms of Palmetto bugs at night games and the amazing quarter beer night crowds that came out to the ballpark. Back then Seitzer was a smart player who had a good eye at the plate. He didnt have much power but he did have quality professional at bats day in and day out. He hit from line to line using the entire field. He walked more than he struck out and was a good situational hitter. He went on to have a solid major league career over a 12-year span. His major league numbers never deviated much from what he showed as a minor leaguer. So why is a guy who had such little power in his own career a good fit for a team full of power hitters? Because he can instill a new fresh perspective and approach. The Jays have been a "grip it and rip it" mentality over the last several years. They have scored their runs via the home run. There is nothing wrong with that but the game offers so many more opportunities to score besides the home run. If hitters make small adjustments in their swing and their approach they can make significant improvements in certain situations. The Jays need to be better at advancing runners with productive outs. Seitzer can help. With a man on second and no one out a batter should be looking to advance the runner to third with a ball hit to the right side of the infield. The Jays of recent past have struck out or popped up too much in those situations. With a man on third and less than two outs hitters need to put the ball in play and drive in a run. The Jays have been too prone to striking out in those situations. The hitters need to think differently and cut down their swings a bit to make more contact. Hitting is more mental than physical at the major league level. When a batter is struggling it is rarely his swing that is the problem. More often than not it is his head that is causing him problems. Players over think or under think. They get caught in between pitches; behind the fastball and in front of the off-speed pitch; unable to hit either. Seitzer will be more of a hitting psychologist than mechanic for the Jays. If they listen to him and make the appropriate adjustments they could lead the league in runs scored. Fair or Foul Baseball fans are in hibernation now. The weather is getting cold and it is the heart of the NHL season. The players and coaches have all returned to their hometowns. They are hunting and fishing and taking vacations with their families. The guys are able to take their kids to school and do many of the husband and dad things that they dont do during the season. They will start getting in shape after Thanksgiving for the 2014 season. As a member of the front office the work never ends. Its 162 games and then the work starts. Alex Anthopolous and his staff dont have an off-season. This is as busy a time of the year as there is in a baseball front office. Anthopolous is reading reports from his Instructional League program in Florida.