Ryan ready to go

With all this talk about who's going to make the #5 spot, and who should be in the bullpen, Ryan has made the decision a lot easier on management.

"I'm probably a couple of bullpen (sessions) short of where I would have been if I didn't have the surgery," Ryan said. "It feels good right now, I am where I need to be."

This is good news for the Jays, who can enter April with their stud closer. Accardo should be pushed back to the 8th inning, which would allow Casey Janssen to enter the rotation. Here at The Southpaw we're all in agreement that Janssen is the best candidate for the 5 spot. With no single overpowering pitch, Janssen doesn't seem to have the best long-term potential in the pen. I've heard Gibbons say that he wants Janssen in the pen, but if that happens, Gibbons will be shouting the immortal words of Gob Bluth, "I've made a huge mistake!".


The other big thing to look for in the pen is the hopeful return to form for Brandon League. I've always been really high on League, and if he can get back to his 2006 form he might be capable of being our best reliever not named Ryan. Imagine the starters handing the ball over to Accardo in the 7th, League in the 8th, and Ryan in the ninth.

Obviously, Riccardi feels the same way:

"It's going to be interesting how League responds," Ricciardi said. "We need League to get back to where he was two years ago. The more weapons we have, obviously, the better we are. The [trainers] said he looks good. He's throwing well."

This is the first news I've heard on League in a while. We'll just have to wait a few weeks to see how everything shapes up.

Twitchy.