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First base: Home-field disadvantage. Owners added the one-game wild-card game in part to reward teams that won a division title. However, they've just taken away some of that advantage by changing the layout of the Division Series from 2-2-1 to 2-3. Instead of starting at home, the higher seed will play the first two games on the road before heading. Look, it's not huge deal and might revert back to 2-2-1 next year, when the regular season begins earlier, thus providing more potential off days in October. Still, I don't see why 2-2-1 would have been an issue, even with the need to have fewer off days this season. But why do we need so many off days anyway? Obviously, teams play in different cities on back-to-back days all the time.

Also buried in that story is something that will get fans much more upset: Two Division Series games will shift from TBS to MLB Network, which is available in about 30 million fewer homes.

Second base: Reddick-hot. Josh Reddick plays for the Oakland A's, so he's not exactly going to be leading the SportsCenter highlights. But he's quietly putting together a nice season, hitting .283 with 10 home runs. His big home run off Alexi Ogando tied the game in the seventh inning Thursday and the A's then beat the Rangers in the 10th. The A's are a game over .500 at 20-19 and another key to their surprising success has been reliever Ryan Cook, who threw two hitless innings to get the win. Cook has yet to allow run and has allowed just four hits in 19.2 innings.

Third base: Feel-good stories. A couple of nice stories to highlight. The Blue Jays sent down former 35-homer man Adam Lind and called up Yan Gomes, who became the first Brazilian-born player to reach the majors. Gomes went 2-for-3 in Toronto's win over the Yankees. Gomes is a catcher/third baseman and not a top prospect, although he was hitting .359 for Las Vegas (of course, everyone hits .359 at Las Vegas). Gomes moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 12 and was drafted out of Barry University in Florida.

Rich Thompson is a 33-year-old outfielder who had one at-bat with the Royals back in 2004. He's been in the minor leagues ever since, including the past five seasons with Lehigh Valley, the Phillies' Triple-A club, where he became a fan favorite. Earlier this week, the Phillies traded him to the Rays, who called up him to the big leagues. On Thursday, he started in left field and picked up his first major league hit and RBI. Dreams do come true.

Home plate: Tweet of the day. Ahh, good ol' Jim Tracy.

As a #SFGiants fan, I'd like to see Jim Tracy stick around as #Rockies manager. As a sane person, I don't see how he does.

— Wendy Thurm (@hangingsliders) May 18, 2012

Is it possible Vladimir Guerrero has enough left in his creaky knees to help the Toronto Blue Jays? Hey, it doesn't hurt to find out, so the Jays signed him to a minor league contract.

Vlad hit .290/.317/.416 last season for Baltimore, hardly inspiring numbers for a designated hitter, especially when you factor in the 23 double plays he grounded into.

The most realistic expectation is that Guerrero could provide a platoon bat at DH and a pinch-hitter off the bench. While his splits were pretty even in 2011, he did hit .338/.395/.536 against left-handers in 2010 when he was with Texas.

So far, however, the Jays have actually hit better against lefties than righties:

Blue Jays versus RHP: .232/.305/.387
Blue Jays versus LHP: .248/.330/.432

That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, most obviously by benching Adam Lind permanently against lefties. Lind is a career .217/.263/.345 hitter against left-handers. Basically, he should never start against a southpaw. If Guerrero shows he has something left, Edwin Encarnacion could move to first base with Guerrero moving into the DH slot. In fact, the Jays should think about permanently replacing Lind against all pitchers. He looked like a future star after his monster .932 OPS season in 2009, but he now has a .290 on-base percentage since and is off to .198/.283/.347 start. While he has popped 49 home runs the past two seasons (and three in 2012), you need more production from your first baseman.

If Guerrero is eventually added to the Blue Jays roster, the odd man out would probably be outfielder Ben Francisco. He and Rajai Davis both hit right-handed but Davis provides more speed and better defense. It seems unlikely the club would punt on Lind, who is making $5 million this year and $5 million next (with club options through 2016).

There will be no hardcore analysis here. Just two simple statements: I think Colby Rasmus is a good baseball player; I think he's going to have a big year.

Forget what happened last year, in St. Louis and then after the trade when he hurt his wrist and hit just .173 for the Blue Jays. He's still just 25 years old, he had a nice season in 2010 when he was just 23 and after a slow start things are starting to click.

Through the season's first seven games Rasmus was hitting .125 and I had somebody ask in one of my chats if Rasmus was done. One week and people were writing him off. Since then he's hit .316 with two doubles and two home runs, raising his season line to .242/.294/.452.

I like the way John Farrell is handling him, batting him eighth or ninth to start the season, keeping unnecessary pressure off him. He did move him up to fifth a couple days ago for one game, before sliding him back down the past two nights.

Rasmus is just one reason for Jays fans to be optimistic. Jose Bautista is hitting just .200, you get the feeling Brett Lawrie is ready for a tear, maybe Adam Lind will start hitting. So they're waiting for the half their lineup to heat up -- and they're still 10-7.

Could be good things happening in Toronto.

Attention major league pitchers: Stop throwing Ben Zobrist fastballs. Try more changeups. Thursday, Minnesota Twins pitchers threw Zobrist primarily fastballs through two games of a day-night doubleheader at Target Field, and Zobrist annihilated them. Zobrist went 7-for-10 in the two games with two homers, three doubles and 10 RBIs. In the first game alone, Zobrist drove in eight runs -- a Rays' record.

Zobrist became only the fourth player to record at least seven hits and 10 RBIs in the same day and just the fifth player since 1993 to record double-digit RBIs in one day. Not since Aug. 31, 2009, when Toronto's Adam Lind went 3-for-5 with eight RBIs in an 18-10 win at Texas, had a player driven in at least eight runs in a game. Lind's production that day came in bunches: a grand slam in the fourth inning followed by a home run and three-run double in the ninth. Zobrist's destruction of the Twins was in some ways more diabolical, almost relentless, and the Twins were partly responsible.

Before Thursday, Zobrist had seen 77 changeups this season and put only six in play, for one base hit. Tampa Bay hitting coach Derek Shelton has been working with Zobrist on his adjustments to changeups. Despite his record of struggling with the pitch, Zobrist saw only six changeups in Thursday's first game and did not put a single one in play. He did, however, crush just about everything else.

In that first game according to the ESPN Stats & Information group, Zobrist went 4-for-6 against fastballs with a home run, double and eight RBIs. Zobrist began the day hitting only .247 and slugging .391 against fastballs, so there was no reason the Twins should have feared throwing him the pitch. Now, Zobrist might not see another fastball before the All-Star break. He's filled the void left by Evan Longoria, who went on the disabled list April 3 with a left oblique strain. Tampa Bay's current run of 12 wins in 15 games has made its 1-8 start a distant memory, and Zobrist's contribution only underscores his value to the Rays.

Zobrist signed a four-year, $18 million contract with Tampa Bay following his All-Star season in 2009, when he hit .297/.405/.543 and had 27 home runs, 91 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Those numbers and his ability to provide value at multiple defensive positions gave Zobrist a Wins Above Replacement rating of 8.4, second in the majors to Albert Pujols. Zobrist's WAR dropped to 3.4 last season, when his production slumped to .238/.346/.353. Now he's rolling again.

Last Friday at Toronto, he went 0-for-5 and was hitting .183. Since then, Zobrist is a sizzling 11-for-22 with 18 RBIs, lifting his batting average up to .258, and his 25 RBIs lead the majors. The Angels visit St. Petersburg this weekend and will start Ervin Santana and Joel Pineiro in the first two games. It's Pineiro's first start of the season after his activation from the disabled list. Sunday, we'll see Zobrist face Jered Weaver, who's been the majors' best pitcher. Should be fun. As much fun as driving in 10 runs in a day.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SBerthiaumeESPN.

Top five reasons why Wednesday's Baseball Today podcast with myself and master chef Keith Law really is a must-listen:

1. Ozzie Guillen must be a genius to insert Brent Lillibridge into right field for defense! He saved the game! Ozzie for Prez! As for "closer" Sergio Santos, on the other hand ... what's the fascination managers have with naming closers?

2. Miguel Olivo "homered" Tuesday night with a rather large assist from Ryan Raburn. Simply put, Olivo couldn't have done it without Raburn. So why is it scored a home run? And how would the defensive metrics deal with it?

3. Is Jered Weaver simply on a path like last season's Ubaldo Jimenez?

4. Terminator Andre Ethier can't be stopped, unless his lofty batting average on balls in play evens out, of course. But can we compare Ethier to others who had excellent April hitting streaks? I say ... well, download and hear it for yourself!

5. Law doesn't like the potential new playoff format or the All-Star Game, as currently constructed? OK, you expected that, but his reasons on each might surprise.

Plus: Excellent emails about Kent Tekulve, a comprehensive look at Oakland Athletics right-hander Tyson Ross, who is scheduled to pitch on ESPN tonight and why didn’t the Blue Jays hit lefties last season but then Adam Lind and pals obliterated Matt Harrison on Tuesday? All this and more on Wednesday's Baseball Today.

To call general manager Alex Anthopoulos a folk hero in Toronto does him a disservice. Sources tell me plans for a statue in his honor are already under way, a tribute to the Great Unloading (also known as the Vernon Wells trade). Despite not sniffing the playoffs in 18 years, an incredible amount of good will and buzz surrounds this Toronto Blue Jays team. The minor league system underwent a complete overhaul and the team hired a fleet of scouts. It is hard to argue the future isn’t bright in Toronto.

Until we consider 2011, that is. The 2010 Blue Jays won a surprising 85 games, never competing seriously for a playoff spot but making a good show of themselves in the process. The young pitching staff excelled in the absence of Roy Halladay with Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow jostling for the Opening Day starter role for years to come. Free-agent acquisitions John Buck and Alex Gonzalez provided best-case scenario contributions: huge power numbers for cheap before giving way to draft pick compensation (in Buck’s case) and sell high/buy low trade opportunities (i.e. Gonzalez traded for Yunel Escobar.)

While the Jays brass keep their eyes firmly on the prize -- with 2012 pegged as the earliest possible season to make a playoff run -- the expectations of many fans jumped ahead of the intricate plan laid out by the brain trust. Fans clamber for big-name signings, hoping the elusive final piece falls into their collective lap.

For Blue Jays fans, the immediate future might be a little rockier than they expect. None of the losses suffered by the Blue Jays figure to torpedo the season. For the team to win 85 games again, far too many things must go right.

The rotation must stay healthy. While the No. 5 starter spot saw more than its share of pretenders; the top four Blue Jays hurlers toed the rubber at least 25 times apiece. A figure that would be higher had the team not shut down Morrow early in September. While replacing Shaun Marcum's 200 innings is tough, it won’t be the first time this team filled a gaping rotation hole. Young Kyle Drabek has the makeup and stuff to slot into the rotation directly, but he, too, comes with innings limits.

Staying healthy is vital for every team, rebuilding or otherwise. The Jays racked up the third-most days spent on the disabled list in all of baseball, according to Fangraphs research. A closer look at those numbers reveals the true impact of these maladies wasn’t quite so severe. Dirk Hayhurst, Jesse Litsch, Scott Richmond and Dustin McGowan spent much of or all of 2010 on the shelf. Only McGowan at his peak had an honest shot of making the rotation or any discernable impact.

The bullpen underwent a complete rebuild as well. A virtual parade of competent right-handed pitchers now lurk in the 'pen, hoping to scoop up whatever stray saves come their way. Losing versatile “setup” man Scott Downs is a huge blow for any team. Downs was long the team’s best reliever and the man generally tasked with the highest-leveraged work.

Adam Lind and Aaron Hill need to decide which season was a fluke: Was it 2009, when they powered the middle of the lineup, or their ugly 2010 seasons? Jose Bautista is not going to hit 54 home runs again, so the Jays need these two key players to produce runs in bunches. Maybe throw a walk in there for good measure.

The future is bright for the Blue Jays. Financial agility coupled with a renewed pipeline churning out major league-ready talent positions the Jays perfectly to make multiple runs at the playoffs. Be prepared for some growing pains in 2011.

Drew Fairservice writes the Blue Jays blog Ghostrunner on First. Follow him on Twitter.

Today I'm thrilled to announce the latest addition to the SweetSpot Network: Ghostrunner on First, covering the Toronto Blue Jays and masterminded by the wonderfully named Drew Fairservice.

Today, Drew looks at Adam Lind's awful 2010 numbers and finds ... well, maybe they weren't quite as awful as they look:

I'm going a long way to say Adam Lind had two crappy months and isn't nearly as awful as he showed in 2010. Lind experienced some criminally bad luck in June both by average on balls in play and home run per fly ball.

As I stated earlier, "future Adam Lind" is a lot more likely to put up strong (but not spectacular) numbers in the .850 OPS/.360 wOBA neighbourhood. The .390 wOBA we saw a year ago is what the kids call "a career year." It happens.

--snip--

Lind's team-friendly, option-heavy deal provides the front office enough rope to bide their time and fairly assess if Lind is the right fit for the Jays and the eventual playoff push. If a cheaper or better option presents itself, so be it. Players with Lind's type of pop don't fall out of trees, but they're hardly endangered species either.

Well, Lind's contract isn't that team-friendly; they're committed to paying him nearly $20 million, regardless. And Lind is 27, so it's not like he figures to get a lot better. It does seem likely that 2009 was his career year, and it does seem unlikely that he'll again rank as the game's top DH.

But, yes: He was up in 2009, down in 2010, and he's likely to settle somewhere in the middle in the coming seasons. And at $5 million per season for the next three seasons, somewhere in the middle is perfectly fine as long as he's not blocking a younger, better hitter.

From the ol' mailbag today:

Rob- any thoughts on the Jays? They have been one of the hottest teams the past month yet it remains a struggle to get any air time from ESPN. I recognize that it is early, and they will likely not end up contending by season's end but what does it take to at least get a blog?? Some great stories here around some young pitching, Wells re emergence and Cito all of a sudden looking like a genious again.



- Regan (Toronto)

The Jays' hitting is full of bizarre anomalies, not so surprising considering that we're still in May. John Buck, Alex Gonzalez, and Jose Bautista are all out of their minds, while Lyle Overbay, Aaron Hill, and Adam Lind are all hitting below their weight (which essentially works only if you play first base for the Brewers). I should probably throw Vernon Wells in there somewhere, too, if only because .627 seems like a fairly high slugging percentage even for a player with such obvious talents. Travis Snider might be the only guy in the lineup who's reasonably close to pegging his projections.

Leaving all that aside, the Jays are second in the league in scoring but have the 10th-best on-base percentage, and I'm not real sure that's a combination with much long-term viability. Which means the Jays' overall performance probably isn't sustainable, either. The big story has been Shaun Marcum and Ricky Romero, and there are certainly good reasons to think they both are (or will become) fine major league pitchers. But the rest of the rotation is loaded with question marks, as Dana Eveland doesn't strike out enough guys, Brandon Morrow walks too many guys, and Brett Cecil feeds too many gophers (so far, anyway).

I wish I had better news, Regan. But I just don't see these Jays as better than a .500 team, and I think they're probably more likely to finish below than above.

Well, the first big move for the new regime in Toronto could hardly be better:

The Toronto Blue Jays signed outfielder Adam Lind to a four-year, $18 million contract on Saturday.

The deal runs through 2013 and includes club options through the 2016 season.

The 26-year-old Lind, who hit .305 last year with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs, was happy to know he'd be with the team long term and could make Toronto his second home.

--snip--

"We've got a good solid core and a bunch of draft picks coming in the system now this year and for years to come," said Lind, a .287 hitter who has spent his career in the Toronto organization.

Anthopoulos and Lind said this contract shows that team owner Rogers Communications Inc., is willing to spend to make the franchise successful again.

"It just means that we're going to try and win," Lind said. "Those guys are pretty savvy business people and they know what it takes to win in the Canadian market. I don't think they do this for any other reason than to put a champion out on the field because that's what Rogers people are used to."

The contract includes a $600,000 signing bonus and a $400,000 base salary for this season followed by $5 million in each of the next three years.

Actually, what this contract shows is that Lind really likes Toronto and that there are some smooth operators in the Blue Jays' front office. Because Lind's contract is a HUGE bargain for the club. Those "club options through the 2016 season"? They're worth $22.5 million.

So if the Blue Jays exercise all their options, Lind will earn $38.5 million over seven years. As MLB Trade Rumors points out, "Even though he's mostly a leftfielder and designated hitter, Toronto appears to get a tremendous bargain here. For comparison's sake, Nick Markakis will earn $62.455MM for the same seven year chunk of his career."

I'm already imagining the suggestions that Lind should have gotten more money; that he was foolish to have agreed to such a low-ball offer.

Friends, $38.5 million is a lot of money. I've been to Canada. I wouldn't mind spending the next seven years there, particularly if I liked my teammates and knew I wouldn't have to worry about paying rent or buying food for the rest of my life.