Blue Jays Open To Bolstering Bench

The Blue Jays just traded away Mike Napoli, but they could re-gain some depth before the season starts. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos says he's considering ways of bolstering his team's depth.

"We're always looking to add to the bench," Anthopoulos told reporters on a conference call this afternoon. "There's still some players out there that we continue to have talks with."

Free agency is just one avenue for teams to consider. Anthopoulos pointed out that players become available later in the spring, when out of options players hit the waiver wire and others get released. The Blue Jays acquired Fred Lewis last April and are open to making a similar addition this spring.

Jose Molina and John McDonald were fixtures on the Blue Jays' bench last year and they'll be back in 2011. The Blue Jays will have either two or three more bench spots to work with, depending on how many relievers they carry. Could one of those bench jobs go to Vladimir Guerrero? The Blue Jays don't comment publicly on free agent negotiations, but Anthopoulos did say that he intends for Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion to be everyday players in 2011.