Blue Jays ink veterans Ramon Ortiz, Ryan Langerhans

[LittleOzzy]

The Blue Jays added to their depth on Tuesday afternoon by signing right-hander Ramon Ortiz and outfielder Ryan Langerhans to Minor League contracts.

Both players received invitations to Spring Training but are expected to begin the year at Triple-A Buffalo. There's also an outside chance that Langerhans will have a shot at earning the final spot on Toronto's bench in 2013.

Ortiz has spent parts of 11 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Angels, Reds, Nationals, Twins, Rockies, Dodgers and Cubs. He has an overall record of 86-84 and a 4.93 ERA in 296 games (214 starts).

The 39-year-old Ortiz last pitched in the Major Leagues during the 2011 season, when he posted a 4.86 ERA in 33 1/3 innings with the Giants. Last season, Ortiz made 27 starts for Triple-A Scranton of the Yankees organization and went 13-6 with a 3.45 ERA.

Toronto has a locked in starting five of R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero but is in the market for additional depth. Ortiz now joins J.A. Happ, Chad Jenkins and Justin Germano as potential injury replacements.

Langerhans spent most of the 2012 campaign with Triple-A Salt Lake of the Angels organization. He posted a .250 average with 11 homers and 54 RBIs while recording an .816 on-base plus slugging percentage in 96 games.

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/ar ... r&c_id=tor

[J.Kim]

For a second there... I had forgotten that David Ortiz re-signed this offseason so I thought you meant him...

[N31L]

Is this a joke?

[Boobs]

Definitely a smart idea to put "Ramon Ortiz" in the title, unless you're trying to mislead people.

[kwamebargnani]

Is this a joke?

Minor league teams do need players.

[flatjacket1]

Is this a joke?

Minor league teams do need players.

Especially if we want to keep the team in Buffalo. I can promise you that AA wanted longer than the term he signed for in Buffalo. We have to show we care before they will let us sign a longer term deal with them.

[JMH]

Add Lance Zawadzki to the list of unimportant but necessary signings.

The Blue Jays also signed minor league infielder Lance Zawadzki to a minor-league deal, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (on Twitter).
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/toronto_b ... OcZHtjQ.99

[satyr9]

That oughta make the buys who run the Bisons feel better. Sure we had D'Arnaud and were only a year or two away from having 3 monsters in our rotation, but now we've got Ramon Ortiz and Ryan Langerhans, so I'm sure our fans will be excited.

and now Lance Zawadzki, we're all set.

[flatjacket1]

That oughta make the buys who run the Bisons feel better. Sure we had D'Arnaud and were only a year or two away from having 3 monsters in our rotation, but now we've got Ramon Ortiz and Ryan Langerhans, so I'm sure our fans will be excited.

and now Lance Zawadzki, we're all set.

Well it's better than having no stop gaps in AAA. Last year their starting catcher batted .215 and a .245 on base.

Why do you think the Bisons kicked out the Mets?

EDIT:

The problem isn't with the affiliation, Buffalo vice president/general manager Mike Buczkowski said, but rather the team's performance on the field. In other words, Bisons fans are tired of rooting for a loser.

"Buffalo is a little different than some minor league teams," Buczkowski said. "Our two other pro teams are major league teams. I think we know winning and losing is a little more important to our fans than in some other places. I think people come to a Bisons game and they cheer just like when they go to a Bills or Sabres game . . .

"Sure, there are fans who come to see the young pitching prospect or a player on a rehab assignment or a guy on another team that is a high-profile guy. But I think in this city, there has been a deep connection to the pro sports teams. It is an identity for a lot of people. The fact that neither of the (major league) teams has won a Super Bowl or a Stanley Cup sticks with people, and I think that carries over to our games. We have casual fans as well, but I think it just matters more to people in Buffalo."

"The wins and losses have not been where we hoped they would be, and I'm sure it's not where (the Mets) hoped their Triple-A team would be at," Buczkowski said. "In a town like ours, the Bills are always going to dominate the headlines this time of year. We're always looking for ways to keep the Bisons on top of fans' minds, and I think winning is the best way to do that."

-Baseball America article.