much of the winter before agreeing

The Toronto Blue Jays continued making bold moves this offseason, acquiring a power-hitting third baseman to further bolster the middle of their batting order. Vans Slip On Clearance . Numbers Game looks at Torontos acquisition of Josh Donaldson. The Blue Jays Get: 3B Josh Donaldson. Donaldson, 28, is a premier power-hitting third baseman, slugging 53 home runs over the past two seasons while playing in Oaklands pitcher-friendly stadium. He has an .840 OPS (.363 OBP, .477 SLG) over the past two seasons, which ranks 19th among qualified hitters, and his fWAR of 14.1 over the past two years ranks third in baseball, behind only Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen. 2014 PLAYER PA HR AVG OBP SLG fWAR Josh Donaldson 695 29 .255 .342 .456 6.4 Part of the reason that Donaldson has such high overall value is that, even as a converted catcher, hes an adept fielder. Over the past two years, his 31 Defensive Runs Saved ranks fourth among third basemen and his Ultimate Zone Rating of 25.4 ranks fifth. Not only is Donaldson a really productive everyday player -- and durable enough to play every day -- but hes under team control financially. Eligible for arbitration this year, Donaldson will get a sizeable raise (projected by MLB Trade Rumors to be $4.5-million), and that will continue to escalate in the years ahead. Even so, given his place in the contract cycle, Donaldson is a veritable bargain for what he provides. The Athletics Get: 3B Brett Lawrie, LHP Sean Nolin, RHP Kendall Graveman and SS Franklin Barreto. Lawrie is a 24-year-old who has more major league experience than Donaldson, and has shown plenty of raw talent, but has not been able to stay healthy. Over the past three seasons, Lawrie has hit 34 home runs, stolen 22 bases and posted a .722 OPS (.316 OBP, .406 SLG), but has shown flashes in the field, with 24 Defensive Runs Saved, ranking sixth among third basemen. His fielding numbers were excellent in 2011 and 2012, but have fallen off the past two seasons. 2014 PLAYER PA HR AVG OBP SLG fWAR Brett Lawrie 282 12 .247 .301 .421 1.7 Though Lawrie has more major league experience, he doesnt have the same credentials as Donaldson, so his projected arbitration award this season is $1.8-million. It means the As will save some money, but they had also better hope that Lawrie can stay healthy and live up to the potential that had him rated as high as Baseball Americas No. 40 prospect in 2011. Nolin, 24, is a polished southpaw who has fared well in 20 Triple-A starts over the past couple seasons, with a 3.17 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 105 innings. Hes pitched a couple innings for the Blue Jays over the past couple seasons and has a change-up that gives him a chance to have success at the major league level. He should be close to ready for a legitimate shot in the majors. Graveman, a 23-year-old righthander, climbed from A through Triple-A ball last season, going 14-6 with a 1.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 27 starts, getting into five games with the Blue Jays late in the year. While he had a low strikeout rate (115 in 167 1/3 innings), his average fastball velocity approached 93 MPH and he mixes in a 90-plus cutter. Like Nolin, Graveman should be close to getting his shot in the big leagues. Barreto has a chance to be the real prize of the deal for Oakland, eventually. The 18-year-old shortstop played Low-A ball last season, but coupled an .865 OPS (.384 OBP, .481 SLG) with 29 stolen bases (and, incidentally, 61 RBI in 73 games). It will take time for Barreto to develop, but he if he turns out to be an everday shortstop in the major leagues, then that would be a really nice long-term play for the As. Verdict: The As gave up a really good player, at a point when hes not yet prohibitively expensive, but they didnt give him up cheaply. Given the risk that goes with prospects, though, the Blue Jays have to be happy with their side of the deal. They didnt have to give up any of their top-tier pitching prospects and if Barreto ultimately provides significant value, its going to be several years down the road. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Cheap Vans SK8 . The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion. Vans Shoes Wholesale Store . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri. http://www.vanssalestore.com/vans-old-skool-clearance.html . PETERSBURG, Fla.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Opening their season against a perennial playoff performer, the Toronto Blue Jays head into 2014 facing a Tampa Bay Rays team that has enjoyed the type of success the Jays are looking to duplicate. The division rivals are set to face each other Monday afternoon at Tropicana Field, with David Price and R.A. Dickey taking the mound in a matchup of 2012 Cy Young Award winners. The Rays are coming off a year in which they won 92 games and made the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons. The Blue Jays would just as soon forget 2013, when they battled injuries and finished in last place after being a popular preseason pick to contend for a championship. Toronto failed to bolster its starting pitching this winter and returns with essentially the same lineup as a year ago, yet Dickey thinks the results will be better. "I think the heartbeat is a lot different this year. I think, one, were very comfortable. If I had a word to describe what (spring training) has been, its been comfortable. Guys really know that this is a big year for us collectively," said Dickey, who was 14-13 with a 4.21 ERA last season. "Were kind of getting a mulligan this year," the knuckleballer added. "Last year, a lot of things went wrong. This year, were pretty much all healthy. ... Were in a much different place." Only the Yankees, Cardinals and Phillies have earned as many post-season berths as the Rays over the past six seasons. And after hiking one of baseballs lowest payrolls above $80 million to keep most of last years roster intact, Tampa Bay anticipates another strong run. Price was 10-8 with a 3.33 ERA in 2013 after winning AL Cy Young honours two years ago, but he went 9-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 18 starts following the first stint of his career on the disabled list. The 28-year-old lefty was the subject of trade speculation much of the winter before agreeing to a $14 million, one-year contract to continue anchoring one of the ALs strongest rotations. The Rays, often overshadowed in the AL East by the big-spending Yankees and Red Sox, dont shy away from taking about how good they believe they cann be. Vans Old Skool Grey Sale. "To be honest with you, I thought last year we had more expectations going into the season than we do this year — only because the Red Sox won the World Series and the Yankees have made some pretty big acquisitions. So, that kind of puts us in the shadows again," third baseman Evan Longoria said. "There are a lot of expectations from within this team," he added. "But from an overall perspective, well probably be picked down the ladder a little bit more this year ... which is perfectly fine with me because I think weve proven time in and time out that if you believe the right things and play the right way, then the rest will take care of itself." Toronto pursued free agent Ervin Santana in hopes of improving its rotation, but the right-hander wound up signing with Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays offence has a chance to be potent if a lineup featuring Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera and off-season acquisition Dioner Navarro can stay healthy. Dickey, who had a solid spring, hopes to revert to the form that helped him capture the NL Cy Young Award with the Mets two years ago. "I feel prepared," Dickey said. "I feel confident." Besides not trading Price, the Rays re-signed first baseman James Loney, acquired free-agent closer Grant Balfour and traded for catcher Ryan Hanigan, reliever Heath Bell and utilityman Logan Forsythe. Longoria is confident the manoeuvring has made the Rays better. Still, he stops short of predicting another playoff berth. "Even when we were the favourites, I would say maybe we are on paper," the three-time All-Star said. "We should have that underdog mentality." The teams set their rosters Sunday, with the Rays placing injured pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Juan Carlos Oviedo and shortstop Tim Beckham on the 15-day disabled list. The Blue Jays put closer Casey Janssen on the DL due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back. Backup catcher Erik Kratz was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. 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