Here's a shocker -- you haven't seen the last of Josh Towers in a Blue Jays uniform.
The right-hander, who was batted back and forth between the rotation and bullpen in 2007 and ended up going 5-10 with a 5.40 ERA, will be back battling for the fifth spot in the 2008 rotation, general manager J.P. Ricciardi said yesterday.
"At this point we intend to bring him back," Ricciardi said. "We need all the pitching that we can get. We plan on Towers being here."
When Towers zipped out of the Jays clubhouse without speaking to the media following their final game of the 2007 season, many assumed he would not be back, that the Jays had zippo interest.
But even though he is arbitration eligible and earned $2.9 million US in '07 in the final year of a two-year, $5.2-million contract, Ricciardi is not deterred.
"For the fifth spot in a rotation, for $3-million bucks, that's what starters are going for," Ricciardi said. "Just look at the numbers and do the math."
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"At spring training he'll (Towers) be battling for the fifth spot (along with Gustavo Chacin, Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen) or the long relief role."