The Toronto Blue Jays signed four players to minor league deals yesterday with invitations to Spring Training.

The Jays signed left handed pitcher Willie Collazo, infielder Jesus Merchan and outfielders Jorge Padilla & Chris Lubanski.

Most notable of the four players signed is Lubanski, who was the Kansas City Royals’ top pick and fifth overall selection in the 2003 Major League Baseball Entry Draft.

The 30 year old Collazo spent last season in the Florida Marlins farm system, earning an 8-5 record with a 3.85 earned run average for Triple-A New Orleans.
Collazo has also appeared in six big league games with the New York Mets in 2007, boasting an earned run average of 6.35 in relief work out of the Mets bullpen.

The 28 year old Merchan spent 2009 in the Cleveland Indians organization, splitting the year between Cleveland’s Triple-A, Double-A and rookie league levels as a shortstop and second baseman.

He hit for a .306 batting average with seven doubles, one triple and 12 runs batted in across 43 games.

The 30 year old Padilla batted .367 with four home runs, 21 RBIs and 14 stolen bases for Triple-A Syracuse in the Washington Nationals organization in 2009.

He appeared in 29 Major League games last season, hitting for an average of .129.

Padilla has a career batting average of .289 over 12 minor league seasons.

Over 715 career games the 24 year old Lubanski has hit for an average of .278 with 91 homers, including a career-best 28 homers for Class A High Desert in ’05.

Lubanski is yet another first round draft selection Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has acquired.

Anthopoulos also acquired former first round selections Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace, Travis D’Arnaud as well this offseason.

The rumours that the Toronto Blue Jays and former Jays first baseman Carlos Delgado may reunite this season are not noteworthy.

The Jays did in fact travel to watch Delgado in Puerto Rico but Jordan Bastian of the Jays official website reported a Toronto Blue Jays source stating “Delgado doesn’t fit into the Blue Jays’ plans’

The idea would be an interesting one as far as boosting attendance goes, but the addition of the left handed hitting Delgado would take playing time away from designated hitter Adam Lind or Travis Snider and the idea of a platoon role with current first baseman Lyle Overbay makes no sense as both are solely left handed hitters.

The recently acquired Brett Wallace is also being set up to be a first baseman in the Jays future and is close to being Major League ready so the addition of Delgado could also effect Wallace’s possible promotion to the big league squad.