You can debate long and hard over whether the Toronto Blue Jays top priority in the offseason should be a catcher, a second baseman, a top of the rotation pitcher or all of the above. But for now, lets just look at how difficult it is to get a top-notch pitcher. When the Blue Jays aquired the likes of Jack Morris, Dave Stewart, Roger Clemens and even Doyle Alexander, it was through free agency. In the case of Morris and Stewart - besides the lure of big money contracts - it was the ability of Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick to convince them the Jays were on the verge of winning a World Series. It was somewhat the same with Clemens when he joined the team in 1997, though at the time there were those in the game who believed he had pitched his best years in Boston and was starting to slip. Alexander was a struggling Yankees castoff who seemed to be near the end of the line. A.J Burnett was also a free agent. Last winter, Alex Anthopoulos stunned the baseball world by trading for three quality starters in 2 deals, getting Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle from the Marlins and R.A. Dickey from the Mets. Although those deals havent exactly panned out, you still cant understate how incredible a feat it was to aquire three starters with such resumes in one offseason. If you look back though over the Blue Jays history, there arent too many other top-end starters the team has been able to trade for. When they landed David Wells from the Yankees in the spring of 1999, it was Clemens himself who exercised a side deal with the Jays to force a trade. It was quality for quality. The Blue Jays picked up Juan Guzman from the Dodgers in 1987 for second baseman Mike Sharperson. At the time of that deal though, Guzman was a month from turning 22 and didnt actually crack the Blue Jays roster until 1991. David Cone is the only top notch starter the Jays traded for twice. In August of 1992, they got him from the Mets for Jeff Kent - who would later blossom into a star with the Giants - and outfielder Ryan Thompson. Cone left for Kansas City as a free agent after the Blue Jays won their first World Series, but the Jays got him back again in 1995 for David Sinnes, Tony Medrano and Chris Stynes - who never came close to what Cone was worth. The Blue Jays 1995 season crumbled despite all the springtime promise and the team shipped Cone to the Yankees in July for Jason Jarvis, Mike Gordon and Marty Janzen - three pitchers who didnt exactly have distinguished big league careers. The point is that the Blue Jays have probably traded away more quality pitching than they have aquired through deals, including Guzman, Clemens and Roy Halladay. If the Blue Jays go the free agent route in the offseason, the pickings are pretty slim. The Royals James Shields, whos only 6-8 this season but still eats a lot of innings, is out there. But the team has a contract option for next season worth $12 million. The best of the rest include the Rangers Matt Garza, the Yankees Hiroki Kuroda (whos closing in on 40), the Reds Bronson Arroyo and of course, A.J. Burnett - who opted out of his contract the first time he was with the Jays to sign with the Yankees. Id never bet against Alex Anthopoulos based on what he did last winter, but its going to be a lot more difficult to get the pitcher the Blue Jays need this time around. Elsewhere, catcher Travis DArnaud - one of the top prospects the Jays gave up to the Mets for Dickey - could play his first big league game for New York as soon as this weekend. Catcher John Buck, who also went to the Mets in that deal, and his wife are expecting a child any day now. DArnaud was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas this week in part so he would be in close proximity to Phoenix where the Mets are playing this weekend. Yankee Stadium is the place to be Friday night and the whole weekend. Alex Rodriguez is playing in his first home series since returning to the lineup, and hes doing it against the team that knocked the Yankees out of the ALCS last fall. Not only that, the Tigers have won 12 straight and are pulling away in the American League Central. The Yankees are on the verge of falling right out of the Wild Card chase, having dropped 14 of their last 20. How can you feel sorry for a team thats made it to the postseason in 17 of the last 18 seasons and had won at least 90 games in all but two of those campaigns? The Yankees fans figure to be in a foul mood, especially with New York Post headlines suggesting after just one bad season, New York is on the verge of becoming a Mets town again. Cmon. Justin Jackson Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Vince Carter Jersey . 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NEW YORK -- Travis Hamonic got New York off to a fast start, and then Brock Nelson and Shane Prince helped the Islanders pull away in the third period for a big win.Prince and Nelson each had a goal and an assist, and Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey also scored to help New York beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 Sunday night to snap a two-game skid.Hamonic put the Islanders ahead just 1:01 into the game, and Prince and Nelson scored 2:39 apart in the third after the Maple Leafs had pulled within one.We had a real good start, Prince said. We laid back a little bit there end of the first, into the second.Thomas Greiss stopped 33 shots, and Nikolay Kulemin, Nick Leddy and Dennis Seidenberg each had two assists for New York.Greiss has been playing really well all year for us, Prince said. He made some big saves for us. He kept us in it. He just held off long enough for us to get a couple of insurance goals.Jake Gardiner scored for the Maple Leafs and Jhonas Enroth finished with 30 saves. Toronto lost its second straight overall and sixth in a row on the road (0-3-3).Its not the goal scoring. Its the goals you give up, Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said.After Gardiner scored 50 seconds into the third to pull the Maple Leafs to 2-1, Prince and Nelson scored 2:39 apart to stretch New Yorks lead to three.Prince was the beneficiary of a fortunate carom of the puck off the boards to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead. Enroth misjudged the puck leaving Prince alone in front of the net with the scoring chance.Obviously a good bounce. I am just trying to skate hard, said Prince, who scored in his second straight game after missing the previous five with a lower-body injury. When you are moving your feet and playing well, good things happen.Prince then forced a turnover and had the primary assist on Nelsons goal. Seidenberg had assists on both goals.We have been in so many tight games all season. Getting that cushion helps, Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey said. I think there is a level of comfort you can get to when you have a lead. Its not always the right comfort but we really havent had a lead like that this year.Bailey capped the scoring in the final minute.The Islanders honored formmer fan-favorite Matt Martin with a video tribute during a stoppage in the opening period.dddddddddddd It was the first time Martin played against them since signing a four-year, $10 million deal with Toronto in the offseason. Martin played the first 438 games of his career with New York, and is 34th on the franchises games played list.It was a little odd. You see him on the other side in a different uniform, Cal Clutterbuck said. But then when the game starts you dont really think about it too much.Hamonics opening goal was the eighth in the last five games for New York defensemen, who have nine goals and 10 assists on the season.Cizikas got his first of the season, burying a rebound of Clutterbucks shot at 7:22 of the first to make it 2-0. Kulemin, who replaced Martin on the Islanders fourth line, had assists on each of the first two goals.Toronto rookie sensation Auston Matthews, the top pick in the 2016 NHL draft, registered four shots in his first career appearance against the Islanders.Martin and Andrew Ladd got into a skirmish near the end of the second period. Ladd, who signed a seven-year $38.5 million contract with the Islanders in the offseason, has just one assist in nine games.Game notes Jaroslav Halak backed up Greiss after he was reportedly put on the trade block. Halaks agent, Allan Walsh, voiced his displeasure on Twitter on Friday. ... The Islanders wore purple jerseys during warmups as part of the NHL Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. ... The Islanders scratched C Mathew Barzal, G Jean-Francois Berube and RW Alan Quine. ... Gardiner scored his first goal of the regular season and is three assists shy of 100 for his career. ... Toronto scratched D Matt Hunwick (lower body), D Frank Corrando and C Peter Holland.UP NEXTMaple Leafs: Host Edmonton on Tuesday night in the first NHL matchup between Matthews and the Oilers Connor McDavid -- the last two No. 1 draft picks.Islanders: Host Tampa Bay on Tuesday night in the teams first meeting since the Lightning eliminated the Islanders in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring. Youth NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys 2020 Cheap NFL Gear Camo China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Cheap Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Online ' ' '