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Hands up if you remember the last trade made by the Blue Jays. I admit, I actually had to look it up. It was back on December 14th when the Jays sent reliever Brad Lincoln to the Phillies for 33-year-old catcher Eric Kratz and 24-year-old lefty reliever Rob Rasmussen. It has been a quiet winter hasnt it? Of course we were spoiled in the off-season a year ago, when Alex Anthopoulos pulled off that monster 12 player deal with the Miami Marlins and then followed up with that seven player swap with the Mets that landed R.A Dickey. Off-seasons like that come along every 10 years or so, if that. Over the weekend I was curious to see, which team had been the Blue Jays most common trade partner. I can tell you it wasnt the Yankees, though they have made 23 deals with the Pinstripes. It wasnt Cleveland either, though the Jays have made 23 swaps with the Tribe. No, the team the Blue Jays have made the most deals with over their 37-year history according the BaseballReference.com is the Oakland As; thirty to be exact. Going over them one-by-one, I could see only one that the Jays outright lost. That one went down on Dec. 8, 1984. The Blue Jays dealt left fielder Dave Collins and shortstop Alfredo Griffin to Oakland for Bill Caudill -- the guy who was supposed to be the closer who would push them over the top. Of course that didnt happen, and by June of 1985 Tom Henke became the ninth inning guy and the Jays did in fact go on to win their 1st division title. Eventually Griffin found his way back to Toronto and as a utility infielder became part of the World Series teams in ‘92 and ‘93. The Jays very first trade with the As came on February 24th of 1977, when their original roster was still being formulated. The Jays dealt infielder Mike Weathers to the As for veteran outfielder/first baseman Ron Fairly, who had played with the Expos in their early years as well. Fairly provided a sense of veteran leadership and class in the Jays clubhouse that 1st year. On July 31, 1993 at the non-waiver trade deadline, Pat Gillick was trying to put together a deal for lefty Randy Johnson to help make a run at a second straight World Series title. When he couldnt get the arm he wanted, Gillick turned around and dealt lefty Steve Karsay and a player to be named later (outfielder Jose Herrrara) to the As for all-time stolen base king Rickey Henderson. Though he turned out to be a rental, Rickey helped ensure a World Series win over the Phillies come October. J.P. Ricciardi pulled off a deal with the As on December 7, 2001 that helped both teams. He sent closer Billy Koch to the West coast for third baseman Eric Hinske and right hander Justin Miller. Hinske became American League rookie of the year in 2002. The Jays made two more deals with Oakland that they clearly won. On November 18, 2003 they picked up lefty Ted Lilly for outfielder Bobby Kielty, and then on November 18,? 2007 -- exactly years later -- they acquired SS/2B Marco Scutaro from the As for a couple of prospects who never made it in Kristian Bell and Graham Godfrey. The Jays mistake was not keeping Scutaro around longer as he went on to help the Giants win a couple of World Series titles. If you were wondering, the team the Blue Jays have made the fewest deals with is Tampa Bay. Since the Devil Rays/Rays came into the American League, the two teams have only gotten together on three deals and none of them were really memorable. The last was over nine years ago on December 12, 2004 when the Jays sent catcher Kevin Cash to the Rays for right-hander Chad Gaudin. On December 14, 2003, the Jays pulled off a three-way swap with the Rays and Colorado; the Blue Jays getting reliever Justin Speier from the Rockies and sending lefty Mark Hendrickson and Sandy Nin to Tampa Bay, while Colorado received lefty starter Joe Kennedy from the Rays. The only other deal between the Jays and Rays was supposed to improve the Jays pitching depth for a playoff push in 2000. The Jays sent 2B Brent Abernathy to the Rays for lefty reliever Mark Guthrie and right-hander Steve Trachsel. The deal didnt really work out for the Jays as Guthrie went (0-2) with a 4.79 ERA and in 11 starts, the slow-working Trachsel went (2-5) with a 5.29 ERA. Both were gone at the end of the season after the Jays missed the playoffs under Jim Fregosi. To Trachsels credit, he did revive his career over the next six years with the Mets winning 66 games, including 16 in 2003 and 15 in 2006. The Tampa Bay Rays since 2008 have made four playoff appearances and have been to one World Series (2008). On their roster today, they have only four players who were with that team in 2008: Reliever Grant Balfour, who was just re-acquired as a free agent, lefty David Price , star third baseman Evan Longoria and super utilityman Ben Zobrist. The Blue Jays over that same span have only three players who were with them in 2008: Dustin McGowan, who hardly pitched at all do to injuries, Jose Bautista whos been injury plagued the last two seasons, and Adam Lind, coming off a solid season who nevertheless, over the years has been plagued by inconsistency. Technically Casey Janssen has been with the team that long as well, but he missed the entire 2008 season with a torn labrum. A teams core players tell you a lot about the team. Its not hard to see why the Rays have been contenders the last six seasons and the Blue Jays have not. Mike Vernon Jersey . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. Al MacInnis Jersey . "I wouldnt read anything into what happened Saturday at Torrey Pines," Woods said Tuesday after an 18-hole exhibition for past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic. http://www.jerseyofficialhockeyflames.co...-hockey-jersey/. Klose has a bruised pelvic bone and abdominal muscle problems but team doctors are trying to get him fit in time for the match. Bender has a hamstring injury. Germany is already without half-dozen players, due to injury or bad form. Jarome Iginla Jersey .com) - Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was named the National League Player of the Month for April. Matthew Tkachuk Jersey . -- Athletics manager Bob Melvin is already starting to run out of superlatives to describe Scott Kazmir.BOUCHERVILLE, Que. -- Gary Bettman has vehemently denied the NHL is considering expansion. But the commissioner said if it ever does, prospective owners may have to pay up big time. Sports Business News reported via Twitter last week the NHL will expand into Las Vegas, Seattle, and Quebec City while adding a second franchise in Toronto by 2017. On Wednesday, Bettman called the report a "complete fabrication," and took issue with the franchise fees cited in the story -- US$1.4 billion, or $350 million per team. "The part of the story that I found particularly difficult is: suggesting that we would sell four franchises for $1.4 billion is way too low," Bettman said. "It undervalues our franchises." The last two expansion teams, the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets, paid $80 million each in expansion fees in 2000, but league revenues have soared since then. Bettman said the league is not looking to expand or relocate any franchises. He added that no teams were looking to move, including the struggling Florida Panthers -- even if their new owner has concerns about the clubs arena lease. "Nobodys moving," said Bettman. "And speculation to the contrary not only is wrong, its unfair to the team and their fans who are being speculated about. "Our franchises have never been healthier. Our league, in terms of its economic footing, has never been healthier." He made the remarks at an event put on by a media company, Quebecor, that hopes to bring NHL hockey back to Quebec City. Quebecor bought naming rights on a $400 million arena due to be completed by fall 2015 in Quebec City, which hopes to land an NHL club. Bettman was at a suburban restaurant along with former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who is chairman of Quebecor, Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League president Gilles Courteau and other league and company officials. However, Bettman had no encouraging words for those looking to revive the Quebec Nordiques, who left in 1994 to become the Colorado Avalanche. &quuot;We dont want to build up anybodys expectations," he said.dddddddddddd "Were not in a position to expand. "Were certainly not in position to expand into the East. Weve been very candid and up front that if in fact we go through an expansion process, the world will know about it. But were not looking to relocate any franchises, and were not looking to expand. Weve been very clear about that since Day One when we were told about the building of the new arena." Still, rumours that the league is at least considering adding teams have been circulating. A report from Vancouver last week said a team in Las Vegas was a "done deal." Bettman said theres plenty of interest from people wanting NHL expansion teams but added the league hasnt even begun to research the issue. In June, Bettman said that if there were enough expansion candidates the leagues board of governors "may well invoke a formal expansion process and we will look at everything." Mulroney had no comment on Quebec Citys expansion prospects. During the news conference, the former Conservative prime minister joked that he was a "right winger" when he played as a boy in Baie-Comeau, Que., and told a story about how his father discouraged him from trying to become a pro player because there was no money in hockey. "If he was alive today, Id take him by the hand and say: Let me introduce you to P.K. Subban," he said. The Montreal Canadiens defenceman signed a $72 million, eight-year contract on Aug. 2. Bettman said the league is close to naming a successor to Brendan Shanahan as disciplinarian and head of player safety. Shanahan stepped down in April and was replaced on an interim basis by Stephane Quintal. "Were getting to the short strokes of that process," said Bettman. "Weve interviewed a lot of candidates, including somebody whos been doing it on an interim basis, and we will be making a decision shortly. "We wanted to finish the process. By the start of the season, well have an announcement." ' ' '