[Full Cougar]

The Blue Jays continue to explore ways to better utilize their limited resources. One option is to pour more funds into scouting, and that is an area the club has made a priority this offseason.

Toronto recently added four new members to its scouting department, giving the organization five new scouts this winter to boost its staff. The additions help address an area in which the Blue Jays have been deficient in recent years, considering that the 10 professional scouts now in the fold pull the team's scouting staff near the Major League average.
The Blue Jays also plan on increasing their scouting abroad, especially in Japan and other countries in the Asian market -- a plan revealed by general manager J.P. Ricciardi earlier this month. Heading that task will be Rob Ducey, who is one of Toronto's pro scouts and has also been named the coordinator of Pacific Rim scouting. "We're going to try to get involved with Japan a little bit more this year," Ricciardi said at the State of the Franchise event last week. "We're making a conscious effort to put more resources into those areas and try to get our foot in the door. I think a lot of it is just getting there and letting people see you. It's important that we do get out there."