- Jays owner Ted Rogers passed away Wednesday. The funeral is today at St. James' Cathedral in Toronto.

- Now, Ricciardi has an experienced CEO with World Series rings in Paul Beeston, rather than Paul Godfrey, who was learning the business when he brought Ricciardi to his first winter meetings as a GM in 2001 at Boston.

- Unlike Dallas in 2005, where Ricciardi was the biggest spender in the room -- signing free-agent A.J. Burnett and trading for Lyle Overbay -- he does not have the flash, cash and dash in his budget to impress agents.

- The Jays don't have the dough to throw at free agents like they did with Ted Lilly and Gil Meche in 2006 at Orlando. Lilly and Meche threw the offers back with Lilly going to the Chicago Cubs and Meche to the Kansas City Royals.

- Heck, Ricciardi does not even have the money he had in 2004 at Anaheim when the Jays landed Corey Koskie.

"From an economic standpoint the people at Rogers are keeping a close eye on things," Ricciardi said. "From a financial standpoint we're in a bit of a bind."

The Canadian dollar is about as big of an asset right now as, say, failed relievers Terry Adams, Kerry Ligtenberg or Vinnie Chulk in the late innings of a close game.

Ricciardi said that the Jays can make trades that are a wash: "We can add, but we have to subtract roughly the same amount of payroll.

"The passing of Ted hasn't changed anything and the new president has been great," said Ricciardi about Rogers' death and Beeston's arrival back in the No. 1 chair.

Ricciardi spoke in a Bellagio alcove, far away from all the bells and whistles and blinking lights from the slots, but the message was clear: The Jays are not players on the free-agent market, with or without A.J. Burnett.

"The only way we could do something was if we knew that we had a trade in place to move a contract," Ricciardi said.

Ricciardi said he would examine the free-agent market come January.

"We'll see how it plays, some guys might not get as much as they are asking," Ricciardi said.

One possibility would be right-hander Carl Pavano who made 26 starts in four years with the New York Yankees on a $39-million US deal. The Jays are one of his eight choices.

Ricciardi said there wasn't anything to a New York report which had the Mets and Jays talking trade about closer B.J. Ryan.

The Detroit Tigers also are interested in Ryan. But the two clubs have not talked.

"I don't see us trading B.J." Ricciardi said. "We've got him for two more years and he does a good job. We don't have anyone else for that role."

A year ago the Jays talked trade with the San Francisco Giants -- Alex Rios for starting pitcher Tim Lincecum.

When news broke in both cities the deal was knocked. And so it never happened.

"Last year that made sense," Ricciardi said. "If you trade Rios who do you replace him with?"

With the Jays expecting right-hander Casey Janssen, who missed 2008 due to a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder, to be ready for the start of spring, Toronto is looking at a rotation of Roy Halladay, Jesse Litsch, David Purcey. Janssen and a reliever moving into the rotation -- either Scott Downs, who made 12 starts with the 2004 Montreal Expos, or Brian Tallet, who last started in 2004 at triple-A Buffalo could fill out the last two spots.

Ricciardi said other arms in the mix include Scott Richmond, Brett Cecil and Ricky Romero.

"And we hope to have Dustin McGowan back in May."

So, that means Burnett is gone?

"We're better off," said Ricciardi who does not have any scheduled meetings to talk with Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, "preparing for a worst-case scenario."

A worst-case scenario.

That about sums up the Jays' activity on the free-agent front.