Have you ever had one of those days that start out great, but get progressively worse until you just want to crawl back into bed and raise a white flag? Jays P Kelvim Escobar is having a year like that.

In late January, the Blue Jays signed Escobar to a 1-year/$3.9 million contract. J.P. Ricciardi, aware that you can cobble together an effective and inexpensive bullpen with failed starters, retreads and minor league free agents, has been loathe to give big money to 70-inning pitchers. The hefty contracts of Paul Quantrill and Dan Plesac were jettisoned quickly after Ricciardi's arrival, so spending almost $4 million on Escobar seemed somewhat out of character. However, Ricciardi had flipped the Jays' previous closer, Billy Koch, to Oakland for Eric Hinske and Justin Miller, a trade that's worked out marvellously thus far.

It was reasonable to assume that Escobar, a 27-year-old with a live arm and 38 saves last season, could also be attractive trade bait. Given a strong half-season, Ricciardi could have had a bevy of contenders in need of relief help bidding for Escobar at the trade deadline. It hasn’t worked out. Escobar, an inconsistent closer at the best of times, has been battered by opposing hitters, to the tune of a .448 batting average and a slugging percentage over .700. At this point, he'll need approximately 20 consecutive scoreless appearances just to get his ERA below 4.00.

Last week, the news got appreciably worse for Escobar with the launch of a sexual assault suit against him. Setting aside any potential verdict for a moment, this is bad news for a couple of reasons. Not only is it a considerable weight to add to an already fragile psyche, but it will make trading Escobar that much more difficult. To be sure, players with sketchy legal histories, like Jose Canseco and Wil Cordero, aren’t exactly blacklisted. So long as a player can still perform, there will be a demand for that player. That said, when the trade deadline rolls around, who would you rather have, the reliever with or without the civil trial pending?

There will still be a market for Escobar, since he's still just 27, he's healthy, and he did record 38 saves last season. For some teams, especially those desperate for relief help, that will be enough, but Escobar's struggles, on and off the field, will reduce both the number of teams interested in him and the talent they'll be willing to part with to acquire him.

Today, Carlos Tosca announced that Escobar will be headed back to the starting rotation, and that Cliff Politte will take over the closer's role. It's a good move. Escobar was quite effective in his last stint as a starter, just prior to Koch's departure in 2001. If he can repeat that type of success (4-4, 3.18 in 11 starts), not only will he reclaim much of his trade value, but he may carve out a future for himself in Toronto. $4 million a year for a quality starting pitcher on the right side of 30 is a bargain. Should Escobar continue his kerosene-and-flamethrower act in the rotation, then Ricciardi may have to consider him a sunk cost for this season and get whatever he can come June, or just let Escobar walk at season's end and be happy to have his salary off the ledger.