TORONTO -- Although the temperature hovered around the freezing mark, the Blue Jays celebrated their Swing into Spring event on Saturday with a warm feeling of optimism surrounding the organization and its fans. Pitchers Gustavo Chacin and Jason Frasor headlined the afternoon, taking a quick break from the activities in Dunedin, Fla., to sign autographs and greet fans in the chilly North.

"We have games this week -- baseball's here," Frasor said. "It's been a long offseason -- it's always a long offseason. It's slow and it's boring, but I'm glad [the season is] here. You may not be able to tell by the snow outside, but it's here. I'm glad it's here. It's exciting. You can tell by the optimism that is in the air in Toronto."

The buzz around the event centered on the team's quintet of major offseason acquisitions: righty A.J. Burnett, closer B.J. Ryan, third baseman Troy Glaus, first baseman Lyle Overbay and catcher Bengie Molina.

"[The fans] are happy with the new guys on the team," Chacin said. "You see a lot of fans here, and even though the season has not started yet, they're giving a lot of support to us today. "

Frasor complimented general manager J.P. Ricciardi on his offseason moves.

"J.P. did an incredible job putting a team together," the right-hander said. "It's amazing what an extra $30 million will do for a payroll. I think he did an incredible job. I think he filled every hole he wanted to. We have a brand new team. There's hope. It's very exciting. The city deserves it."

The fans present had a renewed sense of optimism.

"It's exciting, because [this event] gets us all hyped up for this upcoming season, which fans are already really hyped up for, because of the way the team has changed direction in the offseason," said fan Siobhan Marinangeli. "This event gets us even more excited. It's only a couple of months now until Opening Day, and it's a lot of fun."

While reminding her fellow fan that the home opener was just 38 days away, Carrie Talbot added: "We have a chance to go into the postseason. I don't know about the World Series, but I would love it. It just depends on our health. The Wild Card would be nice."

Chacin agreed.

"I think [the new] guys are going to help the team a lot, especially if they stay healthy the whole season long," he said. "If those guys stay healthy, we have a pretty good chance to be in the playoffs. "

In its second year, Jays Swing into Spring included a fashion show, a performance by the J Force, a draw for season tickets and auditions to sing the national anthems before an upcoming game at Rogers Centre. Chacin and Frasor also pitched in, selling tickets to fans.

"We're thrilled," said Laurel Lindsay, Toronto's vice president of consumer marketing. "With all the changes that have been made to the team in the offseason, there has been a buzz from November onward, which typically in Toronto is dominated by hockey. And we have been very fortunate that J.P. and his gang have done a fantastic job with the trades and acquisitions that, from a marketing perspective, there's so much buzz that people have been eager for the season to start."

The Jays were also promoting the upcoming Gustavo Chacin Cologne Night on June 27. The cologne is the brainchild of two radio personalities who thought the left-hander's name sounded like a fragrance. While it is still in development, its namesake was confident that it would be great.

Frasor was less certain and said, with no offense to his teammate, that he would not be wearing it.