Damit, I had a nice comparision of Lloyd Moseby and Travis Snider in the can and ready to go!
Okay, I’ve decided that I’m gonna do a little intro and let others talk. Namely because they are better informed and a whole lot more eloquent. First of all, big ups to Sully for “breaking the story”. It’s not often I get side swiped on a deal. Marky Doyle still thinks you were tipped off.
Right after Sully was my mother, disappointed in the deal and needing to be consoled. I resisted the urge to give her Sully’s number and sent her this…. “The Jays got Napoli & Rivera in the deal. Rivera and Wells and both career .280 hitters. Wells hits 4 more home runs a year than Rivera. Big deal. their OB and SLG are virtually identical. I suspect that he'll be in Left field with Davis in CF. Davis is a significant upgrade defensively from Wells and Rivera pretty much replaces his bat. Snider will still be in RF.
If the deal was ONLY Wells for Rivera, I'd call it even.
Add Napoli and its now a steal. He strikes out way too much, but he has hit 26, 20 and 20 home runs in the last 3 years and he is a good catcher. I'm a little surprised because he's an 'everyday' kind of guy and I thought the Jays were committed to Arencibia. Maybe one of them goes in a trade? Who knows.
Mike Napoli is eligible for salary arbitration and he has asked for 6.1 million. The Angels submitted 5.3 million. Rivera makes 5.2 million this year. Worst case scenario, they have two players on their 24 man roster making a combined 11.3 million; replacing 1 guy making 23 million this year. Savings = 11.7 million for 2011.
Additionally, Napoli and Rivera are both eligible for free agency at the end of this year. Therefore your total commitment to them remains 11.7 million on the life of their contracts. Wells has 86 million (not 83 as reported in many papers...shoddy research) committed. The savings keep on coming; how’s grandma?”
That's pretty much my review anyway. Its essentially all I have to say about the Wells deal except for two things.
1. Baseball DOES NOT have a salary cap. I don't care how they spend their money. I really don't. But don't you dare (JP) ever cry poor! I totally understand in hockey that you understand what a "5 million dollar" defenseman is. That math does not work in baseball. In baseball a 23 million dollar outfielder can look like Vernon Wells if you want. In fact if you want to pay everyone on your team 23 million you could. 2. I can’t STAND Steve Simmons. It would probably be slanderous for me to say he is ill-informed, an idiot, a moron, an ass; so I WON’T! However, I will say that I find his writing to be simple. Simple as in juvenile. And believe me, you’ve all read my stuff … I KNOW JUVENILE!
There was no shortage of quotes or laughter to put in this BLOG to explain the trade. It did get repetitious because everyone said the same thing which was basically that the Angels were robbed. There was of course one dissenter on the planet. Yes Steve Simmons, who came up with this gem:
“But in home games alone last year, Wells hit 20 home runs, knocked in 54 runs, was basically an all-star at the Rogers Centre. You don't replace one bad contract with two bad contracts of middle-range overpaid players from the California Angels….”. Steve Simmons – Toronto Sun. I just need to clear up misleading information. Assuming that Wells was a treat for the fans is pretty funny. Assuming he was a draw is hysterical. First off the Blue Jays attendance was the worst it had been since 1982. Hope you all had fun!
And Thanks Stevie for pointing out Wells numbers that were only 13 Home Runs, and 15 RBI less than Bautista’s at home (basically one and a half all-stars????). Ugh….the pointless have always bothered me.
Finally, here you go:
"It's the rare trade that makes a team older, more expensive and worse." Sam Miller – Orange County Register.
“oh, and did we mention how Toronto waived Vernon Wells in August? All the Angels would have had to do was place a claim and he would have been theirs. Instead, they trade for him in the offseason and give up Napoli and Rivera for that right”. Evan Brunell – CBS Sports
“The answer to the Angels’ problems was not Wells. If the past is any indication, it is unlikely he will even be able to match the production of Napoli and Rivera, let alone bring this team back to the top.” Jess K Coleman – Bleacher Report.
“As of today, the Jays are committed to only $16 million in 2012. This trade will not only allow them the opportunity to sign Jose Bautista to a mutually beneficial multi-year deal, but it also allows the Jays to acquire a couple of elite players going into 2012 and make a push to contend with the big boys. It is widely expected that Major League Baseball will add one playoff team per league in 2012, the perfect time for the Jays to go hard after the prize. Alex Anthopoulos has done it again, that is, he's made another move that his predecesor J.P. Ricciardi would not have been able to complete. Blue Jays fans, it's time to get excited again as Paul Beeston appears to be, dare I say, helping to mould the next Pat Gillick out of his very own clay” Joey Wilson – Bleacher Report
“The loss of Wells, barring another move, opens up centerfield for Rajai Davis whom the Jays picked up earlier in the offseason from the Oakland Athletics. Davis is easily the best defensive outfielder the Jays have and the only one the team would feel comfortable sending out to center in 2011”.
Thomas Pinzone – Bleacher Report
“Congrats to AA for trading perhaps the most untradeable player and worst contract in MLB (Well, until Jason Werth signed with the Nationals) - great deal for the Jays!” John Zahnow – Former Short Stop.
“But Jays fans should not be as worried about Arencibia’s situation as they are excited about the fact that Anthopoulos got rid of a silly, locked-in deal granted to Wells by the previous regime. This team is moving forward” Richard Griffin – Toronto Star
“In trading Vernon Wells to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager has not only ridded the team of what was considered to be one of the worst contracts of all time, he has also sent a message to the team's fan base that he expects this to be a very good team very soon.” Jeff Blair – The Globe and Mail.
“General manager Alex Anthopoulos ran into the perfect storm when the Angels called: A large-revenue team, which had chased and lost on free agents Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Cliff Lee and Rafael Soriano. They had landed ex-Jays set-up man Scott Downs. Wells’ contract was deemed the most untradeable this side of Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants.” Bob Elliott – Toronto Sun.
I don't care where the Jays finish next season, Anthopoulos is my early favorite for Executive of the Year. Reagins wanted to add a bat and a starting pitcher for the Angels this offseason. He got his bat in Wells on Friday. Maybe he can call the New York Mets for that starter. I hear Oliver Perez is available. Chris Ruddick – The Sports Network
I was shocked to hear that Wells had been traded - for no other reason than failing to understand why any team would actually want him. Any cash-free deal to ship Vern out of town is a good one so big kudos to "AA" for getting something halfway tangible in return.
ReplyDeleteSee ya Vern - in the world of long term contracts, you were likely THE most overpaid Blue Jay in team history. And that's saying something.
Steve Simmons is the lifetime award winner for for the "Complete and Total Waste of Space Award".
Steve