Wow.
That seems to be a word that baseball fans, well, mostly Toronto Blue Jays and LA Angels followers, have been saying this week after the Jays unloaded their face of the franchise – and I’m pretty sure he’s the face on the Blue Jays’ dollar bills – centre (that’s center out in California) fielder Vernon Wells to the Angels for C/1B/DH/Infield enthusiast Mike Napoli and veteran outfielder Juan Rivera. A trade that would have made shock waves no matter what, the fact that no one saw it coming made it that much juicier.
After taking a couple of days to let it sink in, both fan bases seem to be pretty divided on the issue. For Angels fans, it is a gold gloving all star they’re getting for their outfield, regardless of his $86 mil/4 years price tag. On the other side of the equation, they’re losing a guy in Napoli that many fans think manager Mike Scioscia didn’t give a fair shot behind the plate, and who has a bit of pop too. The one player they shouldn’t be too worried about losing is Juan Rivera, who, coincidentally, is the one player Jays fans shouldn’t be too excited about getting. Nothing against Juan, but more on him in a minute.
For Jays fans, they’re losing a superstar who has spent nine full seasons, and parts of another three on the team. And in the opinion of many, it’s hard to see how this trade makes this team better, now. On the other hand, unloading a contract as monster as Wells’ was is a giant accomplishment, and I’m sure if it was up to some Jays’ fans, GM Alex Anthopolous would get a spot on the Level of Excellence just for that.
Of course time will tell who wins this trade, and fans have the right to carry a strong opinion on either side of the issue, but it’s best to understand WHY both GMs made this deal.
The Angels are a team that needs to make a push. Playing in the four team AL West, they have a 25% chance of grabbing a playoff spot every year. WIth the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s not in that picture just yet, it’s a really a race between them and the Texas Rangers. While we all know how that ended last year, it’s a race the Angels are used to winning. Missing out on big name free agents like Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre also left a bitter taste in their mouth (though let’s get serious, it’s hard for any team not called Yankees, Red Sox or Phillies to have a bitter taste in their mouth during the offseason signings), and they were looking for a big boost. While Vernon’s contract was huge, that’s almost becoming the norm for baseball stars lately, and GM Tony Reagins knew an upgrade would be costly. Another perk is that Wells has always crushed the ball out of the Ballpark in Arlington, and he’ll see a lot more of his hometown team playing on the west coast. The Angels in the outfield this season will most likely have young gun Peter Bourjos in centre, between a couple of ex-Gold Glove centerfielders in Wells and Torii Hunter. If Wells returns to form, it could be a great season in LA. But if he tanks, things could get rough.
The Blue Jays are a team in the toughest division in baseball, who have really been trying to rebuild in some way or another for close to 10 years. And though many Rogers customers have had cell phone bills that could fund the left side of the infield, money doesn’t grow on trees like it does for their toughest competition. With that being said, the colossal unloading of cash in this deal is just insane. With Wells set to earn 23 mil on the season, and Napoli and Rivera combined coming in at close to 11 mil, it’s a financial freedom the Jays have been longing for since pretty much the day the deal was signed. Though he’s no gold glover, Napoli gives the Jays some versatility, along with a little bit of pop. The starting catcher’s job appears to be J.P. Arencibia’s to lose, but Napoli can make some spot starts behind the plate, play at first vs. LHP, or DH. For Rivera, he’s a veteran who will grab a spot in right field, and he has half decent pop. However, he was only in this deal because the Angels wanted to trade him, and he helped offset the Wells contract. Anything extra from him would really be a bonus for the Jays. In the end, it’s a trade that the Jays would make one hundred times over, and if nothing else, gives this team a lot more options than they’ve had in a while.
