The Miami Marlins sent Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino, Jeff Mathis, and Jake Marisnick.
Courtesy: bleacherreport.com
The New York Mets sent R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, and Mike Nickeas to the Toronto Blue Jays for Travis d’Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, and Wuilmer Becerra.
B I G trades!
With Syndergaard about to make his MLB debut, let’s look at the two trades … trades that may cost the Jays for years to come.
One reason fair weather fans don’t run MLB teams is this: just about everybody thought these were terrific trades. Fans were screaming: “This is the Jay’s year!” And Vegas had the Jays as the odds-on favourite to win it all.
There was no way this could backfire! Not only did the Jays take back over $100 million in salary, they cleaned the cupboard of masterfully-obtained prospects. The Jays were going for it.
GM Alex Anthopoulos had shown patience for years. He traded away Halladay in a no-win situation. He drafted high-ceiling prospects. He made smart signing decisions. He didn’t blow the budget on one player.
Courtesy: www.newyorkmetsreport.com
Toronto was ready!
Anthopoulos thought the Jays had a chance at making a big jump. Both the Red Sox and the Yankees were on the decline.
But let’s look at the lineup as if the two trades had never been executed. (This isn’t exact: it’s what I believe to be the smartest moves. Yunel Escobar is not included because he wouldn’t have been back with the Jays in any case.)
Batting Order: 1. Travis – 2B 2. Cabrera – LF 3. Bautista – RF 4. Encarnacion – 1B 5. Donaldson – 3B 6. Lind – DH 7. d’Arnaud – C 8. Pillar – CF 9. Hechavarria
Starting Pitchers: 1. Stroman 2. Hutchison 3. Alvarez 4. DeSclafani 5. Syndergaard
The lineup doesn’t look strong at first appearance: it appears to be a bunch of players with a huge upside and a lot of payroll room. There’s no need to bring in Martin at a huge price. And the Donaldson trade may might be needed either. Adam Lind could still be the DH rather than live in Milwaukee. Melky Cabrera could have come back, too.
Courtesy: pixshark.com
That’s not “I told you so!” I was on board with both deals. Well, not so much with the Dickey trade, but (truth be told) I would have made that trade.
What went wrong?
Teams that thrive grow up together. Bringing in high-price talent hasn’t worked for about a decade. Just look at the Giants and Cardinals: nearly every player on both teams was drafted by the club. Terrific coaching plus great scouting are the keys to a championship.
Maybe it’s being in the AL East that makes it tough for the Jays. They see the Red Sox and Yankees throwing around money. And while “Keeping up with the Jones’” has been the Jays motto for the past 20 years, it hasn’t produced playoff appearances.
If anything, the Jays should use Tampa Bay’s strategy: grow the talent. And one thing that the Jays have (that the Rays don’t) is fans. People come to games.
Courtesy: hfboards.hockeysfuture.com
The quick fix didn’t work for the Jays. Eat the mistake. Get what you can for Dickey, Buehrle, and Reyes. Look at dealing Bautista. And start developing the pitching. Every team with a ring has had an ace. The Jays might have it in Stroman or Sanchez, but they need more options. Teams have been winning with average lineups and great pitching.
The good news is that Encarnacion should have a few more good years; Donaldson will be solid; and Travis looks like the real deal. The young pitching staff needs a bit more development, but it should be good.
It’s likely to be a lengthy process, not Maple Leafs-lengthy, but it will take at least 3 years before Jays’ fans see progress.
Ah, the Maple Leafs….
