Other than Devon White, I can’t say I’ve seen a better defensive outfielder in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform than Vernon Wells. Coincidentally, White went from the Angels to the Blue Jays back in 1991. Now, 20 years later, Wells is going the other way.
For most of his 12 seasons in Toronto, Wells lead the Blue Jays on the field and in the clubhouse.
Was he worth the seven-year, $126 million dollar deal he signed in 2007? Of course not, even he has admitted to that, but love him or hate him, you can’t blame Wells for the contract. That decision was made by former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi and good luck finding anyone who would turn down that kind of money.
Wells never was able to match his 2006 statistics, but a lot of that had to do with injuries. Last season, he made somewhat of a comeback, hitting 31 home runs and once again playing like a Gold Glove centre fielder. His departure adds to a long list from the 2010 team (Shaun Marcum, Lyle Overbay, John Buck, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg), not to mention leaving a gaping hole in centre field and the middle of the batting order.
Yet with all that said, this is a terrific move for the Jays and here’s why:
First of all, the Jays save a whack of money. Wells is set to earn $23 million this year and is owed $86 million over the next 4 seasons.
With Jose Bautista set for arbitration next month, the chances of the Jays locking him up to a multi-year deal now have increased significantly.
Also keep in mind that at 32 years old, Wells will be hard pressed to ever duplicate the numbers that made him an All Star and a Gold Glover.
In the short term, Rajai Davis is expected to become the everyday centre fielder and lead off with Corey Patterson likely backing him up. How the order goes from there is still very much up in the air.
Mike Napoli can catch, play DH and first base. This should allow for J.P. Arencibia to see plenty of time behind the plate, while at the same time, having another veteran to work with.
The Jays still need to figure out where Bautista will play. If he’s in right field, we could see another season of Edwin Encarnacion at third, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If Bautista is at the hot corner, then Juan Rivera may play everyday in right.
These are all issues that will work themselves out during spring training and you can’t count out the possibility of another deal between now and opening day.
As of now, the roster doesn’t appear to be as strong as last season but the future looks much brighter and getting out from under the massive Wells contract is definitely a step in the right direction.