Vernon Wells has missed 50 games due to injury this year. That’s enough to not only heal his many wounds, but enough to also get a fairly accurate gauge on his value to the Toronto Blue Jays, and it’s not a pretty picture.
With Wells in the lineup, the Jays are eight games under .500 (32-40). Without him, they are a sobering 10 games OVER .500 (30-20).
Sobering to Vernon, and sobering to J.P. Ricciardi who signed him to a $126 million contract extension two winters ago. That’s the kind of money only awarded to impact players.
Tough to call Vernon an "impact player" when the team is boldly winning more ball games without him, than with him. For now, we’ll just call him a "waiver wire newcomer," which is where Wells made his debut Thursday afternoon.
In Vernon’s defence, his play in centerfield is among the best in the business as a three-time gold glove winner (2004, 2005, 2006), and it’s hard to rip on a gold-glover for not taking down a fourth consecutive trophy last year, but it’s another not-so-obvious yet undeniable indication that his play has tailed off.
Perhaps Wells can chalk it up to a couple of injury-riddled seasons.
He missed 13 games last year with a bad shoulder, including the final two weeks of the season, to go along with his aforementioned 50-game hiatus this summer.
But proneness to injury is not an excuse—it’s another red flag. If Vernon can’t stay healthy at age 29, how durable is he going to be when he’s 32 and due to make $23 million? That’s right, he will make $23 million in 2011, followed by annual salaries of $21 million over the final three years of his sweetheart deal.
We could talk until we’re blue in the face about Vernon’s hypothetical trade value right now, but it’s a moot point because his contract is untradable. If YOU were a major league GM, would you trade for Vernon Wells and that boat anchor of a contract?
I doubt it.
The Florida Marlins opening day payroll was $21.8 million this year. That’s less than what Vernon Wells alone will be making in the blink of an eye.
It may have been a surprise to some when Vernon hit the waiver wire Thursday.
To others, it wasn’t a surprise at all.
It was long overdue.