BY PAUL HOPE – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
With the Blue Jays about to embark on their third season under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, I thought now would be a good time to look back on some of the moves he has made.
In a two-part series, I will take a look at what I believe have been the best and worst moves made by Anthopoulos since he’s become GM. On Tuesday, I examined his best moves, and today I look at his worst moves.
1. The Rajai Davis contract
The trade for Davis wasn’t so bad, especially when you consider Toronto has since reacquired both prospects they originally sent to Oakland. But the contract that Anthopoulos handed to Davis, after having never played a game for Toronto, was premature and has now come back to bite them.
Last winter, Davis was signed to a two-year deal worth $5.25 million, with a club option for a third year at $3 million. Now the amount isn’t astronomical like the contracts Toronto has handed out to other outfielders like Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista and Alex Rios. For a guy who’s been in and out of the starting lineup his entire career, why would you give him such a deal before you even get a look at the guy in spring training?
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Eventually, Davis was relegated to being the fourth outfielder, and took over pinch running duties. The Jays brought in Colby Rasmus at mid-season and gave Eric Thames an extended look, rather then play Davis more. Anthopoulos also traded for Ben Francisco this off-season, and the club may carry five outfielders this season.
In my opinion, Davis is too inconsistent and too one dimensional to be counted on as an everyday player, and now it seems the only reason he’s even still on the roster is because his salary is too big eat.
2. The Frank Francisco/Mike Napoli trade
I certainly applaud Alex Anthopoulos getting the Angels to take Vernon Wells’ contract in exchange for Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli. But turning around trading Napoli for Frank Francisco certainly ranks among the worst moves by Anthopoulos since he was hired. Originally Francisco was supposed to be the closer the Jays have lacked since B.J. Ryan’s pre-injury days, but that never ended up being the case.
Francisco battled injuries and was inconsistent, though he appeared to have overcome both near the end of the season and had settled in. Overall he was still a disappointment though, and left to join the New York Mets as a free agent this year.
Napoli on the other hand, had a career year in Texas and was by far the best player for them during the World Series, and at one point it appeared as if he would win it by himself. He could’ve definitely slotted into the Jays lineup as a platoon catcher/first baseman/designated hitter.
3. The Roy Halladay trade
Now let’s get this out of the way first, I’m not saying this deal is a failure or a bust, or anything like that. Anthopoulos was able to get a deal done unlike the previous GM, and he was able to get Kyle Drabek, who reportedly was untouchable when Philadelphia was dealing with said previous GM J.P. Ricciardi.
Anthopoulos also pulled off the trade despite most believing the value of Halladay had gone down since the summer because he wasn’t under contract for a second postseason. Also, when dealing the best pitcher in baseball, the odds of actually winning the trade usually are between slim and none. You just can’t replace that.
Nevertheless, now that were entering the third season since that trade happened, Toronto really hasn’t got much out of the deal so far. The trio of prospects they received, Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud, and Anthony Gose (in a roundabout way) all have tons of potential, and all of them have made several top prospect lists. Hopefully all of them reach this potential as well and play key roles for the Blue Jays moving forward for years to come.
However, like I said, this is the third season since the trade has happened, and none of the three appear likely to make the roster out of spring training. Now that can obviously change, injuries happen, or perhaps one of them has a spring the Blue Jays just can’t ignore.
As of now though, it’s a little disappointing that they couldn’t have acquired some talent that was closer to being Major League ready. Hopefully it works out, we’ll just have to wait a little longer to see.
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