Alex Anthopoulos has shown that he is definitely not
finished in his quest to turn the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays into a World Series
contender. He has set about transforming
this team, adding depth, pitching and star-power over this off-season that is
not even a month old yet.
His latest move was to sign free agent outfielder Melky
Cabrera to a 2-year, $16 million contract (Anthopoulos's biggest free agent
contract in his tenure as a GM) which sent another shockwave through the
baseball world. If you've been living
under a rock for the past year, it will be news to you that Cabrera, 2/3 of the
way through an outstanding career year in which he was leading the NL batting
race, was suspended for 50 games for elevated testosterone levels. He then tried to cover it up by creating a fake
nutritional supplement and a fake website that did not explain any potential
effects of the product. Baseball was too
smart for Melky and (unlike Ryan Braun in 2011), his suspension stood up. The World Series champions Giants did not
even add Cabrera to their playoff roster despite his being eligible.
I don't think I can say much that other bloggers and writers
haven't already. Most, like me, are all
for this move. Cabrera's last two
seasons were very, very good, and even if his numbers regress (which they
almost surely will), still provides a much better option in left field than
either of the home grown options in Gose* or Sierra or ex-Marlin Emilio
Bonifacio (whom Mike Wilner has taken to calling "Boneface").
Here's the other reason why I like this deal so much. By current MLB standards, $8 million a year
in a 2 year guaranteed contract is a bargain for an outfielder who can provide
what even a regressed Melky Cabrera can.
AND (here comes the best part) . . . he comes aboard practically free of
charge. That's right. The Blue Jays are (reportedly) getting
exactly $8 million dollars from the Miami Marlins as part of their mammoth
trade. So the Jays have reinvested the
cash coming over from Miami to further upgrading the team instead of putting
into the gigantic pocket that is Rogers communications.**
You might ask, "how can Cabrera be practically
free? That only covers the first year
of the 2 year deal." Simple. MLB reached a new national TV deal that will
kick in in 2014 that pays each team $25 million more than they're getting
now. This means that when the contracts
of Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle rise from the low $10-million range to the
$20-ish million range in 2014 and beyond, the money will be there to cover
it. And one more year of Melky Cabrera
at $8 million.
Finally, what this deal does is buy the Jays some time. They are not rushed into pressing Anthony Gose
into a regular major league role which gives him another year to develop in the
safety of the minor leagues. Secondly,
it gives them another year to figure out what they have in Colby Rasmus. If, by 2014, the team thinks that Gose can
give them more than Rasmus, then Anthopoulos can try to find a taker for Rasmus
and bring something else useful back. If
Rasmus finds his 2010 self again, and Gose fails to develop as hoped, then
Rasmus can remain with the team. If both
players blossom, then AA has a fantastic problem on his hands with 2 valuable
center fielders. And if both players
regress, then at least Gose will be in the minors in 2013 and Rasmus will be
able to be hidden in a much more potent lineup than the team had last
year.
If Cabrera is a bust, the Jays really aren't hurt by this deal. If he contributes, then AA has just made
another deal to strengthen the team.
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* Yes, I know that Gose wasn't drafted by the Blue Jays and
can't really be considered "home grown."
** Jeffrey Loria would have said "$8 million? Now I can buy that Italian estate I've had my
eye on."
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