Blue Jays give Alex Rios to the White Sox

I just saw this on ESPN. No trade, just a waiver claim by the White Sox that allows the Blue Jays to get rid of his contract

6 months ago FluLikeSymptoms 55 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Dammit

At least we can’t blame Sabean for not jumping on this, as the WS would have had a chance before the Giants.

McC's Outstanding Newcomer '08.

by FairweatherFan on Aug 10, 2009 4:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think that will stop people around here from blaming him

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 10, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It really won’t, sadly.

No, really, I have updated my blog this year: http://skaldheim.livejournal.com/tag/baseball

by Skaldheim on Aug 10, 2009 4:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

enter neifi chicken in 3, 2, 1...

by Hobbes2d on Aug 10, 2009 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

On the other hand

Why the fuck didn’t we trade them Bowker or Lewis or someone else cheap and relatively worthless for Rios before the deadline?

Dammit. Sabean you suck.

McC's Outstanding Newcomer '08.

by FairweatherFan on Aug 10, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

jp was more focused on trying to rob a farm system for doc

by Gnomercy on Aug 10, 2009 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You would have to think the Jays could have received something for him. I would say this could help lead to J.P. getting fired if he wasn’t already such a lock to get fired.

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 10, 2009 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ahem...

…Rios had a full no-trade clause. He held all the cards. The waiver dump was a clever way around that, but I think Ricciardi is going to be tarred and feathered by the Blue Jays fans.

No, really, I have updated my blog this year: http://skaldheim.livejournal.com/tag/baseball

by Skaldheim on Aug 10, 2009 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's possible I suspect. I guess I would think a guy would rather wave a no-trade than continue to play for a team that doesn't want him

McC's Outstanding Newcomer '08.

by FairweatherFan on Aug 10, 2009 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

are you sure Ricciardi is clever?

“The answer – confirmed by Joe Kehoskie (an agent) and by Jeff Euston (former BP Idol contestant and keeper of MLB contract secrets) – is that a no-trade clause takes precedence. It’s essentially a “no move” clause if a team is blocked. If it’s a limited no-trade, it’s the same for waivers. In 09-10, Rios has a complete no-trade, so any deal or dump could be blocked." – Will Carroll BP Staff

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1362

by khenderson on Aug 11, 2009 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bowker is relatively useless already? I can’t believe how quickly people have turned on him.

by Evan on Aug 11, 2009 4:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol 33 at-bats lol

HE SUCKS

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on Aug 11, 2009 7:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know I'm not that stupid

Relatively useless compared to Rios. I would have gladly given up Bowker to prevent Rios from hitting the open waiver wire.

And I’m a Bowker Backer.

McC's Outstanding Newcomer '08.

by FairweatherFan on Aug 11, 2009 7:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And I’m a Bowker Backer.

Back that Bowker up!

/rap video

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on Aug 11, 2009 7:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

SABES!!!!!!!!! U SHOLD HAV PUT ROWLAND ON WAVERS! TEH CHISUXS LIKS HIM BETTER!!!!!!!!

Minor White > Ansel Adams

by say hey nation on Aug 11, 2009 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

According to Olney this morning, an unnamed NL team asked about Rios a few weeks ago and JP asked for the moon. I think giving Rios up is a desperation move, probably forced by the owners to clear salary to try and re-sign Hallady (though, not going to happen most likely). I’d like to give the benefit of the doubt to Sabes knowing this – for all we know, JP was like, “oh you can have him, for at least one of your top 4 plus, x, y, z.”

Proud parent of future rookie of the year, Gerald Posey!

by GiantsFanInExile on Aug 10, 2009 4:19 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

If so, then JP really is an idiot

McC's Outstanding Newcomer '08.

by FairweatherFan on Aug 10, 2009 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

this is news to you?

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 10, 2009 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, as Skaidheim posted above, Rios did have a no-trade clause, so there’s always the chance that even if JP would take just a Bowker or Lewis, Rios would nix the deal. (But yeah, JP is an idiot – though I think that’s for other reasons…)

Proud parent of future rookie of the year, Gerald Posey!

by GiantsFanInExile on Aug 10, 2009 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 10, 2009 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice piece for the Sox

Kenny Williams working his magic once again. The Sox can use a CF and they have some monies coming off the books in 2010. The Sox “only” owe Alexis Rios about $2M for the remainder of this season.

by wilriv21 on Aug 10, 2009 4:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

White Sox took on a ton of salary between Peavy and Rios. I give the owners credit.

embarrassed father of over the hill Edgardo Renteria

by rxmeister on Aug 10, 2009 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Only $5mil over their current budget in 2010 if Contreras and Dye are not resigned.

Proud parent of future rookie of the year, Gerald Posey!

by GiantsFanInExile on Aug 10, 2009 8:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But a huge amount in years to come, which could constrain their roster construction for the next few seasons.

My Bucardo is better than yours.

A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.

by Roger on Aug 11, 2009 6:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who knows a) what Rios’ production will be and b) what salaries will be like in 2013, etc. Right now this looks like a bad back end deal (that’s what she said), but for all we know it’ll be market value or better.

Proud parent of future rookie of the year, Gerald Posey!

by GiantsFanInExile on Aug 11, 2009 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yikes

This strikes me as and incredibly dumb move for the Jays.

Proud father of Juan Carlos Perez. Think Albert Pujols at a position to be determined.

@#$% Juan Uribe. Dios es grande.

by marcello on Aug 10, 2009 6:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s amazing how many people have saying that other GMs and scouts thought this was an incredible opportunity for them to get rid of that contract. Rios has really apparently gotten a horrible reputation with people watching him play in the last year or so. It seems entirely possible that those defensive zone numbers aren’t accurately reflecting his play, and if that’s true, he really is a waste of a boatload of cash.

My Bucardo is better than yours.

by Roger on Aug 11, 2009 6:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or he just soured on the situation in Tor. They have been shedding contracts now for a bit and the only free agent add I can think of is Scutro.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He signed a long contract one year ago. If he has already given up on Toronto that says something much worse about the guy than any stats or scouting reports.

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 11, 2009 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That would true as well. I was just throwing the possibility out there.

Personally I think this all boils down to 3 things. The Wells contract is insanely bad. It almost makes Zito’s tolerable in comparison and there is no way they get someone to take that thing on. The second thing is I don’t think the jays expected to take the economic hit they have and , thirdly, they can’t bring themselves to do a real tear down. That is just my view of it. But no one has proven, or disproven, something as gone horribly wrong with either Rios attitude or management’s attitude so I think the possibility should be mentioned.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well he did have that off the field meltdown that was filmed and posted online…

Proud parent of future rookie of the year, Gerald Posey!

by GiantsFanInExile on Aug 11, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

who gives a fuck!

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 11, 2009 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Meh.

I am not entirely down with the1990s PC standards judgeing people conduct. People get pissed and need to let of steam. People that give a crap about what they are doing are even more likely to get angry when it gets all fudged up. He was not throwing a person down stairs, hitting his signifacant other or rapeing Bothians etc. I am not going to get my undies in a knot over that.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 12, 2009 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The more I think about it, the more I believe that even if those defensive zone numbers do accurately reflect his play, he’s not worth holding on to.

Throw out Rios’s first two seasons and you have a guy who has hit .290/.341/.476 through his peak years, age 25-28. That’s in a park that is very friendly to right-handed hitters, as witnessed by the fact that he has 51 career homers at home and 30 on the road. His defense is great in right field, but it’s not like he’s Mike Cameron — best guess is he would have been slightly above average in center.

But he’ll be 29 next year, and he’s under contract till he’s 34. Those are years in which nearly everyone declines, sometimes dramatically. There are plenty of signs that this has already begun for Rios: line-drive rate down, UZR down, doubles & triples & stolen bases down.

Finally, there’s the pay scale. Baseball teams are acting like they really, really don’t want to spend any money. It seems to me that when internet baseball savants discuss salaries in terms of dollars-per-win or whatever, they haven’t fully processed the bursting of the all-encompassing bubble that was the early-21st-century American economy. It looks like it’s going be years, if ever, before things get back to the way they were in 2007 with regard to housing prices, employment, etc., and I don’t see why baseball salaries should be any different.

by Evan on Aug 11, 2009 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is worth noting the Jays were already committed (with Rios, Wells & Haladay mostly) to more payroll in 2010 than they paid the entire 2009 squad. And they had a horrendous attendance drop this season. According to this site they are averaging 5,232 less a home game ( ~ 17.6% drop).

To put it into perspective the Pads averaged 343 more tickets a game in 2008 and have fallen to the same average attendance this year as the Jays. But the Pads were not on the hook in 2010 for over $80MM and the Pads also moved their move expensive player. As things stand now Cots has the Jays on the hook for $71.468MM in 2010 (even after shedding Rios) compared to the Padres obligations of $11.25MM in 2010. Even if the Pd’s had kept Peavy they were only on the hook for $26.250MM in 2010.That is a huge difference and I don’t see how Ricciardi keeps his job this winter.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jesus, 11.25MM? Poor Adrian..

You want to see a walk? Then go watch the mailman.

by SeeingStars on Aug 11, 2009 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Lucky Adrain. If I am him I see this as increasing the chances the team can either bring in some help and/or keep the help the grows up arround me. ( / shrugs) That is just how I would see it unlike the Jays position were the mostly liekly the best it is going to get is now and well that isn’t good enough.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

80 mil!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even after Rios (10 M) and rolen (11m) are off the books! That is horrible

Minor White > Ansel Adams

by say hey nation on Aug 11, 2009 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Halladay- 15.75 Mil
Vernon Wells- 12.5 Mil
Ryan- 10 Mil
Overbay- 7 Mil
Downs- 4 Mil
Hill-4 Mil
Encarnacion- 4+Mil
Thats the major players. That “only” adds up to 57.25 Mil

Through in 22 mil and change for the Rolen, Rios and prearb players and you get 80 Mil. I don’t think COTs updates payroll commitments midseason.

But still! Our commitment next year is 55 Mil and 30 of that is (12) and Zito (18.5). The only player the Jays have that I would take is Halladay.

Minor White > Ansel Adams

by say hey nation on Aug 11, 2009 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I had forgotten about the Rolen trade. Considering t so that lowers the Jays obligation by $2.45-$6.45 MM depending how the ~ $4MM the Jays sent the Reds is being done. That is still in the mid to upper $60’s MM.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is $71.468 MM for the Jays after Rios. Cots has not gotten around to updating his spread sheet there. Considering he has a real life and job I just took off the $10.2MM owed Rios next year and the $15MM owed Peavy next season and am thankful he has made those sheets available to us.

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I dont have access to those sheets…stupid work

Minor White > Ansel Adams

by say hey nation on Aug 11, 2009 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I misread your original post mixed up 80 and 71 mil

Minor White > Ansel Adams

by say hey nation on Aug 11, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is not like I mangle teh written word any. ;)

That’s it! Katie bar the door for this 79 win team is star crossed! And I am loving it.

by daveinexile on Aug 11, 2009 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s also important to remember the exchange rate in the Jays payroll – tanked and they got clobbered for a while on that relative to the US teams.

by HaroldS on Aug 11, 2009 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

J.P Ricciardi has got to be the dumbest GM in baseball

Wall-E for Best Picture 2008
2009: The return of Los Galacticos!

by Useful_Idiot on Aug 10, 2009 6:52 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think it’s pretty safe to start calling him a former GM

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 11, 2009 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My Blue Jays friend reacted: “meh, rios is dead weight.”

And as I’ve said before, the more interesting aspect to this dump if you’re a Giants fan is what happens to Jermaine Dye now. I’m not high on him (and am frightened about what Sabean would pay) but with the $10M option for next year vesting if he were to to be traded he’s going to make it through waivers.

by HaroldS on Aug 10, 2009 7:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs