Loading ...When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Jeff Mathis to be their backup catcher this season, Jays fans everywhere let out a collective groan. Toronto had just signed arguably the worst hitter in the game with the leagues top catching prospect knocking on the door of majors. Mathis' career OPS is .557 – six players slugged better than that in 2011 – and his wRC+, a statistic that Fangraphs uses which can be thought of as a more accurately weighted OPS+, tells us that Jeff Mathis has been the worst hitter in baseball since 2005 with a minimum of 1,000 plate appearances. You might be asking yourself at this point "Why would anyone even let this guy start in the major leagues?"
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Jeff Mathis Brings an Element to the Toronto Blue Jays That Bears Watching
February 22nd, 2012 at 1:19 PMBy Ryan Baasch
Hypothetical J.P. Arencibia Trade Scenarios for the Toronto Blue Jays
February 21st, 2012 at 2:06 AMBy Ryan Baasch
In case you missed our assessment of why the Toronto Blue Jays should trade incumbent catcher J.P. Arencibia, you can read about it here. If you accept the (rather reasonable) premise that the Jays are better off dealing Arencibia than they are starting him behind the plate and blocking top prospect Travis D'Arnaud, the question becomes "Who can we trade him for?"
- Mark Trumbo: This trade makes so much sense, it should've been completed yesterday. Trumbo is a completely superfluous asset in Los Angeles with Albert Pujols in town and a slew of options at DH. They are thinking of trying him out at third base this season, but the best option for the Angels is to trade him to shore up another weakness, and catcher is where they are weakest of all. Angels catchers combined for a cumulative -0.8 WAR in 2011 (yes, that is a negative) which ranked as the second worst figure in baseball at the backstop. Trumbo can probably step in for Adam Lind and provide an immediate two win upgrade, with room for more considering that 2011 was just his rookie season. The fact that Trumbo and Arencibia are equally far from becoming free agents makes this trade all the more sensible. Neither of these players seem destined for the kind of stardom that could come back to haunt their former team, but each fills a distinct weakness on the other's team.
Trade J.P. Arencibia? not as Crazy as You May Think
February 20th, 2012 at 3:06 PMBy Ryan Baasch
The Toronto Blue Jays will enter the 2012 season with depth at a position where many other teams do not even have a legitimate major league average starter – catcher. No, this is not a reference to opening day starter J,P. Arencibia and back-up (as of now) Jeff Mathis, it is a reference to the former in tandem with the much heralded prospect Travis D'Arnaud. Granted, D'Arnaud is not expected to open the season with the big league club, but all indications are that he is nearly (if not entirely) ready to assume catching duties on a major league level.
Read more... Join the Conversation...A.J. Burnett Makes Unceremonious Exit from the AL East
February 17th, 2012 at 11:30 PMBy Ryan Baasch
The New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates have finally come to terms on a deal that will send A.J. Burnett and the remaining two years of his five year, 82.5 million dollar contract out of the AL East and into the NL Central. It has been a long and tumultuous ride in this division for Burnett, and he will be exiting on a particularly sour note. All things considered though, the Toronto Blue Jays made out quite a bit better with the maligned starting pitcher than did the Yankees.
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