 |
|
|
| |
« Open Thread: Best/Worst Trades For Every Current GM | Main | June Draft Order »
Jays Close To Long-Term Deal With Rios?
SATURDAY, 9:41am: The six-year, $65MM offer is on the table for Rios. If the sides can't make a deal this weekend, the talks will be pushed until after the season.
TUESDAY, 11:57am: This deal remains close, but not done. The Jays have a firm Sunday deadline with their offer to Rios.
MONDAY, 11:02pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays are nearing a long-term extension for right fielder Alex Rios. The six-year deal would cover two arb years and four of free agency, starting with the '09 season. The amount would be around $65MM, apparently with a 2015 option for about $15MM. The Vernon Wells-Rios outfield tandem would be together through 2014 at least.
It seems like a discounted price for Rios, who is only 27. He's an above average hitter for his position, and may play the best right field defense in the game. Those last two arb years may have cost the Jays $20MM going year to year. So it's kind of like buying out Rios' first four years of free agency at a reasonable $11.25MM per. Right fielders Kosuke Fukudome and J.D. Drew received higher average annual values on their deals.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d834515b9a69e200e55186b3c18834
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Jays Close To Long-Term Deal With Rios?:
Comments
Top Stories
Search MLBTR
MLBTR Features
Recent Posts
Rumors By Team
Monthly Archives
Live Chats
Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST
Great deal. With Lind or Snider in LF, the Jays'll have a very nice OF over the next few years.
Posted by: rangerchick | March 24, 2008 at 11:08 PM
This sounds like a great deal for the Blue Jays. And rangerchick you are right about having a nice outfield for the foreseeable future.
I was holding out hope that he would hit the free-agent market in the coming years thou...
Posted by: AirmanSD | March 25, 2008 at 12:03 AM
yay locking up longterm is always good.
Posted by: juiced | March 25, 2008 at 12:22 AM
good day for the jays. rios hasnt even reached his full potential. this guy is a fantasy baseball stud. average, power, runs, rbis, and steals. kind of makes that fukudome contract and the drew contract look ridiculous. good signing eh.
Posted by: Joelcards | March 25, 2008 at 12:39 AM
I like this. It’s nice to see another good player staying longer with the franchise brought him. Great for the Jays, great for the game.
Posted by: daveinexile | March 25, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Great signing, good that we lock up Rios. Now we have a nice looking outfield with Rios, Wells and Snider/Lind.
GO JAYS GO!
Posted by: Jays Believer 92,93 | March 25, 2008 at 05:06 PM
I agree with Jays Believer. The Jays will have one of the top outfields in the MLB in 2009 if this deal holds up. Rios has a lot of potential and can back up vernon wells at center. I think having him in the third spot would be a great idea.
Posted by: cyberzero_jays | March 26, 2008 at 02:30 PM
Good move by the Blue Jays if they can lock up Rios' first four years of free agency. Because after that he'll almost definately leave, because he could make a fortune on the open market.
Jays fans must be pretty happy with this deal, after signing Wells to that $126M contract I didn't think that they would have the money to sign Rios long term.
Then again I'm sure all Jays fans with they could've traded him for Lincecum as well.
Let me just say this one last time..
Halladay, Burnett, McGowan, Lincecum, Marcum/Chacin/Litsch/Who Cares
Four top of the rotation starters.. I would've felt confident about them winning 90 games. They were so close to taking advantage of Sabean like so many others have.
But then again if they can't trade him for one of the best young pitchers in baseball, then locking him into a pretty team friendly deal is just as gratifying.
Posted by: scribbletone | March 29, 2008 at 09:54 AM
scribble, while i understand where you were going in terms of future potential of that trade, the fact is that trade would have been detrimental to the 2008 blue jays. last year the jays finished 3rd in team ERA and had probably the #1 defense - clearly offense was the problem, and trading your best young bat isn't exactly the brightest idea to rectify that. while i would have loved to have lincecum on the team and it would have been a good trade because of the Jays organizational OF depth, the team is definitely better THIS year having not made the deal.
halladay, mcgowan, burnett, marcum, litsch = best rotation in baseball, with or without lincecum. especially since marcum will in all likelihood outpitch mighty tim this year.
Posted by: 92-93 | March 29, 2008 at 12:48 PM
I'm not so sure I agree with you about them being better in 2008 with Rios. While yes offense is their main flaw, Vernon Wells will almost definately bounce back, and the same can be said for Overbay. Thomas should continue to be good, and Aaron Hill is potentially one of the best second baseman in baseball this year. They wouldn't have had a good offense, but with that rotation and Accardo and Ryan in the bullpen I'm not sure it would matter. The pitching for both the Sox and Yankees is looking pretty shaky with so many aging guys and rookies, so I think that if the Jays had by far and away the best rotation in the division, let alone in majors, that it actually would've made them equally as good this year and obviously far better in the long term.
I mean c'mon, Halladay, Burnett, McGowan and Lincecum all profile as top of the rotation starters, who else has four of those? Thats freaking terrifying.
Posted by: scribbletone | March 29, 2008 at 03:15 PM
I don't think you realize that Shaun Marcum is a better pitcher right NOW than Lincecum.
Posted by: 92-93 | March 29, 2008 at 03:20 PM
Do you honestly believe that..? How do you figure that Marcum is a better pitcher than Lincecum? And actually Marcum would still be in that rotation anyways, as the 5 starter. Think about that. Shaun Marcum as your five starter. You'd have a chance to win everyday because on any given day you're sending out a guy that could completely dominate the other team.
Posted by: scribbletone | March 29, 2008 at 03:26 PM
This is almost insulting. If I am Rios, I play out my last 2 seasons, hit the free agent market as a centerfielder at age 28, and cash in to a tune of 7/100, easily. This guy is a stud in the making, 5 tools, can hit anywhere in the lineup from 1-5, and will play sick defense at all 3 outfield positions. He could be due for a monster contract in a couple years.
Posted by: nrmax88 | March 29, 2008 at 04:11 PM
And just for the record, no way you are getting Rios from me for Tim Lincecum straight up. Cain maybe, possibly. Lincecum absolutely not. He looks solid no doubt, but he throws a nice curveball, with a straight as an arrow fastball, and I want to see if he can do it over a whole season, not to mention I dont trust his small frame over a long time. I will get killed for saying this, but I think Lincecum might be the most overated young player in baseball right now.
Posted by: nrmax88 | March 29, 2008 at 04:17 PM
"If I am Rios, I play out my last 2 seasons, hit the free agent market as a centerfielder at age 28, and cash in to a tune of 7/100, easily."
If Carlos Lee can make 6/100, then Rios can get at least that. I think that 2008 is the year that Rios proves to be a legitimate middle of the order stud. He defense is definately fantastic, and he can get on base and hit for power.
Now I would definately think about moving Rios for Lincecum, simply because of what I was talking about above. Rios is soon to be cashing in on a massive deal. Now if he takes this deal, then no way do I make that trade. But if it takes $100M to sign him, then suddenly he becomes slightly less valuable. Especially when Lincecum is six years away from free agency and will be cheap for a while.
And I don't think I would say that Lincecum is the most overrated yuong player in baseball. I would argue that that would be Homer Bailey. #9 prospect in BA Handbook two years in a row, and I don't tihnk he deserves it. At least Lincecum has proven that at the very least he can be a good starter, even if he isn't the most durable. Think a crappier, right handed version of Erik Bedard.
Posted by: scribbletone | March 29, 2008 at 05:22 PM
"Do you honestly believe that..? How do you figure that Marcum is a better pitcher than Lincecum?"
Might have to do with his lower ERA & WHIP as a starter last year, despite pitching in a hitter's park in the AL East! Sure Tim might K a few more batters but Marcum has better control and for 2008 I think he's the safer option if I had to choose who will be the better pitcher.
Posted by: 92-93 | March 29, 2008 at 05:32 PM
i like lincecum but no way i trade rios for him. 92-93 makes a good point about the al east and hitters park. when u compare that to that enormous ballpark in san francisco it must be considered. now if u want to use that arguemnet it works both ways. rios hits in that hitter friendly park and his power would almost certainly drop somewhere else. having said all that i would never trade the talented position player for the talented pitcher. eventhough lincecum would be cheaper for a few more years pitching is so unpredictable. guys get hurt and lincecum and that funky delivery could be a prime candidate. the cards built championship caliber teams for years based on big money position players and gambling on pitchers. look at what happened when they decided to pay a pitcher(carp). it was a great below market signing, he had come off a 2nd place cy young finish and a cy young the year before, and it still hasnt worked out. always take the position player.
Posted by: Joelcards | March 29, 2008 at 07:10 PM
couple more quick comments. mcgowan and rios were killing it for my fantasy team last year. ive never actually seen mcgowan but the numbers say hes good. also could we get a good college hoops game today? xaviers down by 21. thank god baseballs starting soon. im ready. r u?
Posted by: Joelcards | March 29, 2008 at 07:13 PM