Blue Jays Sign Alex Rios, Aaron Hill

Surprise move by the Jays today – they inked second baseman Aaron Hill to a four-year, $12MM deal with club options for three years after that.  The deal begins with the ’08 season and then covers his three arb years.  Orlando Hudson, a decent comparable, got about $12.8MM for a similar slice of his career.  Sounds fair, and the options are a nice bonus for the Jays. 

The Jays also completed Alex Rios’ six-year, $64MM deal.  This is another fine contract for Toronto, as they get four of Rios’ free agent years at a below-market price.  The Jays have a seventh year option for Rios at $13.5MM, with a $1MM buyout attached.  The contract includes a complete no-trade clause for the first two years and a partial thereafter.