So much for the Angels' quiet offseason. The Angels and Blue Jays have announced a blockbuster trade that sends center fielder Vernon Wells to Los Angeles in exchange for catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera. Wells waived his no-trade clause to make the deal happen.
Wells, 32, hit .273/.331/.515 with 31 homers for Toronto in 2010, rebounding from an injury-plagued and disappointing stretch from 2007-09 when he managed just a .743 OPS. The number most associated with Wells, however, is his contract. The center fielder signed a seven-year, $126MM extension with Toronto in 2006 that runs through 2014. Wells is slated to earn $23MM next season and $21MM in each of the following three years, though he has the option of opting out of his deal after 2011.
The Halos took a lot of local and national criticism for failing to sign Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and other major targets this winter, especially since owner Arte Moreno said he was prepared to spend to get his team back into contention in the AL West. Acquiring Wells will quiet some of those critics, but now the Angels are paying Wells a higher average annual value ($21.5MM) over the next four years than Texas is paying Beltre ($16MM) over five years or Boston is paying Crawford (roughly $20.28MM) over seven years.
Wells presumably takes over in center field for L.A. now that Torii Hunter has been shifted to right, though Hunter (-6.2 UZR/150) was a bit better than Wells (-7.0 UZR/150) in center last season. Wells' defense did improve last year, however, and the former three-time Gold Glover could approach his old form playing on natural grass at Angel Stadium. The Angels could also explore putting Wells in left and give Peter Bourjos for the bulk of playing time in center.
The Angels dealt from a position of strength; along with Napoli, the Halos have backstops Jeff Mathis, Hank Conger and Bobby Wilson on their 40-man roster.
Getting Wells' $86MM salary off the books (especially without sending L.A. any money in return) is a major achievement for Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos, given that the contract was considered perhaps the most untradeable in all of baseball. The Jays also succeeded in keeping Napoli away from a division rival; the Rays appeared to be targeting the catcher/first baseman earlier this evening.
Napoli hit 26 home runs last year, reaching the 20-homer plateau for the third consecutive season. He hit .238/.316/.468 overall, with a career-high 137 strikeouts. The right-handed hitter has a .931 OPS against southpaws in his career, so he is a potential complement to the lefty-hitting Adam Lind at first base. The Jays could combine Napoli with Lind and Edwin Encarnacion at first, or with Jose Molina and J.P. Arencibia behind the plate. Would-be base stealers were successful 73% of the time they tried stealing off of Napoli in 2010; they've been successful 76% of the time in his career.
Napoli, 29, is arbitration eligible this year and eligible for free agency after 2012. He asked for $6.1MM in 2011 and the Angels countered with a $5.3MM offer, as MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes used Napoli as an example of the arbitration process in this October post, predicting his agent could ask for $6-7MM.
Rivera, 32, is set to earn $5.25MM next season, the last year of a three-year, $12.75MM pact he signed with the Halos following the 2008 campaign. The veteran outfielder has a .272/.323/.448 line over the last two seasons, and has a career .832 OPS against left-handed pitching (though that OPS against lefties dropped to .746 last year). Rivera could play right field and allow Jose Bautista to move to third base. Rivera is also a candidate for DH time in Toronto, and could spell Travis Snider against southpaws.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports were the first to report on a Napoli-to-Toronto move this afternoon, and then added the news of Wells' involvement, plus details about the outfielder's physical and waiving of his no-trade clause. Mike Wilner of Sportsnet Radio The FAN 590 confirmed the Wells-for-Rivera/Napoli trade package in an e-mail to MLBTR and Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press tweeted the news that no money was being exchanged in the deal.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
for who????
Bad news for JPA
That’s the end of Wells and that albatross contract of his. Don’t know about you but I’m about ready to dance for joy!
I like the trade but we did lose a 30 hr hitter. But i just hope they can find someone good with all this money they should be saying with wells out. Afterall he is an allstar. Its not my money they are spending so i really didnt mind seeing Wells in a toronto uniform. As lets say this year if we had that money to spend, i am sure we wouldnt have got anyone from the FA market. Referring to either Cliff Lee or Adam Dunn.
Mikey Nap is a 30 HR hitter, too (if you extrapolate his ABs over a normal 550-600 AB season)…remember, he would get days off for Jeff Mathis.
If you’re a Jays fan, I can’t believe you can see ANY downside of this deal.
i actually liked wells, probably one of the few jays fans that do. those 2 down season were due to injury. also i agree that he isn’t worth the contract he was given but it has been done and nothing can be done, also there is no salary cap in the MLB and why are we trying to save the jays money when the people that own them are rogers “crappy tv/internet” communications. AA clearly stated rogers will give him the green light on more spending if he requires it..
still a crazy good deal salary dump wise.GL wells.
I’m with you. Vernon will be missed. Always gave 100% percent and a real class act on and off the field it seems. Used that big contract to set his family for life and do charity work in Toronto and his home state of Texas… not party in Yorkville
Thanks for all your years of service Vernon! Good luck!
and not many all time jays you would rank ahead of him for his overall ability…its just too bad the cast wasnt able to get him to the playoffs so he couldve been more remembered
so what you want them to do is go with the Yankees approach and just throw money at the problem? keep in mind from 2000 yankees have only won ONE championship so….obviously buying a championship doesnt work….the plan is to draft well develop prospects and THEN put some money into a key FA when our team is established…why waste team money now?
Wow, didn’t see this coming.
Me neither, it was the funniest thing that happened all day. I bet the people in Toronto are going to be partying all night.
Come on 1988 is over Mike.
this is odd
“The Jays might not be sending any money to Los Angeles in the trade”
If this is true, then this might be the worst move of the offseason…
Well, it was already a terrible move but that would just be icing on the cake.
Poor JP Arencibia.
don’t feel bad for JPA, he will catch a lot of the games behind the plate, while Napoli and Lind will platoon at 1B/DH and Lawrie / Encarnacion will play 3B.
Encarnacion isn’t playing 3B Anthopolis made that abundantly clear when he signed him. Plus if the Jays got Rivera too he’ll be starting in Right and Bautista will be our 3B.
Rivera will not be staying with the Jays. He is not a AA type player and a cancer – look for him to be dealt quickly.
agreed…perhaps opens up a spot for a signing of Pods? i can only dream…
ya, can’t see the new manager not allow us to use our rookies for full seasons. i mean how else are we going to develop players. look for snider to have a monster season to fill wells position.
THRILLED!
I think Napoli becomes the DH, with Arencibia still the starting catcher, and Lind still the starting first baseman. Napoli will probably play catcher and first-base a game or so each per week, at which point Encarnacion gets the DH job. Really, I think it’s only Jose Molina who suffers.
I wonder if they’d be more likely to have Lind be the everyday DH with Napoli at first. Among other things, this would allow Napoli to slide over to C and have Encarnation slip in at first if something happens to Arencibia during a game.
If mike napoli is playing anything but DH something has gone terribly wrong!
Why, exactly? Napoli is more experienced at first, and he’s probably a better defender than Adam Lind is.
and throws out a decent 28% of baserunners i believe
From 1B? That’s awesome!
DH and 1st base maybe even 3rd???
If mike Napoli is playing 3rd something has gone terribly wrong for the Jays.
Do you even follow baseball?
Napoli at 3rd…LOL!
Poor Rays fans haha. False hope, thy name is Napoli.
I know..Poor Rays with all those first round draft choices and that great starting staff and all those A+ prospects and the best minor league system and shrewdest front office, and the fact despite a $30 million payroll, we’ll still be as competitive as the Jays…. how jealous we are of not acquiring Mike Napoli..If only we had a very bright future for probably the next decade instead of trying to out spend the Yankees and Sox…woe is me…
Relax psycho.
best minor league system?….get serious…you’re the only person in the world that believes that
Are you serious???….do you even know what baseball is or is someone prompting you with responses that make absolutely no sense?? ANYONE with any knowledge knows the Rays and Royals have the best farm systems in the majors right now BY FAR. Seriously..thanks, I needed a good laugh.
The Royals have the best farm system in baseball right now, in my opinion. The Rays are up there, as well.
actually its just the royals tampa and the jays both have a top 5 system tho
That was before the trade with the Cubs (for the Rays) Jays are rated 7th -9th by most
That should make you thrilled when you win the International and Eastern league crowns in the upcoming years.
Oh it will..and then when they come up and we win the A.L. East AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN because we actually have a farm system….Boy,,It’s nice to see all the haters on here..all I have to do is make a valid point and watch everyone freak out and sink themselves to calling names and act like children..thank for the attention guys.
you guys draft well but dont make facts up, you dont have the best minor league system. besides you guys wont be back in the playoffs for 3-4 years
Don’t have to. Do some research. Royals and Rays are rated 1-2 or vice versa by almost every publication. After we sign this draft, it won’t even be debatable.
relax fan boy
you guys will be the 2010 balt O’s next season. also the best MLS goes to the royals by a LONGGGGGGGGGGGG shot.
hahaha yeah you mean all those 1st round picks and A+ prospects that leave the first chance they get BAHAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAHHA
Wow..that was mature. Yeah because these days no players leave to make more money, especially small market teams. I guess Crawford should have resigned here for $8 million just to be loyal. If we were the YANKEES I would have been pissed at them paying him $142 million, that was ridiculous. Man..It’s good to know that the Rays are the only team that loses players to FA. You really told me. Wow..
What the hell? Is it the Rays or the Jays, and for what? GRRRR…
Maybe it’s the Ray-J’s?
Well, you could call them Rays. Or you could call them Jays. #badjokes
I just laughed out loud.
As did I
I guess they don’t have faith in Arencibia…or however you spell that.
Spelled exactly the way you did. 😉
I’m guessing he’s also an insurance policy incase Adam Lind can’t play 1B everyday
I hope Mathis doesn’t catch this year, I never really like Nap. either.
I guess the guy who put out the Napoli to Rays rumor just accidentally typed R instead of J
jeez talk about a sudden twist in the story…
I wouldn’t try him at 3rd.
Wow.. Rays having a bad off season
Rays are going to have tons of picks this year in a very deep draft, they will be fine and they have Jaso already.
Lol your acting like good picks instantly turn into contributing players. Rays are looking long-term, as usual.
their looking EXTREMELY GOOD long term – fixed
they’re* – fixed again
thanks. seriously
What’s wrong with looking extremely long term? It’s difficult for small market teams to remain competitive for years, that’s just how it is. However, don’t count them out just yet, remember when the A’s lost Giambi and Damon?
They have the second-rated farm system, according to BA…so it seems like they’re doing a pretty swell job of turning good picks into contributing players. But feel free to discount the fact about half (12) of the players from last season’s playoff team were drafted by Tampa Bay, and that 9 started at least one game in their Division series.
-C
Yes, because the Jays front office plan has served them so well since.. when?? 1992..Short term planning gets you, well, constant third and fourth place finishes. (see Toronto Blue Jays)
You know kdawg, for a fan of a team that has exactly zero WS titles, you sure like to run your mouth a lot. You need to relax, buddy. Show some class instead of insulting everyone else’s teams.
I haven’t insulted a single other persons team. I have responded to rude comments made about the Rays and myself. For you to call me out after the things that have been said to me is ridiculous. If I have been rude to anyone, it was in response to them acting childish, calling names or flat out being rude and uninformed. And I need to show some class?? I didn’t make crude remarks about anyone. There are a LOT of classless people on here and I’m not one of them. All anyone has for ammo on here is “your team has a small payroll”, “your team has crappy attendance” “you let a bunch of players go” What small market team doesn’t ?? This is ridiculous. The Rays have one of the top 2 farm systems. They run the team wisely and they have a ton of good prospects already as well as a ton of good draft picks. The future for them is bright. That’s all I’ve said and got blasted for it then criticized for not sitting there taking a bunch of insults from others that think they are the only one’s who know anything. Thank you for chastizing me though and telling me to take the abuse of others and smile and thenI”M the one talking smack…nice. BTW 2 A.L East titles in last 3 yrs. and a trip to the Series have made me a happy fan. Some fans teams don’t see the playoffs for decades so I’m not talking crap on anyone. I’m proud of what the Rays have done.
erm, they won it in 93 too…it was kinda a big deal
My bad..92 and 93…Joe Carter off Mitch Williams..was off by a yr. And yes that was a big deal.
sorry if I came off harsh, by the way…possibly my Blue Jays/Canadian inferiority complex
Nothing inferior about either one! 🙂
Go Jays!!
In a division where the two juggernauts are aging quickly, I think you’re overlooking how smart it is to be looking long-term.
Well, except that the two juggernauts are not actually ever going to get “old,” because they’ll buy everyone else’s young players once they hit their prime. That’s their avowed strategy.
I love how everyone thinks the Sox “buy all their players” When spring training breaks in 2012, 7 of our 8 position players will be home grown or traded for from our farm. Not many teams can say that!! !And at least 3/5 of the rotation fits that category… so find another excuse for falling short!
I do like the way the red sox operate,but you act like they don’t buy their players….Carl Crawford, JD Drew, John Lackey, Matsuzaka, and Gonzo who, yea its a trade but its not like the Rays or Royals would trade for him knowing they would have to pay him an enormous contract, and you kept Beckett only a handful a teams would have been able to resign him for that price and I remember Casey Kelly fell to the Sox because of signing concerns, so it affects the draft which in turn affects trades…the buying power the sox have allows them to make trades for star players or draft expensive prospects , resigning their own players and sign the occasional carl crawford, manny ramirez or lackey the majority of teams cannot
Love the Rays, but just because they have a lot of high picks doesn’t mean much if they don’t have the draft budget to pick the best players available. The way the draft is currently set up, a team with fewer picks and a larger budget can make up for it by signing players in later rounds, and actually end up with more ML talent (therefore, a better draft) in the end.
How exactly are they having a bad offseason? They opened up spots in their rotation and SS slots for better players. They have THIRTEEN of the first 90 picks in the draft. They hauled in 8 VERY GOOD prospects in their trades and it looks like Damon and Manny will both be signed this weekend…Great off season in my opinion. May not be in the hunt next year or two, but in the long run, they’re going to be competing for championships every year just with the talent they develop.
Yeah, as a Jays fan I must admit that the Rays have had a great offseason. I do think that the 2011 team is worse than the 2010 team was, but they took a strong farm system and made it even better, loaded up on picks for the the deepest draft in recent memory and found inexpensive, but elegant pieces to fill the holes on their roster (like the Manny and Damon signings which both look like pretty nice deals to me). Both the Jays and Rays look like they are taking one step back in 2011 in order to take many steps forward in subsequent years.
I think that the Yankees are probably worse than they were last year too though so even though the Red Sox have got to be the favourites in the AL East the Rays and Jays do have a chance this season. Personally after the Manny and Damon signings I think the Rays are my pick for the wild card. Texas or Oakland (whoever doesn’t win the AL West) would be good choices as well though as would the Yankees (who are still a good team, obviously).
Well there is no way, the rays could of matched taht deal. Atleast now that Angels got Wells, they might be able to compete in that division next year. Your adding a #3 hitter in that lineup infront of Kendry Morales. This is a very good move for the Angels interms of picking up a good hitter. But they do have to pay him a ton but who else is out their to sign??
So many details. <—LIE
I feel like this is a trade Mike Scioscia made. He always preferred Mathis to Napoli.
It feels like a real Jacob and Esau thing is going on in Anaheim.
It’s more of a Goofus and Gallant thing…
Angry Nates unite!
A) This means no Manny in Toronto.
B) This means reduced playing time for JP Arencibia.
C) I really wonder what we gave up to acquire Napoli. (Stewart?)
god I hope not Stewart, someone mentioned Thames which I think would be about right
Definitely not Stewart.
I’m betting Frasor
I’m betting Vernon Wells. 😉
Way to make a bad offseason worse Angels. Sigh…
Maybe I am prematurely upset since we don’t know who is coming back, but c’mon Angels. Lacking power, so lets trade a 30 HR catcher.
look up his stats, dude. homers arent everything. in almost every other stat, offensively and defensively, he’s subpar.
Guest … please follow your advice and look at the stats. Here is Napoli’s rank amongst all catchers by year using wOBA (200 PA minimum):
2007: 6th (out of 39)
2008: 1st (out of 41)
2009: 4th (out of 45)
2010: 12th (out of 44)
Overall from 2007 to 2010 Napoli sits at 6th out of all catchers. The guys above him include Mauer, Posada, Martinez, Soto, and McCann. That’s pretty elite company. Napoli is a beast with the bat.
Are you Mike Scioscia?!
And offensively, Napoli is one of the better hitting catchers in baseball.
Umm sure Napoli hit 20+ homers, but that was all he did. Situational hitting? Nope. Plus 70% runners stole a base? That’s horrible. Sure Nap was cool, but wasn’t that great.
Then again, i too don’t know who we got, and since they didnt even mention it, im pretty nervous. So maybe Reagins this miff this one too.
1. The guy has never hit 30 HR’s
2. The team was not going to play him at catcher
3. This frees up about $6m to sign Vlad/Manny, etc
You can easily replace Napoli’s bat with a dedicated DH.
You’re right, but I do think he’s more than capable to hit 30 HRs in a season if given playing time. In fact, I’m willing to guarantee he will hit 30 with Toronto.
This trade still doesn’t make sense to me from the Angels’ perspective.
Manny signed w/ the Rays for 2 mil.
i dont like this move
we already have a similar type player in JP who is much more cheaper and with better defense
he’ll be stopping his progression ….. AA’s first disappointing move of the season so far ….
I hope there is something else planned for napoli
disappointing? wells makes 21.5 million over the next 4 years. its more a contract dump than a trade. napoli will be a solid backup c to arencebia, and fill in at first if lind doesn’t work out. good deal, i just hope we can unload jose molina
he actually makes 86 million over the next 4 years. I’m guessing you ment an average of 21.5 per season.
yes i shoulda said that clearer! thanks. So in total money the jays took back 11 million in contracts for one year…a saving of 75 million over the long term. As long as they spend as they say they will this is a great salary dump. Verns a good player with a horrible contract
What are the Angels doing?
The practice is called self-immolation. The label on the kerosene can said it was supposed to go quicker than this.
Commander Nate – – Much love/props as always.
HH needs a quickly ordered and executed happy hour tonight. I’ll buy a round.
I know Nap44 will too…
this might not effect Arencibia that much. in 2010 Napoli had more games at 1B(70) than he did at C(66).
70 games of pure need. He plays how many games if the Angels were hit by injuries?
I know Napoli played 1B because Morales was injured. but what I’m saying is with Napoli ability he could see time at 1B/DH and the Jays could still give significant time to the catcher of the future Arencibia. if Napoli could only play C then it would be bad news for Arencibia.
He really doesn’t provide value as a first baseman. Not so much as a DH either. I know having versatility is nice but his only real value is playing 110-120 games behind the dish, which I wanna see that happen.
he doesn’t have value at DH? I have no clue on his defensive ability at 1B, but he is not a good defensive C. the article up above lists his caught stealing %. his best asset is his offense and should get into the lineup as much as possible.
As an A’s fan, I approve of this move. The Angels are having an outstanding offseason!
Unreal…the turnover on that roster that AA has done is mind-boggling
in a good or bad way?
In a good way.
Why Angels, why? This makes almost no sense. Mike Napoli is a better offensive threat than any other DH option you’re considering.
uhhhhh, no.
First let me say thank you for your insightful comment. IF we compare the decline if Bobby Abreu, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez we will see that Mike Napoli makes much more sense then either of those three, the current targets for LAA’s open DH. Thanks for stopping by though.
I’d rather have Manny or Vlad DHing over Napoli….
but i’d rather have napoli if it means getting rid of wells
Seriously?
Napoli is a solid guy and I loved him AS A CATCHER. He simply did not produce nearly enough at 1B or DH. His value is all tied to his prodigious offense at the catching position.
Vlad, Manny, and even Abreu had better seasons than Napoli. In the case of Manny and Vlad they were MUCH better. Factoring in regression for those guys still doesn’t tip the scale in Napoli’s favor.
Look – the Angels screwed up here, but not for the reasons you articulated. They should have played the guy at catcher. That was their mistake. However, if they weren’t going to let him catch then a trade was necessary. We free up money to go get a better bat AND we get something in return from Toronto (TBD on the haul).
well, if we stop by each players stats, which are indisputable facts reflecting their performaces, not opinions, we will see that abreu and vladdy are much better dh options then napoli, who is only good for 20 hr/ a season, and thats it. abreu and vladdy offer greater power, average, and obp. nice try tho…
Napoli is too fat to catch, and What did he have to sacrafice to hit 26 homers? His 2010 BA .238
He had a down-year, but BA is not the stat to judge him by…He can still take a walk and has tremendous power for a catcher (3 straight 20+ HR seasons). I’d look for a .275ish BA/355OBP/480slg line from Napoli, especially in the Rogers Centre. He will probably quite a bit of time at DH, that I do agree with.
Good thing the ANGELS have Mendoza Mathis behind the dish… what a waste…
I’m guessing Wilson catches at least 40 games before the break and Conger 40 after the break. If Mathis doesn’t hit like he did last April he is DFA by September.
You insult Mendoza.
Blue jays have made alot of good moves this off season, but there division still will keep them from making the playoffs. unless the yankee’s choke bad next year, i don’t see a spot for them for a couple more years
That’s the plan. Build now for the future.
Uggh, I am going to cringe if its for Bautista.. Blaaaah!
HA!
unfortunately, that kinda makes sense
but something else would have to come to the Jays… right?
Sciosia must really hate Napoli ;(.
makes me sick
He does.
I think Lind and Napoli both will share time at 1B and DH, so doesn’t really effect JPA
did we maybe get vernon wells or bautista id take that then lol
Wells? Please no.
it’s vernon wells according to ken rosenthal
i hope he will be our DH/3B/1B depending on the matchups but i would hate to c him taking time away from JP just like Buck did last yr
And how much did he ask btw 6 mill .. lol thats alot
Looks like the angels are conceding they have no chance to contend in 2011 and are looking further towards the Mike Trout era. sigh.
They sure are doing what it takes, aren’t they.
I think our interest was fake but we accomplished nothing with him going elsewhere so fast, damn Jays couldn’t wait for us to sign Manny.
wow, i wasstill reading the post for the Ray’s potentially signing Nap, being that they’re no names mentioned coming back probably gonna be some junk prospects, way to go Halos, tony’s big splash…
Interesting to see what the Farrell does with his lineup.
I wonder if these means that Lind is staying at DH and Napoli will be their full time 1B.
I think the Angels would hold on to him if he could.
He can barely play catcher, but he has power and I’m not happy the Angels are trading him.
As sad as I am to see nap dog go, it was pretty clear that he was going to be traded this offseason.
NO
Nope, barely learned 1st last year
Don’t forget that the Jays have a number of good players playing for cheap.
Jose Bautista only made $2.4 million and is still under club control…
Bautista’s going to make at least $7.5 million next season.
He filed for around $10 million in arbitration, dunno if i’d call that too cheap
stupid. Angels are not smart. what the heck are the thinking?!?!?
Getting rid of dead weight. They’re doing what they couldn’t decide to do — and should have done — at the deadline. There were rumors all over about them trading Napoli, Rivera, Matsui, Abreu, and Rodney to replenish their system and to free up cash for this offseason. Now you know another reason why they haven’t done much more than this and sign 2 top relievers.
Wherd this come from? Makes no sense to me..
They’re going to hit ALOT of home runs next year.
#predictionsfromwinter2010
I don’t think Napoli is the make or break component for the Angels, not a big fan of this unless the return is decent but they do have a glut of catchers…
It’s about time that Napoli got moved to some where where he might actually be able to contribute. It was unreal the notion of Mathis starting all of those games in favor of Napoli.
Without knowing who was sent for Napoli, this is AWESOME! I’ve been saying for the past few years that Napoli is criminally underrated and that Toronto should go after him. It adds a bat to the lineup that can take a walk, and gives Toronto even more power. Awesome pick-up for AA, and it seems like the Angels and Scosia never were that sold on Napoli and perferred Mathis over him, but i’m not really sure why. Jays are stock-piled at the Catcher position, and perhaps they aren’t convinced that JP is the Catcher of the future, and even if he isn’t they still have D’Araund and Perez (who I really like) coming up in the not so distant future. Napoli definitely gives them a better option for this upcoming season. Another solid move for AA, actually one that I love.
Now that I think about it more, Napoli probably gets a lot of time at DH/1B, which makes a lot of sense for this team. He’s a way better option than Damon or Pods who Toronto was reportedly looking at. JP is still going to get his AB’s this year, but i’m still not convinced he’ll be as good as some are predicting…I guess we’ll see. This is a very good move for AA, depending on who they gave back.
My best guess at the moment – Angels get Rajai Davis in this deal.
This is smart Angel fans, We’re too deep at that position. Nobody would lay their hands on Mathis. We needed to unload.
But who are we getting? Napoli may not be needed for us, but there are many teams that need him. We could get a pretty good package for him. Upton for Nap? whooo dam
dying to know who the Jays coughed up for this one – can’t imagine it a youngster on the roster or a top level prospect – maybe Edwin E and a reliever?
Wow snatched from the Rays how rude.
Unclear what the Angels get in return, but if they sign one of the DHs left on the market (Vlad, Damon) they could very easily get something close to Napoli’s batting back into production.
I still agree, that I don’t know what the Angels are doing. They were supposed to be big players this offseason. Granted they were priced out of the top free agents they wanted, but thats never an excuse to stay status quo.
EDIT: I change my position, Vernon Wells, what a haul.
WHO WE GETTING?!?!
I honestly can’t think of any Blue Jay worth getting for the Angels, especially for a commodity like Napoli. Even though the Angels are stock-piled at catcher, still doesn’t mean Napoli is worthless. In fact, I’m pretty sure ANY team would love a power-hitting catcher like Nap. Sigh, dammit Reagins.
no one that good, i am sure of that.
Toronto was not desperate for catcher, so doesnt make sense if they gave up anything of value.
You can’t think of a single Blue Jay worth the trade?! Ouch!
Just what the Angels needed to do: Get rid of offense. I’m totally bewildered by the Angels off-season this year.
The suspense is wrenching my soul! Who do the Angels get in return?
If the Angels are really looking towards the future then they should make a lot more moves after Napoli. They could get a a massive haul from the Yankees for Haren right now. Too bad the Angels won’t make this type of move. This is really just Scioscia move. Looks like a third plave finish for the Halos.
Napoli was a better catcher than Mathis, are the Angels trying to have a worse off season than the 2010 Mariners?
Napoli was a better catcher than Mathis? Defensively? Ha! Who are you? go watch soccer you need 2 find a new sport.
looking at the jays 40 man roster, the only player i can think were getting in return is vernon wells. theres no way theyre trading bautista, and encarnacion is too similar to callaspo. from here, trade rivera for leadoff speed or just sign podsednik…
Nooooooooo…not Vernon Wells.
hmmm… how bout that…
It’s not going to be Wells…but I hope to god it is! EE is a different player than Callaspo, as he has power in his bat and the capability to hit 20hr’s, while Callapso doesn’t. Not to say EE is involved, even though i’d be perfectly fine with that too.
interesting…
If we’re talking major league-level player, Rajai Davis seems most obvious to me. Speedy leftfielder who can bat leadoff.
if the Angles wanted Vernon Wells and would pay his entire salary, you do that in a heart beat. Wells is paid WAY too much $$$. free of that salary owed to Wells the Jays would have A LOT of spending money.
another interesting perspective… lol
I think people are looking into this too much. The catching position is not JP’s to win, it’s for him to lose. Napoli is a great insurance policy at first and catcher. I think the trade is great for the Jays.
Napoli is a better player than Arencibia will ever be.
Are you joking? Napoli is an average catcher/first base in the league where as JP has a chance to be one of the better hitting catchers in the league and plays way better defence already the Napoli ever did/will.
Arencibia would have to hit .320 to have an even decent OBP.
I wonder if this changes Encarnacion’s nickname again. E5 to E3 to E-bench.
I hope so. I’m thinking something like a lind/napoli platoon, with some AB’s at C and DH for napoli as well. Plus if JPA struggles mightily you have a potential replacement who can still hit (compared to molina).
I like E-benches contract since it’s cheap, but he’s still all “potential” at age 27. At least with Napoli you have a rough idea what to expect.
I’m expecting a 1B/DH 3-way platoon with EE, Lind and Napoli.
Are the Angels even going to finish in the top 2 in their division next year?
You wanna play the recent history game? Really Canada?
yeahh… LOL
Hey America, because a team you cheer for has more recently won a world series, Jays fans can’t speculate as to how well the Angels will do? Seriously?
Wow. Love Canada. Jays, recently, very average. Angels, above averge.
Top 4?
First off, whoever was involved in the original Napoli rumors is either a moron or needs to go for the ‘J’ key next time. How do you not even know the Jays are involved and then about 4 hours later they make the deal?
Also, what the heck is with the Jays and A’s stealing all our potential players this year? Is this some sort of silly rhyme rivalry we don’t know about?
EE will be facing Leftys as he can only hit them and he sucks against Righty’s. I see lind taking days off against Leftys and playing Napoli at 1B and EE DH.
I hate us. Seriously.
We need OBP and power, so we trade one of the two guys able to provide that?! For what??? So Jeff “I just put in one the worst full seasons EVER” Mathis can get more playing time?!
Gimme a break.
Rebuild?
It is no secret that the Angels are not a power team… they are a station to station team without a leadoff hitter… so I dont know what that makes them. Now if they can get rid of Rivera.. Matthews Jr. contract comes off the books after next season I believe..
Maybe Arte comes up big time and steals Pujols away from STL… an Angels fan can dream right.
Nooooooooo… not Podsednik.
No way it was a nothing guy. Im sure the Jays gave up something good for Nap. If it was so cheap to get him im sure the Red Sox would have got him or many other teams.
It’s Vernon Wells!
My head just exploded. Really.