As you’ve surely heard by now, a blockbuster trade took place last night. The Blue Jays and Marlins agreed to a franchise-altering deal that will send Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio and $4MM to Toronto for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis and prospects Anthony DeSclafani, Justin Nicolino and Jake Marisnick. The trade might not be official for a couple of days, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
Not only does the deal re-shape the teams’ rosters, it affects the way the Marlins and Blue Jays are viewed around baseball. To summarize, the Blue Jays are seen as legitimate contenders while top Marlins executives are seen as selfish people compromising the game's integrity. Here are some of the many reactions to the mega-deal. The initial post about the trade now has well over 1,000 comments so chime in here with more of your thoughts. Here are the reactions and updates, with the most recent items up top:
Afternoon Updates
- MLB hasn't received official documentation for the trade, Yahoo's Tim Brown reports (on Twitter). The cash headed to Toronto could be at least double the $4MM initially reported, according to Brown.
- Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the trade was justified. "We finished in last place. Figure it out," he said. Loria added that he's "absolutely not" selling the Marlins. "We have to take a new course," the owner said.
Reaction To Marlins Ownership
- Loria and president David Samson are destroying baseball in Miami, but commissioner Bud Selig shares blame with the pair of Miami executives in the view of Yahoo's Jeff Passan. Selig knew the Marlins were lying last year but let them continue, Passan writes.
- After looking back at recent comments made by Loria, Samson and others, ESPN.com's Buster Olney finds it hard to view the Marlins' decision making "as anything other than a complete sham." There are calls for MLB to force Loria to sell the team, Olney writes. However, baseball executives think the deal was good for Miami from a pure baseball standpoint (considering talent and salary obligations).
- The trade is "a despicable disgrace" for the Marlins, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com writes. The Marlins obtained a publicly funded ballpark only to trade their top players. Loria, Miller concludes, "must be stopped."
- It's the same tired act in Miami, Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes. Former Marlins reliever Randy Choate told Kepner Loria wants to win, but questioned this trade. "It’s just unexplainable,” Choate said. “I don’t think any of those guys would have signed there if they thought they’d get traded one year later."
Reaction To The New-Look Blue Jays
- We just witnessed the defining move of Alex Anthopoulos' career in Toronto, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. Casey Janssen told Davidi he hopes the deal gets finalized soon. "I think we kind of told baseball that we’re going to be a factor next year," Janssen said.
- The Blue Jays now seem like a serious threat in the AL East, but as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reminds us, you don't get prizes for winning the offseason. One NL executive told Sherman GM Alex Anthopoulos "was tired of asset collecting and finishing fourth."
- ESPN.com's Keith Law likes the trade for the Blue Jays, who now look like contenders. As for the Marlins, Law writes he would offer "condolences to the Marlins' fans if only [he] could find them."
What The Trade Means For Toronto’s Manager Search
- Before the trade took place, a person with Blue Jays reached out to longtime Braves manager and former Toronto manager Bobby Cox to determine his interest in returning to the Blue Jays, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports.
- The Blue Jays called right after their opening emerged and heard that Cox wasn’t interested, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). Cox told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that he plans to stay retired. “I really don’t know what else to say,” Cox said.
