TODAY: The deal is now official. Former first-round pick Forrest Wall is also headed to Toronto, as Jon Heyman of Fancred tweeted just before the announcement. Bouchard is not in the pact, at least directly. In addition to Wall and Spanberger, the package includes a player to be named later, though it’s not known presently whether Bouchard is among the possibilities.
YESTERDAY, 8:02PM: Another first base prospect, Sean Bouchard, is also heading to Toronto in the deal, as per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.
7:54PM: Minor league first baseman Chad Spanberger is expected to be heading to the Blue Jays as part of the trade, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi reports (Twitter link). A sixth-round pick for Colorado in the 2017 draft, Spanberger is ranked 24th on MLB.com’s list of the top 30 Rockies prospects, with the scouting report noting Spanberger’s big power potential but also quite a few strikeouts.
7:22PM: The Rockies and Blue Jays have agreed to a trade that will see right-hander Seunghwan Oh join the Colorado bullpen, with The Athletic’s Robert Murray tweeting that the trade is “a done deal.” Steve Phillips of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM reported earlier today that an Oh trade was close to happening, with MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi later adding the news that Colorado was the team involved in the deal.
Oh’s stock was down in the offseason, following a somewhat rough 2017 campaign that saw him lose his closer’s job with the Cardinals and struggle with the long ball to the tune of a 1.5 HR/9 rate. This led to Oh signing a low-cost one-year deal with the Blue Jays worth $1.75MM in guaranteed salary and a $2MM club option ($250K buyout) for the 2019 season.
That signing ended up being a nice bargain for the Jays, culminating in this flip of the 36-year-old for some prospect capital. Oh has posted a 2.68 ERA, 10.5 K/9, and 5.50 K/BB rate over 47 innings for Toronto, looking far more like his “Final Boss” form from the 2016 season (his first year in Major League Baseball) than his less-impressive 2017 edition. The advanced metrics have been pretty sold on Oh’s performance, as his .266 wOBA is nearly identical to his .264 xwOBA, and ERA predictors (3.03 FIP, 3.77 xFIP, 2.91 SIERA) mostly back up that impressive 2.66 real-world ERA.
He has also largely gotten over his home run issues, with only an 0.96 HR/9 and 8.2% homer rate this season. This will be particularly important for Oh as he shifts to Coors Field, though he has managed to success in another hitter-friendly ballpark (Rogers Centre) despite just a 29.8% grounder rate.
While Oh should help the Rockies’ relief corps, the fact that the bullpen was such a pressing trade deadline need represents a misfire for the team. Colorado spent $106MM total in three-year free agent pacts for Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, and Jake McGee, only to see all three fail to live up to expectations. Shaw and McGee have particularly struggled, leading for the Rox to seek out another arm to bridge the gap to Davis in the ninth inning. Oh will join Adam Ottavino (the pen’s one bright spot) as the Rockies’ chief setup options.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
What’s coming back? Let’s keep moving on a much needed overhaul.
Was reported that two prospects left their game, this was during the jays game.
Shi Davidi claims that Chad Spanberger is one of them
If I remember correctly Nevin was also pulled from a game today.
Wall was also part of deal so Travis could be Trade bait know and Biggio can play 3B.
Is is bait?
***is he bait?
the kid is in high a. geez. some people are clueless
This should bridge the gap to Wade Davis.
Coming soon: J.A. Happ trade
Good reliever. Might take a hit in HR’s in Coors Field.
An effective pitcher for the Cardinals who had great results in year one in MLB (1.92 era, 19 saves). His second year with the Cardinals was over used. A pitcher who doesn’t rely on heat who brings years of experience. Great trade
Mike Matheny ruined him in year 2
Innings pitched and appearances don’t support the notion that he was overused in year 2. Actually pitched far fewer innings than in 2016.
14 less games and 20 less innings in year 2.
ROHckies
We getting Jeff Hoffman back?
……Oh
I remember in the 2015-2016 offseason how badly I wanted the Red Sox to sign him.
Wow, hope they got more than Chad Hamburger. For an organization that is deperate for near ready pitching, the Jays didn’t do very well here unless another player follows not named Sean Bouchard. Hamburger is barely into A ball.
I don’t why I am surprised, it Atkins we are talking about.
The first baseman Atkins traded away for Refsnyder a few years back is a better propect than these guys. Sigh.
Trollol
he’s a setup guy at best and not a top 15 one. What exactly did you expect to get back exactly?
This was a better deal than what the Mets got for Familia. Old setup guys are a tough sell.
I’m fine with what they got so long as Spanberger gets to play AA or AAA starting today.
If this is the best trade available, the Jays gotta take it. I think Atkins is trying to make up for trading away Mcbroom for Refsnyder.
I see a gaping hole in the Jays system, the lack of Elite starting prospects. Perhaps they are going to trade for starters or sign them in FA over the next few years becuase very few are coming from within.
I would like to see genuine focus on obtaining high end pitching prospects in every deal if possible.
McBroom isn’t a game-changer; Time of the trade Consensus opinion of McBroom was platoon 1B. You keep bringing him up, yet he has nothing to do with this trade. (Oh)
You win some, you lose some. Other GM’s have lost far worse, trading with Cashman Lol
Agree with you there. Cashman is a friggin genius.
As far as Mcbroom trade goes, at the time everyone intelligent was saying trading for Refsnyder was a stupid thing to do regardless of the prospect going out.
Trading for Refsnyder is… whatever, who cares? Did nothing, cost nothing. The guy they traded for him is a 26 year old, org filler, non-prospect, so I have no idea why you and your “scoutseyes” keep bringing him up. If McBroom collects 100 major large PAs in his career it will be basically his best possible outcome.
No. Mcbroom isn’t a 26 yr old org filler. He is a much better player than either Bouchard or Spanberger or Clemens jr. Mcbroom is a late bloomer, Many other late bloomers have done well.
Refsynder was a dud from the start and was called as such, A real prospect was wasted by the Jays for Refsnyder
The Jays had no business trading for Refsnyder. I have been saying for years that there is a scouting issue and team evaluation issue in the Jays Atkins/Shapiro front office. It shows up over and over in bad signings and deals. That’s my point and I am using Refsnyder as an example.
I care, and I am passionate about the Jays and don’t want to wait 3 more years for playoffs. Cashman did it in 2 years, it took DD 1 year to get the RedSox where they are now. He wisely traded the farm and wisely broke the bank to do it. More Hamberger deals are not the answer.
McBroom>Spanberg? Unreal. Spanberg is an A ball guy. McBroom really? Get those make believe scouts eyes checked. You have no idea about what or will become of Spanberg. Highly doubt McBroom will ever be a starter. Tell me what you think the Jays could get for a 36 year old reliever? I’m regretting this question already….
Obviously the Jays can only get what the market will bare. I know for a fact that the Jays were offered an elite rookie ball level arm that is years and years away from MLB.
What else could the Jays get for a lefty rental like Happ? If they could have done a deal with the Brewers prior to the Brewers acquiring Soria, the two peices the Brewers exchanged would have been nice for Happ. The 20 yr old Domincan pticher in that deal is a prize.
As far Spanberger, yes it is possible to accurately project what he will be at the MLB level. He will only be a MLB piece not a core guy. At best he has bat numbers in MLB like Toronto’s Diaz, and that might be a stretch.
I use intuitive scouting and it is remarkably accurate. Been doing it for years. No lie, I have had players that I recommended to the MLB scouting bureau[back in the day] drafted by both the Jays and Yankees.
Most haters don’t want to listen, but the track record is there in these pages over the past few years.
Bahaahaa! You recommended… But got demoted to MLBTR chats. Give us all a break dude, seriously. To even compare this guy to Diaz in any capacity is insane. They don’t even have the same physical makeup let alone anything else. Yeah the Brewers had some elite Dominican pitcher on the table but the Jays declined so the Brewers went with Soria instead. What are you talking about???! How can anyone take you seriously? Tell me smart guy if there was a deal on the table for an elite young pitcher why would the Jays decline? You’re out to lunch.
They can only get what the market will bare. However they could have got an elite rookie ball pitcher. SMH… Are you reading what you’re writing? So this elite talent was on the table prior to Soria and the Jays did nothing?? You’re out to lunch man.
I like Spanberger for a 36 year old reliever. Huge power potential. Rightly or wrongly it’s all about the power these days. Hope the trades keep coming.
Go back under your bridge.
I don’t get trading for two first-base prospects. Sure Bouchard can play the outfield as well, but he is a natural first baseman. I like Spangenberger’s power, but many expect Guerrero Jr. to end up at 1st base due to his defensive deficiencies at 3rd. If Vlad is at 1st, there is no place for either of these guys at their natural position. It would’ve made more sense to get Spangenberger & a pitcher than two 1st basemen
If they both eventually pan out, you have trade chips. Especially with guys far away from the majors, always take the best package.
Uhhhh yah. At least Hamburger will make the big leagues but as a fringe MLB player. Bouchard is never sniffing the bigs. I think Atkins liked the uCLA connection.
If this is the return for OH, why bother trading him at all? I’m bewildered.
Where are the pitching prospects?
because him pitching out of the pen for a garbage team makes no sense.
Oh give it a rest you moron. You can’t predict how guys playing “A” ball will turn out. The guy has big power potential that’s a fact. I will take a shot trading away a 36 year old reliever. It’s not like they need him and you don’t know what was being offered.
First, let’s keep it professional please, no name calling.
Second, good scouts can call a player’s ability at the major league level. The good scouts use intuitive decision making vs science and stats.
Have you even seen these guys hit? I have seen them both. Once Bouchard starts seeing real elite professional pitching, that long looping swing is not going to work. He is going to have to adjust bigtime and I don’t think he is up to it.
As for Spanberger, he has bigtime power and bigtime strikeouts. He has a short compact lefty swing but how does it project against MLB pitching? Way below average. #Scoutseyes
Is that why a good amount of “top prospects” are busts?
I’d rather know about a batters swing data and actual results than someone’s eye tests. I’m assuming thats not what you meant
Lol get over yourself.
Most top prospect are busts. Right on there. The minors are like a funnel. Fill up the top with as much talent as you can and the best few fall out the bottom at the MLB level.
As far as analytics goes, best way of illustrating what I am saying is Pat Gillick. He used every kind of scouting technique at the time, but the bottom line is he is in the hall of fame becuase of his ability to judge talent intuitively, by the gut, not by data.
prospects whonchsnge teams often have to tweak stuff. hitters change approach pitchers change pitch types and arm angles. philosophies are different through each system so to say I saw him in a ball on Colorado so he won’t be anything anywhere else is a little short sided.
again, get over yourself.
Ok… you’re a professional moron. “Good scouts can call a players ability at the major league level”. You’re not a scout! Just because you hashtag scoutseyes doesn’t mean you’re a scout. Tell me scout what do you expect to get in return for a 36 year old reliever? Bet you’re the guy calling the local sports radio station and gets hung up on.
There is no reason to get angry or call people names. Please be professional.
From above:
Obviously the Jays can only get what the market will bare. I know for a fact that the Jays were offered an elite rookie ball level arm that is years and years away from MLB.
What else could the Jays get for a lefty rental like Happ? If they could have done a deal with the Brewers prior to the Brewers acquiring Soria, the two peices the Brewers exchanged would have been nice for Happ. The 20 yr old Domincan pticher in that deal is a prize.
As far Spanberger, yes it is possible to accurately project what he will be at the MLB level. He will only be a MLB piece not a core guy. At best he has bat numbers in MLB like Toronto’s Diaz, and that might be a stretch.
I use intuitive scouting and it is remarkably accurate. Been doing it for years. No lie, I have had players that I recommended to the MLB scouting bureau[back in the day] drafted by both the Jays and Yankees.
Most haters don’t want to listen, but the track record is there in these pages over the past few years.
And what a track record it is. Some good trolling, mostly bad, sometimes entertaining, usually not. Eh, could be worse.
yea its a pretty weak haul if that is the final trade. Oh has elite numbers and has a cheap option next year.
Elite numbers?
2.68 ERA
1.00 WHIP
3.03 FIP
1.4 WAR
has a cheap team option next year….yall are definitely on that Colorado kush
Lol elite numbers. wow. weed must already be legal in canada
Not quite, but it’s easy to get anyway. Dispensaries everywhere. I live two blocks from one, walked there for a quarter tonight, lol.
I like it. Tellez is not enough depth after Smoak is gone. Spanberger can play at AA and push him. Vlad can probably handle 3B passably for a few years at least. And Bouchard has played the OF this year.
Vlad will never see third, might play first for maybe 2 seasons…tellez won’t see the show. Vlad will be full-time DH…spanberger is an attempt to find someone who can man first base in 2 years…
Ya, Tellez at 23 is waaaay too old to figure it out
he might figure out mlb pitching after he’s figured out AAA pitching and hitting but it won’t be with the jays
Having too many productive big league players has never been a problem an MLB team has had.
Yeah, just ask future HoFer Blake Swihart
Bouchard isn’t part of the deal. Spanberger and bouchard were both lifted from game 1 of a double header. Bouchard is currently back playing game 2 right now well spanberger is still out
Well, I hope that means he isn’t part of the deal. I really don’t want Bouchard as part of the deal. I’d rather see the Jays acquire a different asset at a different position
Can somebody tell me why Jeff Bridich insists on stock piling fly ball pitchers in Coors. Oh has a 29% GB rate and a 50% fly ball rate. Not to say that Oh isn’t a great reliever, but I just don’t see the logic. It’s a proven and scientific fact that Coors boosts flyball to home run ratios due to the thin air, you would think that they would be pursuing guys who generally keep the ball on the ground.
you know what they say…
you can never have enough 1st base prospects.
Wait, do they?
Oh really?
He has a cheap option next year + 3 arb years after that. Since he is not likely to gather many saves, his arb salary will not be that much. This could be a steal for the Rox, especially since they didn’t even give up their best 1B prospect in Brian Mundell..
Well I do t think he does. His last contract ensured that he was a FA at the end of said term, and in almost guaranteed he has an expiring contract. He was an mlb FA and seems like he negotiated terms due to his age. Yes he is a free agent come 19.
Spanberger has big time power, 41 bombs in less than 600 MiL ABs. Great insurance for Tellez, who’s been playing better lately but is in the midst of another disappointing season.
Stop trying to make Rowdy happen, it’s not going to happen. At best he’s a platoon DH. Move on.
Jays do not have a true 1B of the future. Tellez really needs an incredible offseason regimen and a big 2019 in AAA to change minds.
Yah no kidding. Ever since he Jays traded Ryan Mcbroom to the Yankees for that stellar return in Rob Refsnyder, the Jays are without a real 1st base prospect.
How well is Mcbroom doing??? How about this year in AA/AAA 350 abs he is 12 hr, 44 RBI, .307 av, .833 OPS. Good trade for Refsnyder huh? Yeeeesh.
See my reply to you above: McBroom was viewed as a platoon DH, time of trade.^^^ Still waiting for reply, jimmer. McBroom will not cause Toronto Blue Jays to spiral down. You make McBroom sound like Curse of the Bambino
Lol. McBroom is 26 yeas old and for the first time in his career made it to AAA.. He is a non prospect. You would hope as a 26 year old he could hit .300 in AAA
Platoon 1B* not DH. Sorry
McBroom was never a real 1B prospect and still isn’t, nice try. A 26-year-old 1B OPSing less than .800 in AAA (he did his biggest damage this year in AA) is not at all impressive.
Jimmer is a troll guys
JD, name calling is not necessary. I am a troll as much as you are except I am usually correct on all my blue jays scouting and team evaluations.
The extremely accurate track record is there for all to see in these pages over the years.
Why are you on here if you have these amazing #scoutseyes ?
I got your back, Jimmy
I’ve seen an agent on here complain to not disclose their clients. I wish I saved that one.
I know, but I like taking the piss out of him sometimes anyway, and maybe other people reading the comments don’t know he’s a troll and lose IQ taking him seriously.
Lmao!
That’s the point, Tellez can’t be relied on as a replacement for Smoak and the Jays are otherwise weak in 1B prospects. Spanberger fills a big need in the minors.
In fairness to Tellez he is in his 2nd year at AAA and his only 5 months older than Spanberger who is in Low A ball..
Tellez also has started to heat up in AAA and at his age he likely needed time to adjust. Hitting .341 in July and his numbers are starting to look respectable.
Tellez might not be a star but at age 23 he is on the pace you would expect, much too early to write him off just yet
Melo, what I said about Tellez was fair. Same can be said about Alford, Urena, Woodman etc…
The fact is, a mid-30’s setup guy bringing a 1B with good pop, albeit A ball, and a former late 1st rounder isn’t bad considering they are about to turn 23. Only player on the Jays that could have commanded studs was Josh Donaldson last year.
I think the return for Oh is about what you would expect. Spanberger has a long way to go but I can see why you see if you can develop a guy with a 70 grade power tool.
My point to several of the comments is dont be too down on Tellez just yet as he is still young and is playing at a much more advanced level.
What is positive on Tellez is after a down season and a poor start in 18 he has rebounded to the point where is season is starting to look respectable.
He also likely ends up still being higher ranked than Wall in that 15 range of the top 30 for the Jays.
Though as of right now, Tellez will make the MLB in due time. If he can be a MLB quality player, that is TBD
I’m not writing him off yet, but he’s certainly no sure thing, so having another good prospect behind him was important. INF, OF, C, and SP is pretty well stocked in the system, 1B was one of the most glaring holes and they did a nice job filling it.
I agree with this section of comments. Thanks for returning my sanity…
Saunders is wrong. It’s a different player.
Probably doesn’t mean anything, but Alan Trejo was taken out of the game early from the Rockies A+ team.
I think Forrest Wall is a good pickup for the Jays. Wall has good upside.
Wow nice to get Wall.
This deal looks much worse for the Rockies this morning.
So they gave up a #13 and #24 prospect and another player for a decent arm? Man their over investment in bullpen help keeps looking worse by the day.
PTBNL worth more than most give it credit for. In this case, it’s Icing on the cake
It depends. A ptbnl has a wide range of quality. It could be a guy having a dreadful season in low A or a guy raking in AA. It’d be cool if the lists that teams had to pick from eventually came out
I genuinely do not understand why the Rockies bother with paying for pitching. When you play half of your games in a video game, they may as well treat their roster like they’re playing a video game and dump every dollar you’ve got into your offense. I’m only 20% joking. When Wade Davis can sink to the level of a AA long reliever at $16M / year after being the image of what a bullpen arm should be for ten years, why bother? They could have signed Mark Reynolds and three other guys that look and play like Mark Reynolds with that money. Then signed five more Mark Reynoldseses to fill out the pitching rotation. Then coaxed Mike Hessman out of retirement to play first base. Then signed Mark Reynolds to be a player manager that also shoots the hot dog cannon in the middle of the sixth inning. Also Mark Reynolds.
The problem when you sink all of your resources into one area, like hitting, is that you tend to get diminishing returns in comparison to upgrading a weaker position like pitching. But if pitchers only deliver a fraction of their value, that kind of makes it a wash. It’s a frustrating problem to have.
Again, I was -mostly- kidding (except for the part about signing Mark Reynolds twelve times), but the “Is Coors field really hitter-friendly” argument breaks the scale on the side of yes year after year. There must be something in the air in Denver (Or maybe the lack of something?) that makes good pitchers into beer-league softball lobbers and mediocre position players into born-again all-stars.
They committed over $100m to three relievers last offseason when they’d probably be in the same position by converting their low-A going-nowhere catchers into garbage-tossing pitchers. I’d rather watch them commit that money to minor upgrades in the batting order than to more pitchers that have already been doomed by history. Worst-case scenario is attending games would be fun as H E double hockey sticks with double-digit scores being commonplace.
tl;dr
Rockies should have traded their AAA team for Giancarlo Stanton and J.T. Realmuto.
Wow, looks like an awful lot to give up for a decent reliever, even if these guys were just farm bodies. Their numbers and everything look pretty good.
I almost feel like rebuilding teams should just spend big on the bullpen then just sell them all off midseason and they can build a pretty strong farm. Even if they don’t plan on using all these guys in the majors, they are still trade chips and give them options.
If you can get a team-friendly option on them like Oh had, then definitely, you’re taking minimal financial risk with the potential for a nice prospect reward.
Forrest Wall instead of Bouchard really changes how I feel about this one.
Bridich is losing credibility on almost a daily basis with his decision-making.
I’m pretty happy with Toronto acquiring Wall in exchange for Oh. The Jays basically turned a gamble on a tiny salary into one good prospect, one decent one, and probably a lottery ticket or an org filler guy.
CR didn’t need Spanberger. They’ve got Tyler Nevin, Roberto Ramos, and Grant Levigne. And Jordan Patterson.
Forrest Wall has lost a step, his defense is terrible. The bat speed/foot speed is still appealing, but he probably won’t make it. And impending rule 5 elgilibity.