It's pretty hard to evaluate the Blue Jays trading Eric Hinske to the Boston Red Sox -- a division rival! -- in and of itself, since there's no idea what's coming in return in another deal for "future considerations."You can really only talk about what the intent is behind the move, as you shake your head at Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi helping out a rival team.
Talking to fellow Jays obsessive Thomas Ayers early this morning, our mutual concern was that this has nothing to do with improving the Jays and is simply a pure salary dump made since the payroll might not change much for 2007. This speaks to a growing suspicion among many Jays fans that the signals between the business and baseball sides got crossed the past two off-seasons and now the team has entered into some long-term deals -- cough, A.J. Burnett -- without knowing where that would leave the payroll in '07 and beyond.
Few expected Hinske would last the season. However, you should be taken aback that A) he was traded within the division B) there might not be much of value coming in return and C) there seems to be evidence of a lack of long-term planning by the Jays.
The first two have hopefully been addressed. As for C, Jays fans better hope that Ricciardi has a plan about what to do the $2.8 million in payroll room that was freed up by trading Hinske to Boston. (Trading Scott Schoeneweis to the Reds yesterday really freed up nothing since he was a free agent without a hope in hell of being brought back.)
This deal will be worthwhile if that savings goes to improving some other area of the team (shortstop?) enough to off-set the drop from having Hinske as a bench player to having Chad Mottola or whoever on the roster. It's worth it if the money goes to finding a better 10th man than Hinske.
Of course, finding a serviceable 10th man is tough enough in the American League, let alone finding one as useful as Hinske. He was playing three positions capably and had a 951 OPS against right-handers, something the Red Sox certainly took note of (along with him being 7-for-19 with two homers against the Yankees this season). The only number, though, that really mattered was the $5.6 million he was due for 2007. If Hinske was making $1.5 million, people would be raving about the value the Jays got for their investment.
Some fans might wonder if this is a prelude to the Jays finding money to bring back Frank Catalanotto next season. Of course, sports is rarely so cut-and-dried these days.
So if Ricciardi has some grand scheme to put a better team on the field next year, so much the better. However, it's perfect understandable that some Jays fans will take trading Hinske as a sign that as far as contending next year goes, the team doesn't have the cash... or maybe even a clue. In a way, though, it's good to have that obsess over, since it takes your mind off last night's loss to the D-Rays.
That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.
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3 comments:
The Hinske trade makes alot of sense, because he was eating up over 5 million as a bench player, when someone in the same role could be had for much less. This allows them to spend this money on a rotation pitcher, something they will have to find in the off season. In addition the Jays have a young OF Adam Lind who is tearing up Triple A right now. He will push for a spot on the major league roster next year at a much cheaper rate. Given these considerations moving Hinske makes alot of sense.
Any payroll the Jays can dump gives them some hope of freeing up some $ to re-up Wells... although I don't think that's going to happen.
Exit Hinske and some of his contract, Schoenweis, and Speier (good as gone) an voila you have some money to play with. Rally Killer Hinske was good this year at points but honestly, do we forgive him this year after the two years of torture he put us through before this season. Does he only play hard when he has something to prove?
He's not going to hurt us in Boston as he's going to see a steady diet of the bench, especially if Trot comes back.
Good points guys... no one's arguing that the trade doesn't make sense, but how do you make the leap from saying that to believing the Jays actually have some reasonable plan to contend in '07 or '08?
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