Blue Jays acquire Melvin Upton Jr

[TheWhale]

If they actually are keeping a lot of the contract (Padres), it’s likely Anthony Alford they traded, their No1 Prospect ranked by MLB. #37 overall, #9 OF ranked by MLB.

Part of me is fearing the same thing. It has to be an A ball player with some upside and I can't think of anyone but Alford.

As for acquiring Upton, speedy guy who is an upgrade defensively. For this year it allows the Jays more flexibility with their lineups. Next year, it gives the Jays another OF under contract. I don't think this acquisition means JB or EE are guaranteed to leave. I think Saunders is the one they let walk while making offers to both JB and EE (one will sign)

[Axeman33]

Considering the way Shapiro berated Anthopolous' trades last year, I have a hard time seeing him dealing away their best prospect, but it's not entirely out of the question I suppose.

Also, can someone tell me when BJ Upton Jr actually switched his name to Melvin Upton Jr?

[bondon]

Considering the way Shapiro berated Anthopolous' trades last year, I have a hard time seeing him dealing away their best prospect, but it's not entirely out of the question I suppose.

Also, can someone tell me when BJ Upton Jr actually switched his name to Melvin Upton Jr?

Yeah I know that tripped me out too. When I first saw Melvin Upton last week I was like what there's a third Upton? And then I googled it and was like ohhhhhhhhh....

[bondon]

Hansel Rodriguez...anyone know anything about him?

[2014olympicgold]

Hansel Rodriguez...anyone know anything about him?

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 The Blue Jays' pursuit of Rodriguez during the 2013-14 international period led the club to acquire additional international pool money, which they then used to sign the then-16-year-old for $330,000 in January 2014. His rawness showed during in his pro debut in the Rookie Gulf Coast League, but he made strides in his second tour of the GCL in 2015 and then followed it up with a strong performance in instructional league.
Rodriguez saw an uptick in velocity in 2015 as he continued to get stronger and grow into his projectable frame. He showed the ability to bump 94 mph with his fastball as an amateur, but was hitting 97-98 mph at times during the regular season and instructs. His slider and changeup are below-average pitches for him, though both should improve as he gains better feel for pitching.
Learning how to repeat his delivery will be key for Rodriguez, who struggles to keep his body and lightning-quick arm in sync. The right-hander's arm strength offers plenty to dream on, but he'll have to check countless developmental boxes before being deemed ready for the big leagues.


Jays 18th ranked prospect

[hockeyrobot]

Im fine with that. Much better than Alford.

Now let's go get some pitching.

[Axeman33]

Actually, other than his time in Atlanta, he was normally a pretty productive player.

[2014olympicgold]

I don't like this move at all.
They give up another good pitching prospect and it stinks of posturing (towards Bautista).
Plus Upton is absurdly overpaid, although sounds as if SD is covering some of that.
Nonetheless...
Is Upton having a genuine rebound year? Or a lucky anomaly?

I think the latter.

Hansel is such a boom or bust, and the floor on him is so low. His throwing mechanics are so volatile at this point too. You can’t even grade his secondary pitches at this point (shot in the dark) apparently because he’s still figuring them out. He’s projected to not even sniff AAA till 2018, and if all goes well we may not even hear his name till 2020. I wouldn’t call him a good prospect yet at all.

And he’s due 5mill-ish this yr, Padres likely covering a lot of it (4mill I’m guessing), but then 16.8mill next. Who knows tho, he hit well in the AL East. I think he Strikes out a lot.

[Axeman33]

Are you seriously nitpicking my comments because I used an adjective like "pretty"?

It's not subjective, its fact.

In his last two seasons in the AL East with TB, he his 23 and 28 home runs. He drove in 81 and 78 runs in those two seasons. He stole 36 and 31 bases. He played solid defense in those two years as well. Ya, I'd say those are "pretty" good numbers. Much better than Kevin Pillar or Michael Saunders have ever done in their careers.

The move to the NL and Atlanta was not a good move for him career wise but he's managed to find his way back to being a productive player this season. The salary isn't an issue as it appears that SD is covering a good chunk of that for the Jays.

I dont understand how you don't see this as a good move for the Jays considering all it cost them was a prospect who isn't even considered one of the ten best by various rankings.

[bondon]

Maybe his brother is a dick and it was affecting his play lol.

[Axeman33]

Maybe his brother is a dick and it was affecting his play lol.

LOL! Maybe.

[Sherpa]

According to TSN, the single A prospect the Jays traded away is 29 years old. http://www.tsn.ca/blue-jays-acquire-...adres-1.532752

I think Shapiro/Atkins were furiously clicking the Accept button on this one, considering the single A guy is only 2 years younger than Upton and that the Orioles were looking to get Upton as well but had less of an appetite to eat salary.

Unless this is the rare case where the DR baseball player artificially inflates his age, this is a slam dunk win on paper for the 2016 season. The fallout for next year..well, that's another story.

[bondon]

No, not nitpicking. We'll have to agree to disagree.

Regardless of what they gave up, I don't like the idea of paying 16mil next year to a guy who strikes out every 3rd at bat.
He better play some incredible D, and then maybe I'll come on board with this move.

I understand the concern, but I think sometimes you have to look at these kinds of deals in the context of the MLB and how the league works, as well as the Jays' current situation in order to make sense of it.

Look at it this way: Coming into this season, the prospect cupboards are pretty barren. Don't get me wrong, I loved the moves that Anthopoulos made last year. I was very happy with them at the time and the risk that he took. But that has limited the ability of the new regime to really make any big impact deals at the deadline. We're kind of in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario, where our window is RIGHT NOW (with Saunders, Bautista, and Encarnacion likely to walk after this season) so we want to add as much as possible, but we've already tapped out the well.

So what options do you have when you want to add but you also don't have the assets to do so? You buy-low on damaged goods. Grilli is an example of that...Jays acquired him for a very cheap price because he's an old guy with lower-end velocity. But he's managed to make it work so far. I see Melvin Upton as a similar case. Ugly 16.5M salary next season. But he brings certain things to the table too. Solid defense, speed on the basepaths, seems to have regained the power that he once had. We also still haven't heard how much cash we received as compensation.

Consider this as well, if you attempt to go out and sign a real star player to fill in for RF, odds are he will cost you your first round pick because of compensation rules, which is what this organization doesn't want as it attempts to restock the shelves. Mind you, odds are we get 3 picks from Saunders Bautista and Edwin, but still.

I think one thing to note is how the move to the Jays' lineup may benefit Upton - if they choose to use him in the leadoff spot. I understand the apprehension given his OBP isn't great, but one thing to consider is the effect of putting him ahead of Donaldson Bautista and Encarnacion. Pitchers will have to make pitches. Mind you, he wasn't hitting in front of slouches in San Diego (Myers/Kemp/Solarte), but I don't think there's a better 2-4 than what we have.

My vote here is for cautious optimism. I like the thought process behind this move (as I imagine it). We'll see if it plays out on the field.

[2014olympicgold]

1. He’s 19 now. Typo by TSN
2. Padres are paying all BUT $5mill of his remaining salary. Toronto got a solid deal I think.

[bondon]

Padres are paying all BUT $5mill of his remaining salary. Toronto got a solid deal I think.

What. A. Steal.