REYES TO THE ROCKIES!!

[nymr83]

Jose Reyes has been traded to the Colorado Rockies.

Some scrub who can't stay healthy was dealt to Toronto in return, Tulowitzki or something?

Toronto also getting our old friend Latroy Hawkins to help their bullpen, Colorado getting minor leaguers, no word yet on who.

Tulowitzki signed through 2020, owed $96M
Reyes signed through: 2018, owed $48M

Tulowitzksi away from Coors field (career) .819 OPS
Reyes career .773 OPS, much better baserunner and defender

I'm not sure which side of this deal I'd rather be on actually.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Love Jose. Love Jose. But he was almost certainly never a better defender than Tulowitzki, and he certainly isn't these days. He's a little better on the basepaths right about now.

Those prospects have got to be major, and they must have a buyer in mind already for the other part of the deal, because Lord knows Reyes isn't staying at Coors Under Rebuilding.

[nymr83]

The Rockies have a top SS prospect in Story. Shipping Reyes either now or in the off-season appears possible. Meanwhile, they got prospects (still dont know who) and Reyes contract should be easier to shed in future than Tulo was.

Wow, Tulowitzkis defense numbers much better than I thought. I always thought of him as barely belonging at SS but the numbers say otherwise.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: they must have a buyer in mind already for the other part of the deal, because Lord knows Reyes isn't staying at Coors Under Rebuilding.

Hmmm. HMMMMM

[Guest d'Kong76]

So everyone go get their physicals today, tomorrow they can
finalize, and Thursday.... ���Jose, JoseJoseJose...!!!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Nimmo, Fulmer, Morris and Lagares to Rockies 4 Reyes, Gonzalez. WHO SAYS NO?

[Edgy MD]

It turns out the Mets could have gotten Reyes or Tulowitzki all along. They just needed the other one as trade bait.

[Edgy MD]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Nimmo, Fulmer, Morris and Lagares to Rockies 4 Reyes, Gonzalez. WHO SAYS NO?

Niese, Tejada, Clippard, and Verrett for Tulowitzki.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Edgy MD wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Nimmo, Fulmer, Morris and Lagares to Rockies 4 Reyes, Gonzalez. WHO SAYS NO? Niese, Tejada, Clippard, and Verrett for Tulowitzki.

That one makes sense, since the Jays need pitching, not offense. And putting an expensive, injury-prone shortstop on turf doesn't seem like a great idea.

I'd rather have Tulo than Jose at this point, especially with the most expensive and least productive years of Jose's contract to come. But Jose would certainly be an upgrade, fills the lead off spot and generates some excitement.

[Frayed Knot]

The Jays, 7.0 games in back of the Yanx in the East and 3.0 out of the WC, you gotta figure are trading for Tulowitski for the long run. That may break down after this year is out but I doubt they got him just to spin him off right away.
The Rox OTOH might turn Jose around immediately in an attempt to add to whatever haul of prospects they just got from Toronto.

Nimmo, Fulmer, Morris and Lagares to Rockies 4 Reyes, Gonzalez. WHO SAYS NO?

No doubt that would make the Mets better for this season & next at a minimum.
Not sure they could handle the money though: Gonzo owed $17 + $20 in 2016-17; Reyes owed $22 + $22 + $4 buyout or $22 more for 2018 (stupid back-loaded Miami contract). And even if they could swing it, that's a big outlay for a soon-to-be 30 y/o and a SS who's already 32 ...
or if the Mets would want to take on a Coors-monster like Gonzalez: career splits = .326/.384/.599 at home vs .258/.313/.440 on road. Jose's lifetime stats in Coors are surprisingly mediocre.

[Edgy MD]

Who plays center? That deal sends the Mets current and future center fielder off to Colorady and leaves us with Conforto, Cuddy, Grandy, and Gonzo in the outfield, but forced to play Nieuwenhuis because he's the only one who plays up the middle.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[fimg=555:5earmiqz]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/317/19897391538_763813cc27_o.jpg[/fimg:5earmiqz]

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Nimmo, Fulmer, Morris and Lagares to Rockies 4 Reyes, Gonzalez. WHO SAYS NO?

Apparently the Mets, according to Beater Kristie Ackert and Tracky McTracksuit.

Eh. I prefer we get Carlos Gomez anywhoo. Lets swap Lagares and Fulmer for him.

[Frayed Knot]

Tulo's contract, btw, apparently had a clause in it which allowed him to be traded only once during the life of the contract, so this deal triggers a complete no-trade option for him.
Not that he couldn't waive it if he chooses, but re-trading him just got tougher.

[Edgy MD]

"Sure, I'd love to play in (insert MLB city here). You know what would really make me me love it? You know those unpalatable option years at the end of my contract ... ?"

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jays have 12 games left with the MFYs. Gotta think this influences Cashman to get some actual starting pitchers.

[seawolf17]

LaTroy Hawkins has been around so long that the lineups in his major league debut game included Kevin Maas, Kirby Puckett, and Andy Van Slyke.

Reyes for a Tejada and a C-level prospect, we eat the money.

[Edgy MD]

LaTroy has been around so long that his fan club has helped raise his kids.

http://espn.go.com/blog/spring-training/post/_/id/1976/latroy-hawkins-and-family

[Centerfield]

This is a real head scratcher. The Reyes contract has been well accepted as a bad contract. The type that you unload, not one where you get a top level player back.

I guess each side figured that the other side had the less cumbersome contract.

Hey Wilpons! Let's go contract eating and get us a shortstop!

[Edgy MD]

Swapping bad contract for bad contract has a long and illustrious � if not particularly honorable � history in MLB. It's how we got Bobby Bonilla back!

Back to stay!

Forever!

[Frayed Knot]

Essentially the Blue Jays are taking on a longer and more costly deal in total but will actually be paying their SS at less per/year from here on. So it's a high contract swapped for a different kind of high contract.
What made Reyes's deal so onerous was the back-loading of it. What started out as pretty good morphed into merely somewhat expensive and then finishes as absurdly so and does so just as his speed, fielding, and RH hitting [613 OPS as RHB this season vs 781 as LHB] all start to go downhill.

[Vic Sage]

However you slice it, Reyes is guaranteed about $50m from now through 2018, and Tulo is in for $100m from now through 2021 (the difference in their average salaries is $22m v $20m; not enough to make any real difference). Given their similar ages, recent health issues, and road production, i wouldn't take either of those deals, but i don't know that taking a $100m risk on Tulo is a better idea than a $50m risk on Jose.

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Sage wrote: However you slice it, Reyes is guaranteed about $50m from now through 2018, and Tulo is in for $100m from now through 2021 (the difference in their average salaries is $22m v $20m; not enough to make any real difference). Given their similar ages, recent health issues, and road production, i wouldn't take either of those deals, but i don't know that taking a $100m risk on Tulo is a better idea than a $50m risk on Jose.

Tulo's deal was slightly front-loaded so he's going to cost the Jays $19.6/year for the next 5 seasons (starting w/'16 and including buy-out money) or $18.17/yr x 6
Reyes's deal comes out to $24/yr over the next two seasons (again factoring in the buyout) or $22 per if you keep him for 2018

So there is a somewhat significant per year difference especially when you factor in that Tulo is the better player and also younger by nearly a year and a half. Now obviously he's also the longer term and larger total outlay commitment so which is preferable might depend on the particular team's situation.

[Vic Sage]

[u:1q00t2jo]Tulo's salary (from Baseball Reference):[/u:1q00t2jo]
2015 30 Toronto Blue Jays 1/3 of $20,000,000 ($6.67m)
2016 31 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000
2017 32 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000
2018 33 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000
2019 34 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000
2020 35 Toronto Blue Jays $14,000,000
2021 36 Toronto Blue Jays $15,000,000 option ($4M buyout)

That's ~ $105M guaranteed over the next 5.3 years, with buyout

As for Reyes:
2015 32 Toronto Blue Jays 1/3 of $22,000,000 ($7.3M)
2016 33 Colorado Rockies $22,000,000
2017 34 Colorado Rockies $22,000,000
2018 35 Colorado Rockies $22,000,000 Option ($4M Buyout)

That's ~ $55M guaranteed over the 2.3 years, with buyout

Yes, Tulo's average salary is lower ($24m v $20m), but average salary doesn't matter in a league without a salary cap. Tulo's deal still requires $50M more of a long-term commitment to a player in his 30s with a terrible injury history, and is now moving out of Coors (where he has a significant split) to play everyday on debilitating Astroturf. Reyes' deal is bad, but they'd have been out from under it in less than 1/2 the time, at less than 1/2 the cost. Is Tulo's current superiority over Reyes worth that? I guess it is to Toronto. I'm less sanguine about Tulo's continued production being worth that difference, considering Toronto's already abundant offensive firepower, but i guess we'll see. If they get the pitching they need, the difference may put them over the top this season. If they don't, then they're pretty much where they were, just more expensive.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mike Vorkunov, NJ.com wrote: NEW YORK � The years have not been kind to Jose Reyes since he left the Mets. His production has dipped. He has been sent from city to city, from Miami to Toronto and now to Denver. Once a star with the Mets, he has turned into a baseball vagabond. But he does want to come back. While Reyes has several more years on his current contract, Reyes, who continues to have a home on Long Island, told the New York Times that he wants to return to the Mets. "I'd love to � not now, because I have two more years on my deal," Reyes told the Times. "But I'd love to finish my career here in New York. I have some great memories here." Reyes is still beloved by Mets fans and he says he still feels the love when he comes to New York. It reminds him of the city he left and, apparently, wants to return to. Writes Rohan in the Times: "Like any baseball fan with New York roots, he follows the Mets from afar. He knows about their young, dominant pitching. He still thinks about 2006, the year he was one victory away from playing in the World Series. When he walks the streets of New York, people shout at him: "Come back! Come back to the Mets!" He gets the same messages on Twitter and Instagram, too. It all makes him smile."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Jays have 12 games left with the MFYs. Gotta think this influences Cashman to get some actual starting pitchers.

Still waiting for this! MFYs at Jays this weekend, this could be really freaking great.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Jays have 12 games left with the MFYs. Gotta think this influences Cashman to get some actual starting pitchers. Still waiting for this! MFYs at Jays this weekend, this could be really freaking great.

The Yanx "added" a pitcher when they brought up their best pitching prospect Luis Severino who's done reasonably well in 2 starts so far and will pitch in Sunday's game.
They also just promoted 1B/OF? Greg Bird who hit the ball hard a few times while going 0-5 in his debut during their Thursday win vs Cleveland.

For the first time in many years the Yanx stood pat at the deadline claiming that they didn't want to deal away any of their 'prize' prospects which included Severino, Bird, also immense (6' 7" - 275) OF prospect Aaron Judge and a couple lower level guys as well. Certainly could be a sound strategy if/when these guys are ready to contribute, but one of the problems is going to be the reaction of Yanqui fans who aren't merely hoping that a new "core four" will come up all at the same time and be All-Stars for the next 15 seasons but are expecting it to occur, as if the only obstacle to securing the next Jeter/Pettitte/Rivera/Posada was merely the front office making the decision to go out and sign them.