Jays Sign Frank Thomas
| Great Move |  98 (39.36%) |
| Ok Move | 53 (21.29%) |
| Bad Move | 26 (10.44%) |
| Too early to tell | 72 (28.92%) |
249 votes | 3 featured comments
Well, I'm excited. The Big Hurt is a BSB of the highest order. Plus, he's a DH that wants to be a DH!!! And he's a veteran who brings knowledge and experience. Nick Swisher talked last season about how much Thomas helped him at the plate. Hopefully, he will do the same with Alex Rios, Adam Lind and a whole bunch of others. Plus, his bat will help fill in the slump holes that Glaus and others experienced last season. And I'm not going to think about the money.
Just as it's way too early to criticize this move (ahem: Elliott, Griffin, McCown, and probably somewhere in Seattle, Baker), it's way too early to praise it. I need to see what will come afterwards, how the rest of the dominoes will fall. I like the tone it sets though and I like what it says to the other free agents out there about how badly the Jays want to win now and are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that end.
I would categorize this move as a medium risk, high reward move, which to me says it's worth the risk. Yes, Frank Thomas is a subsantial injury risk, but he is a DH and is signed for 2 guaranteed years. Signing a pitcher for 4+ years is high risk, as is signing a position player for 7 and that's what this market is saying the quality young first time free agents are going to get. Signing a hall of fame player who will never play defense and thus will avoid the risks inherent in playing defense to a 2 year contract plus a club option is not risky behaviour. What brings it from a low risk to a medium risk is Mr Thomas' injury history.
Obviously, J.P. has other moves in the works because this is the kind of "last piece of the puzzle" move that teams make when they're ready to go for broke. He made the move because he felt Thomas would not still be out there once he'd done his other wheelings and dealings.
It's kind of like when teams draft players "out of turn". They do it because they really like the player and they're worried he won't still be on the board when their position comes up next. This happens all the time in all sports: look at the Houston Texans taking Mario Williams instead of Reggie Bush. The "experts" were all over them, but obviously the Texans were worried that Williams wouldn't be available the next time their slot came up and that outweighed the temptation of taking one of the most exciting looking football players ever. Were they wrong? I don't think so because Williams was the player they wanted and Williams was the player they got. Bush may indeed turn out to be the better player but they wanted Williams. I'm not going to talk much about Babcock and Araujo here except to say that Babcock needed a big man and obviously made the wrong choice.
So put me on the fence, but I'll say what kind of a move it is when I see the rest of them. In the meantime Mr. Rogers, better make that #35 a XXL and if you thought B.J. Ryan was a big strappin' lad, you ain't seen nothin' yet. As for Mr. Griffin and Mr. Baker, we still have yet to hear about what this move does to the Jays' racial mix and I suspect we won't be anytime soon. ;)
I would categorize this move as a medium risk, high reward move, which to me says it's worth the risk. Yes, Frank Thomas is a subsantial injury risk, but he is a DH and is signed for 2 guaranteed years. Signing a pitcher for 4+ years is high risk, as is signing a position player for 7 and that's what this market is saying the quality young first time free agents are going to get. Signing a hall of fame player who will never play defense and thus will avoid the risks inherent in playing defense to a 2 year contract plus a club option is not risky behaviour. What brings it from a low risk to a medium risk is Mr Thomas' injury history.
Obviously, J.P. has other moves in the works because this is the kind of "last piece of the puzzle" move that teams make when they're ready to go for broke. He made the move because he felt Thomas would not still be out there once he'd done his other wheelings and dealings.
It's kind of like when teams draft players "out of turn". They do it because they really like the player and they're worried he won't still be on the board when their position comes up next. This happens all the time in all sports: look at the Houston Texans taking Mario Williams instead of Reggie Bush. The "experts" were all over them, but obviously the Texans were worried that Williams wouldn't be available the next time their slot came up and that outweighed the temptation of taking one of the most exciting looking football players ever. Were they wrong? I don't think so because Williams was the player they wanted and Williams was the player they got. Bush may indeed turn out to be the better player but they wanted Williams. I'm not going to talk much about Babcock and Araujo here except to say that Babcock needed a big man and obviously made the wrong choice.
So put me on the fence, but I'll say what kind of a move it is when I see the rest of them. In the meantime Mr. Rogers, better make that #35 a XXL and if you thought B.J. Ryan was a big strappin' lad, you ain't seen nothin' yet. As for Mr. Griffin and Mr. Baker, we still have yet to hear about what this move does to the Jays' racial mix and I suspect we won't be anytime soon. ;)
This reminds me of the Clemens and Winfield signings. Or the Molitor, Stewart, or Morris signings. Those good old days when signing a possible future Hall of Famer were commonplace occurrences. Folks would gawk at how much money would be spent on the twilight years of a great player. The Jays would laugh all the way to the bank.
Yet I expect it won't be like old times at all. I think there will be more signings — but Vernon is going to be trade bait. If the Mets or Angels can trade some of their good young prospects for him, Vernon is gone to greener pastures looking for upwards of $17-million a season over 5. Of course Lilly and Vernon like the Thomas signing, because it scales their targeted salaries pretty well.
Thomas makes Vernon more expendable. As do Sparky and Lind. Hopefully Cat. And the Amazing Rios. If Vernon can be moved for young pitching and infield help, maybe an OF prospect too, then then it must be done. His value is high (which makes it sad to see him leave) but a big return of young players would be more valuable if the match is found.
Any way it's cut, I expect a flurry of moves to rival last year now. I'll even predict that last year will seem ho-hum compared to this off-season, and my wishlist includes Gregg and Gil.
Yet I expect it won't be like old times at all. I think there will be more signings — but Vernon is going to be trade bait. If the Mets or Angels can trade some of their good young prospects for him, Vernon is gone to greener pastures looking for upwards of $17-million a season over 5. Of course Lilly and Vernon like the Thomas signing, because it scales their targeted salaries pretty well.
Thomas makes Vernon more expendable. As do Sparky and Lind. Hopefully Cat. And the Amazing Rios. If Vernon can be moved for young pitching and infield help, maybe an OF prospect too, then then it must be done. His value is high (which makes it sad to see him leave) but a big return of young players would be more valuable if the match is found.
Any way it's cut, I expect a flurry of moves to rival last year now. I'll even predict that last year will seem ho-hum compared to this off-season, and my wishlist includes Gregg and Gil.