Did Eric Thames just reveal the Jays’ upcoming roster move before the club got a chance to?
Sitting on the flight, next to Moises Sierra
#sameflightdifferentdugouts twitter.com/EThames14/stat…— Eric Thames (@EThames14) July 31, 2012
Well… I mean… it’s not like he gives a shit about keeping the Jays’ secrets anymore, is it?
Sierra, it should be noted, was already on the 40-man.
Image via Twitter.
So… there’s still a whole lot of hostility out there for what went down last night, with the Jays moving Eric Thames to the Mariners for Steve Delabar… oh, and Travis Snider to the Pirates.
There are a lot of reasons why I get that– though I’m somewhat surprised that Snider’s “contending organization” comment about the Pirates didn’t spark much backlash, but I suppose that’s because lot of embittered Jays fans were probably nodding and “fuckin’ eh-ing” in agreement at the time.
Certainly there’s good reason relievers aren’t sexy pick-ups, and that’s because they just don’t pitch often enough to provide the kind of value that we all once dreamed Travis Snider would be capable of producing– and which, as a 24-year-old, he still may be able to. But Lincoln has been excellent in the role this year and remains under team control for a long time– the latter of which probably couldn’t be said of Snider, which is really what fans are having trouble processing today.
Very obviously, the Jays didn’t see Snider as part of their future, and feared hanging on too long to a diminishing asset.
Top Dog: Kelly Johnson, 8.3%
The Worst: Ricky Romero, -22.0%
Worst Bat: Jeff Mathis, -17.1%
Impact AB: Rajai Davis Leadoff HR, Top 1, 11.0%
Impact Pitch: Kyle Seager RBI Single, Bot 1, -10.0%
Highest Leverage AB: Kelly Johnson Strikeout, Top 4, 2.54
Highest Leverage Opp. AB: John Jason Run-Scoring GIDP, Bot 1, 2.75
Lineup Contribution: -29.7%
Pitching Contribution: 20.5%
Average Leverage Index: 0.76
Chart explanation
(image via Blue Jays Gifs)
(WPA data courtesy Baseball Reference)
(Idea for a post game graph courtesy Lookout Landing)
Travis Snider was pulled from tonight’s game in the seventh inning for no injury-related reason, then proceeded straight into the clubhouse with John Farrell, eventually coming back out to shake hands and exchange hugs with teammates. Clearly he has been dealt somewhere.
And Wilner has it:
#Bluejays have traded Snider to the#Pirates for RHP Brad Lincoln.#Jays— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) July 31, 2012
This will not go over well.
But, of course, Travis Snider for anybody would have had the masses up in arms, because of all that was promised of him over the years, and all that wasn’t delivered on. And of course, to many minds– mine included– all that he wasn’t given enough opportunity to deliver on.
But as disappointing as it is to see the club give up on him, and as underwhelming a return as Brad Lincoln appears to be on first blush– especially since this all went down in real time, on the field, with many rumours swirling about the club’s interest in Matt Garza — the red flags certainly come a little more into focus as Snider heads out the door.
There are the crazily high number of strikeouts. The inability to keep himself healthy and on the field. The lack of success he’s had in the few, limited opportunities he’s had in the majors.
Most importantly, I think, there’s the question of his future value.
