How long will the Jays put up with Wells and Rios?

[LittleOzzy]

How long are the Blue Jays going to put up with the way Vernon Wells and Alex Rios have been hitting? Are the management and the players embarrassed with the way Wells and Rios have been playing? I know a lot of fans are. Are the Jays going to do something soon to help the team before its too late? From a frustrated fan.
-- Sarah H., East York, Ontario

I can tell you one thing, no one is more frustrated, and maybe even embarrassed, than Wells and Rios right now. They opened the season as the Nos. 3-4 hitters and have been dropped low in the order due to their persistent issues at the plate. Manager Cito Gaston has tried mixing up his lineup -- something he doesn't like doing -- to hopefully inject some life into the pair of outfielders' bats.

I'm sure the Blue Jays would entertain any trade offers for either Wells or Rios, but it'd be hard to find a taker for their contracts in light of their current production. Fans have also asked about possible Minor League demotions. Wells and Rios probably have options, but these players are considered key parts to the offense and there is still a big chunk of the season left to maybe turn things around.

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/ar ... p&c_id=tor

[evilRyu]

i know i shouldn't judge by body language, but if Wells & Rios are really the most embarrassed and frustrated, it doesn't really look like that at all times..

wells is pretty much unmovable..... we'd have to eat a ton of his salary to entice any team....

[zilby]

hopefully not much longer.

[Michael Bradley]

Rios is still tradeable. Everyone in the league knows he is a CF playing RF, so his value will come primarily as a CF. He won't be able to bring in the Matt Cain types he may have been able to fetch two years ago, but if it is just for the sake of ridding his salary and moving Snider into RF full-time, it is definitely doable.

Wells, on the other hand, is not going anywhere. Ownership is not going to green light paying $50-60 million for Wells to play on another team (which is what it will take for another team to have any interest in acquiring him). He is a Jays-lifer.

I would simply bat him lower in the lineup. If Lind and Hill are for real, and Snider eventually breaks out, then Vernon's value to the team will shrink, which may actually be better for him. He is not a #3 or clean-up hitter. Put him 6th in the lineup and he should be fine.

[Modern_epic]

Rios is still tradeable. Everyone in the league knows he is a CF playing RF, so his value will come primarily as a CF. He won't be able to bring in the Matt Cain types he may have been able to fetch two years ago, but if it is just for the sake of ridding his salary and moving Snider into RF full-time, it is definitely doable.

Wells, on the other hand, is not going anywhere. Ownership is not going to green light paying $50-60 million for Wells to play on another team (which is what it will take for another team to have any interest in acquiring him). He is a Jays-lifer.

You have encapsulated here what I find so annoying about our OF situation. If Wells was moveable, you deal him, put Rios in centre, and nobody is complaining anymore, because $10 million is what good defense/average bat CFs make. Then you bring in a full time corner OF or DH with the money you saved to provide the power this team needs in the heart of the order, and the lineup is set for the next few years.

As is, you can't really deal either of them to open up a lineup spot, because the Jays don't have a half decent back up CF outside of Rios, and Wells isn't exactly injury free.

[RapsVC15]

..and Ricciardi threw nearly 200 million over the next 7 seasons for both these bums.

Let's be real, no one is touching these guys with a 20 foot pole. The Jays are stuck with them.

The Jays haven't sniffed the playoffs in 15 years, and on top of that are handicapped by having 200 million stuck over their heads by 2 borderline major leaguers and people expect things to turn around sooner rather than later? lol

[Modern_epic]

You are really, really wrong. The Jays could give away Rios for free in a second. Because a 750 OPS +defence CF isn't a borderline major leaguer. He's a guy who gets paid above league average.

If you are so pesemistic about the Jays and barely find a reason to watch them, why do you post here?

[Avenger]

..and Ricciardi threw nearly 200 million over the next 7 seasons for both these bums.

Let's be real, no one is touching these guys with a 20 foot pole. The Jays are stuck with them.

The Jays haven't sniffed the playoffs in 15 years, and on top of that are handicapped by having 200 million stuck over their heads by 2 borderline major leaguers and people expect things to turn around sooner rather than later? lol

Rios is a bargain for his contract, there will be plenty of interest if we put him on the trade block. Trading him is pretty stupid unless we plan signing an outfielder in free agency like a Matt Holliday or Jason Bay

[vado]

We are probably going to have to put up with Wells for his entire contract, it's a shame he hasn't been able to go back to his old form. You could find somebody to trade for Rios. If he ever gets his head in the game and/or offense going again he'll be right back on track. I was calling for these guys to be moved down the order back when we were in first. I would look into trading Rios but if you can't find a fair deal we are stuck with them.

[Throwback24]

Everytime they step to the plate it turns into a disaster, and if it doesn't it has no barring on the game.

[Mustard_Tiger]

Everytime they step to the plate it turns into a disaster, and if it doesn't it has no barring on the game.

Rios hit a RBI single to tie the game yesterday, and Wells hit a meaningful HR. Stop spewing this nonsense.

[wicked_crossova]

Everytime they step to the plate it turns into a disaster, and if it doesn't it has no barring on the game.

Rios hit a RBI single to tie the game yesterday, and Wells hit a meaningful HR. Stop spewing this nonsense.

One game is not a good representation.

[youngLion]

Well look, there's not much else the team can do but put up with them. They've already been bumped down in the order. For Cito this is a very drastic move. Wells is untradeable and it would be silly to trade Rios in a down year, so all the team can really do at this point is hope they improve.

[Mustard_Tiger]

Everytime they step to the plate it turns into a disaster, and if it doesn't it has no barring on the game.

Rios hit a RBI single to tie the game yesterday, and Wells hit a meaningful HR. Stop spewing this nonsense.

One game is not a good representation.

Neither is half a season.

[macind2]

Rios is still tradeable. Everyone in the league knows he is a CF playing RF, so his value will come primarily as a CF. He won't be able to bring in the Matt Cain types he may have been able to fetch two years ago, but if it is just for the sake of ridding his salary and moving Snider into RF full-time, it is definitely doable.

Wells, on the other hand, is not going anywhere. Ownership is not going to green light paying $50-60 million for Wells to play on another team (which is what it will take for another team to have any interest in acquiring him). He is a Jays-lifer.

You have encapsulated here what I find so annoying about our OF situation. If Wells was moveable, you deal him, put Rios in centre, and nobody is complaining anymore, because $10 million is what good defense/average bat CFs make. Then you bring in a full time corner OF or DH with the money you saved to provide the power this team needs in the heart of the order, and the lineup is set for the next few years.

As is, you can't really deal either of them to open up a lineup spot, because the Jays don't have a half decent back up CF outside of Rios, and Wells isn't exactly injury free.

+1