Scott Podsednik Released by the Las Vegas 51s

The oddest transaction of the 2011 season just took place, as the Jays have released Las Vegas 51s veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik at a time when the team seems to need reinforcements. Pods was hitting .310/.388/.429 over his last 10 games and seemed to be rounding into form.

Simultaneously, the 51s activated OF Danny Perales off the 7-day DL, making it a swap of the two on the roster.

There could be a few reasons for this move. First, there could be a clause in his contract stating that at a certain point, if he isn’t with the big club, he can opt out and become a FA. Second, his foot injury could have returned and made it too agonizing for him to continue on this season. Finally, it could be that he simply didn’t want to be with the Jays any longer and that he saw the writing on the wall with Corey Patterson and Juan Rivera being on the big club while Travis Snider should be joining Rajai Davis and Jose Bautista in the OF. Add in Eric Thames and his hot bat, and the chances of Pods getting any playing time in Toronto were pretty much slim to nil.

I’m just surprised that the Jays couldn’t get anything for him in trade. If Dana Eveland is worth a middle of the road reliever prospect, wouldn’t Pods be as well?

Well, things just got a little thinner on the farm, but in my opinion, that’s a great thing. I’d much rather see Eric Thames get a shot to prove himself than to watch Pods and his injured foot struggle through running the bases and running in the outfield.

He should be able to land on his feet. Where that is can’t really be obvious at this point, but one team that definitely needs an offensive spark and an outfielder is the Seattle Mariners. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see him land there. Hey, if they’re willing to give Ryan Langerhans a shot, why not Pods? Another possibility would be Washington as a 4th outfielder. They’re not really fond of Rick Ankiel at this point, so Pods could be a fit.

In any case, the Pods era in Toronto was quick and painful for him. Hopefully he has better luck elsewhere, so long as it isn’t against the Jays!

-MG

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