image courtesy of blog.prorumors.com

As most of us could have guessed from the moment he was acquired by the Blue Jays in the Vernon Wells deal, Juan Rivera does not fit into the long-term plans of the club and the Jays are apparently, according to Ken Rosenthal, trying to deal him elsewhere as a result. With $5.25 million remaining on his contract for the 2011 season, and being a free agent thereafter, it is possible that the Jays may have to take on some of his contract in order to move him. Rosenthal names Scott Podsednik as a better alternative as a 4th outfielder or platoon player to go along with Rajai Davis, something that I, and others, pointed out about a month ago.

The interesting part of this rumor is that Alex Anthopoulos has always played his cards close to his chest and we usually don’t know about pending Jays moves until they are finalized. If the Jays are in fact actively shopping Rivera, and he allows the information to get out, it has to be a deliberate act. So, if Rosenthal is right, what is Anthopoulos trying to accomplish by putting his name out there? (more…)

The interesting part of the rumors linking Greinke to the Jays in terms of interest was that Alex Gordon was being talked about and that the Royals seemed to only be looking for “something” in return for their old top prospect, chosen 2nd overall in the 2005 draft. Alex Gordon fits exactly into Anthopolous’s buy low examples and still has plenty of upside to his game. He plays all positions the Jays are looking to fill, first base, third base, and the OF, and is very cheap while under control through 2013. He made $1.1 million in 2010 and his first year of FA will be 2014.

When looking through Alex’s stats in 2010, you can see the potential. He hit 8 HRs and 10 doubles  in 242 ABs, making 20 HRs and 25 doubles a possibility in a full season even if no improvements are made at this point. His best period of time in the majors last season was the month of August, shortly after being recalled in July, when he hit .264 with a .327 OBP for the month. However, while in AAA Alex was dominant to say the least.  He hit .315 with a .442 OBP and 14 HRs in only 260 ABs. (more…)