Blue Jays front office has earned a mulligan on Franklin Morales signing

The Toronto Blue Jays’ signing of Franklin Morales on April 2nd was a case of a square peg fitting into a square hole.

Ryan Tepera, a right-hander, was set to open the season as the Blue Jays’ second left-hander out of the bullpen behind Brett Cecil. Aaron Loup, Chad Girodo, and Pat Venditte existed as options, but at the time, Loup was injured and the others hadn’t made a push.

Enter Morales, who had just been released on March 28th by the Milwaukee Brewers after spending three weeks with the team in spring training.

Recently designated for assignment by the Blue Jays after pitching just 4.0 MLB innings, Morales was officially released prior to Tuesday’s game.

Morales earned $2 million with the Blue Jays, that’s $500,000 per MLB inning on a contract that became fully guaranteed mid-season. Regardless, with the moves that Toronto’s front office has made elsewhere, missing on Morales should be excused.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day

The 2013 and 2014 seasons in Boston and Colorado had not been kind to Morales, with a 5.26 ERA between the two (he worked primarily as a starter for the Rockies), but the 30-year-old found his groove again with the Kansas City Royals in 2015. Pitching to a 3.18 ERA over 67 appearances, he held left-handed hitters to a .192 average and .558 OPS.

That fit what the Blue Jays needed, a left-on-left specialist, or at least the potential of a competent one.

Morales’ rehab stint, however, which featured 11 appearances stretching from June 21st to July 19th with Dunedin and Buffalo, remains a curious spot in this story. As he continued to look strong against triple-A batters over three-plus weeks, the Jays continued to cycle through other options before declaring him fit to return… after the maximum allowance of 30 days on rehab.

If a front office is going to miss, these are the misses to hope for. Two million dollars won’t be found between the couch cushions, but given Toronto’s success over the past 12 months, a failed signing like this can be written off with a quick sigh as opposed to a drawn-out groan.

The moves around Morales allow for this risk appetite, as well. Marco Estrada is pitching brilliantly for $11.5 million and J.A. Happ is following right along on a $10 million salary. Factor in the low-cost services of Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, and Roberto Osuna, not to mention the salary-dump gems of Jason Grilli and Melvin Upton Jr., and the Blue Jays have allowed themselves the room to flop on the odd small move.

Hindsight criticism can be problematic as a whole, too. This was highlighted in the reaction to the decline and departure of Drew Storen, despite the many who praised his acquisition at the time of the original deal. It’s easy to play a hand of poker if you already know the flop, turn, and river. A signing is the initial check or bet. A highly educated one, certainly, but well-played cards can still lose.

Next: The Blue Jays and the undeniably won trade

Follow on Twitter:  @KeeganMatheson
@JaysJournal