National Post (National Edition)
TRADE
JAYS NEED TO FIND A FIT FOR MELVIN UPTON JR.
TORONTO — On the occasion of their first-ever trip to Toronto, the San Diego Padres are going to leave a legacy behind when their plane takes off on Wednesday evening.
The Blue Jays and Padres finalized a deal that sent outfielder Melvin Upton to Toronto in exchange for shortseason Class A pitcher Hansel Rodriguez. As part of the deal, the Padres are believed to be paying $17 million of the $22 million owed to Upton through 2017.
While GM Ross Atkins was unwilling to discuss the financials, if the $17-million figure is accurate, it means that after they pay him for the rest of this season, the Jays get Upton virtually free for 2017.
How Upton fits into the Toronto scheme remains to be seen. Atkins made it clear the vision from the front office is that Upton will be in a support role unless circumstances change.
“I would say that we have a very good outfield right now,” said Atkins. “It would likely take an injury for him to turn into an everyday outfielder with us. He could possibly play every day but that would mean coming in in the seventh inning and that would be up to Gibby (manager John Gibbons). Having someone who can spell all three of the outfielders and complement Zeke (Carrera) very well from a right-handed standpoint works well.”
Gibbons plans to find a way to get Upton’s bat in the lineup against most lefthanded starters. On those days, first baseman Justin Smoak would sit, Edwin Encarnacion would be at first base and either Upton, Michael Saunders or Jose Bautista would be the DH. Against left-handed pitching this year, Upton has hit .282 with a .913 OPS.
He has played predominantly in centre field during his career but it’s expected he would see time in all three outfield spots with the Jays, operating more or less as a fourth outfielder.
Upton is a quality defender and his presence will no doubt relegate Ezequiel Carrera to fifth-outfielder status, yet Gibbons says he can still find a role for him as well. To make room on the roster, reliever Ryan Tepera was optioned to Buffalo, leaving Toronto with a seven-man bullpen.
As an offensive weapon, Upton has never quite lived up to his advance billing over the course of his 12-year career that started in Tampa Bay. He has a career .245 batting average with 1,512 strikeouts in 5,027 career atbats.
He has some power, topping out at 28 home runs in 2012, his last year in Tampa Bay. His best asset is speed on the basepaths, a commodity the Jays do not have, beyond Kevin Pillar and Carrera. This year, he has stolen 20 bases for the Padres and figures to add some value in that area. He also has 16 home runs and, given the friendlier confines of the Rogers Centre as compared to cavernous PetcoPark, he could be some help there.
“I’m here to help this team, in whatever capacity I can,” said Upton. “I’ve been around for a little while and the main goal at this point in my career is to win a ring. Whatever I can do to help get this team to the point, I will do.
“I’m definitely excited to be here with this group of guys in a pennant race. It’s kind of where it all started in this division. I know the cities. It’s a tough division but this is a very good ball club all-around. This is definitely not uncomfortable.”
Rodriguez, just 19, has been in the Blue Jays organization for three seasons. He is 2-1, with a 3.06 ERA this year at Bluefield of the Appalachian League. A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez has a career record of 3-6, with a 4.61 ERA.
The upshot of this deal is not so much that the Toronto offence or defence was in crying need of improvement, but that pitching in this trade environment has become such a difficult commodity to acquire. This might be a way for the Blue Jays to slightly mitigate the need for more pitching by adding to an alreadypotent offence.
It is still expected that the Jays will attempt to acquire at least one additional starting pitcher, but the market is asking a high price for anyone who can be a differencemaker.