Wells to become the Blue Jays' first $126-million man
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Wells to become the Blue Jays' first $126-million man
JEFF BLAIR
This much is clear: God whispered in the Toronto Blue Jays' ear the way Vernon Wells asked Him to, the suits at the Rogers' head office exorcised whatever devils lurk in the details of Wells's mammoth contract extension, and now, this $126-million (all figures U.S.) detour aside, J.P. Ricciardi can pursue the thing that will determine whether his team makes the playoffs -- pitching.
Once more into the valley of, well, you get the picture.
Wells has agreed to terms with the Blue Jays on a seven-year extension that will kick in for the 2008 season. The deal includes a $25.5-million signing bonus that will be doled out in instalments of $8.5-million each in the first three years. Wells can also walk away by exercising an opt-out clause after the fourth year.
He will still be paid $5.6-million in 2007, which means the Blue Jays have some wiggle room to go after a pitcher to fill the hole in their rotation created when Ted Lilly signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Cubs, and the 2007 payroll would still fit snugly in the mid-$90-million range.
There are some free agents of limited interest on the market, but as one Blue Jays person said yesterday: "We think we can do better than, say, Joel Pineiro." (Here's hoping!)
The Blue Jays can now put together a package of one of their surplus outfielders -- Reed Johnson or Alex Rios -- and a young starting pitcher such as Dustin McGowan (who was heavily scouted in the Arizona Fall League) and go after a starter such as the Oakland Athletics' Dan Haren, the Chicago White Sox' Javier Vazquez or the Los Angeles Dodgers' Brad Penny.
Vazquez and Penny have worked with Blue Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg -- Vazquez with the Montreal Expos and Penny with the Florida Marlins. The Jays have some interest in Victoria's Rich Harden, who also figured in trade talks between the Athletics and New York Mets, but there are red flags around Harden because of his history of elbow issues.
Ricciardi finished two days of intensive negotiations with Wells's agent on Thursday, then returned to Worcester, Mass., yesterday to revert to his other full-time job -- being a hockey father. He would not comment on the deal when contacted at home. But U.S.-based online outlets reported Wells's extension as done, and two sources with knowledge of negotiations said that by yesterday morning the contract was in the hands of Wells's tax lawyers and executives at Rogers head office in Toronto.
Yes, the devil went down to Bloor Street.
Wells, who said this fall that he hoped "the Lord will guide my steps and whisper in the Blue Jays' ear at the same time," did not return messages left on his cellphone last night. But he told The Associated Press yesterday that he expected to sign soon what would be the sixth-biggest contract in baseball history and seemed to talk as if the negotiations were past tense.
"How can you not be happy?" he asked the AP reporter. "Obviously this gives me an opportunity to set my family up for a couple of generations. That's the biggest part of this thing. And this gives me a chance to do something special in Toronto that hasn't been done in a while."
Paul Godfrey, the Blue Jays' president and chief executive officer, dodged when asked whether he considered Wells's extension to have reached agreement-in-principle status.
Forget show me the money. After free-agent catcher Rod Barajas backed out on an agreement with the Jays this fall, the operative phrase on Blue Jays Way is now show me the signature.
"Um, an agreement in principle means different things in different circumstances," Godfrey said, adding: "Rod Barajas. Was that an agreement in principle?"
The Jays will formally announce Wells's signing next week, and there should be no surprise at how undramatic the whole thing has been. Wells is a mature guy, and the Blue Jays and their fans have moved beyond the "we need to have a face on our team" stage to living with cold, bottom-line financial decisions. Mostly they just want to beat the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Whoever's in the lineup when that happens doesn't matter.
The people who feel owner Ted Rogers has made a statement with the Wells deal haven't been paying attention, or have been paying attention to the wrong people. Rogers bought the team with cash. He made Carlos Delgado the best-paid player in baseball (albeit briefly) and then, after a couple of seasons of hacking and slicing by Ricciardi and Godfrey, bought the SkyDome (Yeah, he put his name on it. Big deal. SkyDome was a silly name, anyhow). Then he signed off on more than $100-million in free-agent contracts to A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan last year, in addition to extending Roy Halladay's contract. Under Rogers, Godfrey and Ricciardi, the Blue Jays usually get their big prey.
The dollars involved in Wells's extension are an accurate reading of a system flush with cash because of new media riches, labour peace and solid attendance in big markets. Wells would have received $20-million a year as a free agent next year without breaking a sweat. His on-field production -- a Gold Glove, .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in -- would not be replaced in time to compete this year in the hypercompetitive American League East.
For Wells, this extension is even more of a no-brainer. He gets security (two years ago, remember, he came within inches of tearing his Achilles tendon,) a whack of cash, and at the age of 28, he knows that he can exercise his out clause at 33, during his peak years, if life with the Blue Jays becomes miserable. Sweet. Even if this extension plays itself out in its entirety, he'll still be only 36 years old, plenty of time to sign another deal, with or without the Lord's help.
JEFF BLAIR
This much is clear: God whispered in the Toronto Blue Jays' ear the way Vernon Wells asked Him to, the suits at the Rogers' head office exorcised whatever devils lurk in the details of Wells's mammoth contract extension, and now, this $126-million (all figures U.S.) detour aside, J.P. Ricciardi can pursue the thing that will determine whether his team makes the playoffs -- pitching.
Once more into the valley of, well, you get the picture.
Wells has agreed to terms with the Blue Jays on a seven-year extension that will kick in for the 2008 season. The deal includes a $25.5-million signing bonus that will be doled out in instalments of $8.5-million each in the first three years. Wells can also walk away by exercising an opt-out clause after the fourth year.
He will still be paid $5.6-million in 2007, which means the Blue Jays have some wiggle room to go after a pitcher to fill the hole in their rotation created when Ted Lilly signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Cubs, and the 2007 payroll would still fit snugly in the mid-$90-million range.
There are some free agents of limited interest on the market, but as one Blue Jays person said yesterday: "We think we can do better than, say, Joel Pineiro." (Here's hoping!)
The Blue Jays can now put together a package of one of their surplus outfielders -- Reed Johnson or Alex Rios -- and a young starting pitcher such as Dustin McGowan (who was heavily scouted in the Arizona Fall League) and go after a starter such as the Oakland Athletics' Dan Haren, the Chicago White Sox' Javier Vazquez or the Los Angeles Dodgers' Brad Penny.
Vazquez and Penny have worked with Blue Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg -- Vazquez with the Montreal Expos and Penny with the Florida Marlins. The Jays have some interest in Victoria's Rich Harden, who also figured in trade talks between the Athletics and New York Mets, but there are red flags around Harden because of his history of elbow issues.
Ricciardi finished two days of intensive negotiations with Wells's agent on Thursday, then returned to Worcester, Mass., yesterday to revert to his other full-time job -- being a hockey father. He would not comment on the deal when contacted at home. But U.S.-based online outlets reported Wells's extension as done, and two sources with knowledge of negotiations said that by yesterday morning the contract was in the hands of Wells's tax lawyers and executives at Rogers head office in Toronto.
Yes, the devil went down to Bloor Street.
Wells, who said this fall that he hoped "the Lord will guide my steps and whisper in the Blue Jays' ear at the same time," did not return messages left on his cellphone last night. But he told The Associated Press yesterday that he expected to sign soon what would be the sixth-biggest contract in baseball history and seemed to talk as if the negotiations were past tense.
"How can you not be happy?" he asked the AP reporter. "Obviously this gives me an opportunity to set my family up for a couple of generations. That's the biggest part of this thing. And this gives me a chance to do something special in Toronto that hasn't been done in a while."
Paul Godfrey, the Blue Jays' president and chief executive officer, dodged when asked whether he considered Wells's extension to have reached agreement-in-principle status.
Forget show me the money. After free-agent catcher Rod Barajas backed out on an agreement with the Jays this fall, the operative phrase on Blue Jays Way is now show me the signature.
"Um, an agreement in principle means different things in different circumstances," Godfrey said, adding: "Rod Barajas. Was that an agreement in principle?"
The Jays will formally announce Wells's signing next week, and there should be no surprise at how undramatic the whole thing has been. Wells is a mature guy, and the Blue Jays and their fans have moved beyond the "we need to have a face on our team" stage to living with cold, bottom-line financial decisions. Mostly they just want to beat the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Whoever's in the lineup when that happens doesn't matter.
The people who feel owner Ted Rogers has made a statement with the Wells deal haven't been paying attention, or have been paying attention to the wrong people. Rogers bought the team with cash. He made Carlos Delgado the best-paid player in baseball (albeit briefly) and then, after a couple of seasons of hacking and slicing by Ricciardi and Godfrey, bought the SkyDome (Yeah, he put his name on it. Big deal. SkyDome was a silly name, anyhow). Then he signed off on more than $100-million in free-agent contracts to A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan last year, in addition to extending Roy Halladay's contract. Under Rogers, Godfrey and Ricciardi, the Blue Jays usually get their big prey.
The dollars involved in Wells's extension are an accurate reading of a system flush with cash because of new media riches, labour peace and solid attendance in big markets. Wells would have received $20-million a year as a free agent next year without breaking a sweat. His on-field production -- a Gold Glove, .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in -- would not be replaced in time to compete this year in the hypercompetitive American League East.
For Wells, this extension is even more of a no-brainer. He gets security (two years ago, remember, he came within inches of tearing his Achilles tendon,) a whack of cash, and at the age of 28, he knows that he can exercise his out clause at 33, during his peak years, if life with the Blue Jays becomes miserable. Sweet. Even if this extension plays itself out in its entirety, he'll still be only 36 years old, plenty of time to sign another deal, with or without the Lord's help.
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Comments
Nice player, super defense, should steal more bases; not worth the money; but heck besides players like Pujols (the best of the best) who is these days?
Love Vernon Wells, love the Blue Jays, still WAY too much money for someone whose career OBP is less than .350.
<< <i> and Tim Horton's gift certificates >>
I LOVE Tim Hortons... puts Dunkin Diarreah Donuts to shame
sadly, we dont even have a TH in the city yet....
<< <i>I like Wells too, but I agree - that's a lot of money for him. >>
agreed .... although it is better spent on him then a J.D Drew
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