Blues Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are in a bad spot. The have the misfortune of playing in the American League East, a division loaded with three powerhouses; the Rays, the Red Sox and the Yankees. Despite the tremendous disadvantage of facing competition that fierce, the Jays posted an 87-win season in 2008 and had one of the better pitching staffs in baseball.
The problem is; where do you go from here? The aforementioned Rays, Sox and Yanks are going to be back and each team promises to be as good, if not better than, Toronto. The Jays have taken a step backward, losing frontline starter A.J. Burnett. Meanwhile, ace Roy Halladay is getting older and his value is at an all-time high. Toronto centerfielder Vernon Wells has six years and about $100 million left on his contract.
In short, the Jays need to blow it up and rebuild. One huge first step will go a long way to revamping a depleted farm system; trading Roy Halladay for prospects.
To do this, the Jays must find a team with a wealth of young talent in their farm system. The team that comes to mind is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have an explosive offense but a lack of quality starting pitching. They also possess an especially strong farm system. If the Rangers can sign free agent Ben Sheets and pair him with Halladay, they would become instant threats in the American League West.
The Jays need to look at a few Texas youngsters. Start with catcher Max Ramirez, a player the Rangers got from Cleveland a couple years ago. Ramirez is only 21 but has all the tools to become an elite starting catcher who combines defensive prowess with offensive production.
Next on the docket is outfielder Engel Beltre. Beltre is a five-tool talent who’s about three years away from the big leagues. He has the potential to be a 20-20 player in the big leagues with good defense in the outfield. The Jays could look at him as a replacement for Wells.
Finally, the Jays would have to ask for young righthander Neftali Feliz. Feliz sports a mid-90’s fastball and has tremendous longterm potential. He could develop into their ace within four or five years.
That’s the trade we’d offer: Halladay for Feliz, Beltre and Ramirez. The Jays would come away with a catcher, pitcher and centerfielder and the Rangers would instantly leap into playoff contention.
