The Arizona Republic reports a rumor that the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks are trying to work a deal that would send catcher Chris Snyder to Toronto for first baseman Lyle Overbay. The Toronto Star gets a no comment out of the Blue Jays GM.
The Arizona Republic reported Saturday such a trade was being discussed. When contacted by the Star, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos declined comment.
Overbay has been the centre of trade speculation for some time and the Jays need a catcher to replace Rod Bajaras, who is a free agent. Among the candidates to take over at first for Toronto would be slugger Adam Lind.
Possibly holding up any deal is the health of Snyder, who underwent back surgery in September. The Jays would want him to pass medical and fitness tests.
Snyder, 28, lost his starting job to Miguel Montero last season. He hit .200 with only six homers in 2009, but when he was healthy in 2008, he hit .237 with 16 home runs and an on-base percentage of .348.
It’s one of those trades that makes perfect sense for both clubs. The players are about equal in the number of wins they produce playing full time, and both are expendable due to better options for the club. First base was a black hole of offense for the DBacks in 2009, and while Overbay isn’t a prototypical first baseman, he would add two wins to the Diamondbacks total without costing a lot. We’ll see if this happens.
Update: In putting forward his plan to get the Jays back to winning, Alex Anthopoulos says this:
“I know that everything we will do will be obviously to improve the team, but it won’t be the quick fix, or it won’t be to sacrifice the ability to have a long, sustained run of success here,” Anthopoulos said on a conference call ahead of his first general managers’ meetings, which start Monday in Chicago. “We’re not going to put all our eggs in one basket … for one year at taking a shot at success and then sacrificing four years down the road.”
This potential trade is a good example of that.
Posted by David Pinto at 9:58 am | Trades | Permalink | No Comments
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