Jose Canseco Jumps Leagues, Signs with Rio Grande

Jose Canseco, age 48, has left the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League and signed with the independent Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings of the North American League. 

The Valley Morning Star reports that Canseco—still an official member of the Tornadoes—will make his debut with the WhiteWings in the coming days. 

Canseco played 20 games for the Tornadoes, putting up numbers you would expect from a 48-year-old: .194 BA, one home run, seven RBI and 24 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. Aside from his low numbers, the fact that his former club had no prior warning of his departure leaves a bad taste in its mouth. 

The Worcester Telegram spoke with Tornadoes owner Todd Breighner, who says he was shocked when he heard the news from his GM Jorg Bassiacos on Friday at 9 p.m. via text message—several hours after news of Canseco's new signing had been published in social media. 

I’m sure Canseco will draw some fans to the game, but if you can't do things the right way, people won't take you seriously. I truly hope Canseco is in this for the long haul and sticks with the team for the remainder of the season. 

This signing is not the only reason Canseco is making headlines. On Friday, the Boston Herald reported that Canseco filed for bankruptcy protection. 

Apparently, Canseco has less than $21,000 in total assets with more than $1.7 million in liabilities, along with a considerable amount owed to the IRS. All parties involved could not be reached for comment. 

With just over a month left to go before the end of the season, you can bet this isn't the last time we'll hear about the former MLB MVP. 

Hopefully it'll be positive news, dealing with monstrous home runs.

Devon is the founder and executive director of The GM's Perspective. He is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals and Gateway Grizzlies.  

Currently, Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario, Canada, and can be reached at [e-mail]. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.