Blue Jays Trade for Kelly Johnson: What This Means for the Future

Aaron Hill and John McDonald have been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Kelly Johnson.

In my previous article I mentioned the real possibility of Kelly Johnson becoming a Jay, and here it is.

I believe this is a good trade considering that Johnson had an excellent year last season whereas Hill has been mediocre at best since his concussion.

Johnson has had a tough season. I have followed him closely, and I ironically drafted both Hill and Johnson in my keeper fantasy league this season. Johnson has never been able to shake the 0-4s and has had a dreadful strikeout rate this season (132 K's in 114 games).

Johnson had also been giving way to Ryan Roberts at second base on many occasions. But Johnson still has 20-HR pop while generating a decent share of walks. He is a very streaky hitter, and a change of scenery would do both Johnson and Hill some good.

What does GM Alex Anthopoulos plan on doing with Johnson? Well, considering he is a free agent, perhaps he seeks to trade Hill and get a higher Type-B free agent compensation for Johnson (Type B would be his projected value).

Anthopoulos could also try and sign Johnson to an extension, which would make sense financially after Johnson's poor year this year.

Don't forget, he had 93 runs, 36 2B, 26 HR, 71 RBI, 79 BB, a .284 AVG and a .370 OBP last year. 

Johnson provides average defence with some power at 2B. He is a left-handed bat and can provide some new veteran presence to the young Blue Jays roster. Look for him to bat around sixth or seventh for the Blue Jays going forward.

If nothing else, Anthopoulos gets a higher Type-B compensation pick if Johnson leaves than he would have if Hill had left.