White Sox Acquire Alex Rios From Blue Jays

Teams receive gifts in baseball in a myriad of ways. They can receive a gift win courtesy of an error, or they can get a gift in the form of a player in a trade who was a throw in and that player turns out to be a solid contributor, or a team can get a gift by having a team take a massive contract off of their hands.

Well, all the praying Toronto Blue Jays’ GM JP Ricciardi must have done to the gods of taking bad contracts off a GM’s hands paid off.

Today, the Chicago White Sox took Alex Rios and the six-years and $60 million left on his contract off the Toronto Blue Jays by claiming Rios off of waivers. This is a massive gift to the Blue Jay organization.

For the Blue Jays, this was like Easter Sunday. This isn’t as good as Christmas because for the Blue Jays, Christmas would be getting rid of Vernon Wells’ contract. Easter, you still get a gift (Easter basket, chocolate, etc..) and it’s still a pretty good day.

Rios is a classic underachiever in my opinion. He was never going to live up to expectations in Toronto. I wrote a couple of months ago the Blue Jays should trade him.

The Blue Jays now have roughly $10 million per year over the next six years to play with. In today’s economy, you can do a lot with $10 million. If Ricciardi chooses not to spend money on free agents, he can use the new found money to try to re-sign Roy Halladay.

Why would the White Sox take this contract off the Blue Jays’ hands? I think there are a trio of reasons.

1. Without looking at where Rios is going to play, where he is going to bat, etc. Right off the bat I think the White Sox are hoping Rios will emerge with a change of scenery. This has classic change of scenery scenario written all over it.

Rios is still only twenty eight-years-old and has plenty of time to turn it around.

2. In the short term, Rios could play centerfield for the White Sox. Though Scott Podsednik has reemerged this year with a .297 avg and 17 SB’s, at the end of the day Rios should (let me reemphasize “should”) provide more offense in the White Sox lineup.

With adding the Rios contract and the Jake Peavy contract a couple of weeks ago, the White Sox have added over $100 million in payroll.

I thought we were in the middle of a recession?

3. In the long term, Rios might the White Sox starting rightfielder in 2010. Jermaine Dye and the White Sox have a mutual option for 2010. My guess is Dye and the White Sox part ways opening the door for Rios to start in right field for the White Sox.