White Sox Claim Alex Rios, Snider on the Horizon for the Blue Jays?

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The Chicago White Sox are just three games back of the first place Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.

General Manager Ken Williams has already bolstered the rotation, with the acquisition of Jake Peavy and Monday afternoon he solidified his outfield, acquiring Alex Rios from the Toronto Blue Jays, after they jettisoned him and the rest of his long-term $60 million contract. 

Typically with any trade there are two sides to discuss, each team receives a player and maybe the other a slew of prospects...but this one was different. Alex Rios was essentially dumped on the Chicago White Sox, while the Blue Jays received a lighter wallet in the process.

Rios has always been a player full of every tool a scout swoons over. He is fleet of foot, he has a strong arm in the outfield, he is an excellent fielder, and he can hit for both power and average. The only problem with him has been inconsistency. 

When Rios broke on the scene in 2006 with 17 HR, 82 RBI, 15 SB, and a .302 average at the age of 25, he matured even more the following season: 24 HR, 85 RBI, 17 SB, and a .297 average. The Blue Jays overreacted and dished out a seven-year, $69.8 million contract in April of 2008, only to be greatly disappointed in the years since.

Rios seemed to have taken a step back in his power progression, since he signed on the dotted line in 2008. After the contract, he hit only 14 HR, 79 RBI, with a .291 AVG, but did have 32 SB.

Now the 28-year-old should be tapping into his prime, but instead Rios has gone backwards in the average department, batting just .264, with 14 HR, 62 RBI, and 19 SB. His OBP has plummeted to .317 and he has even seen his ISO fall to a career low .163, likewise for his SLG at .427.

Will moving to the confines of U.S Cellular field mean that Alex Rios finally builds on his younger years and finally puts it all together? 

Don’t get me wrong, Rios is still a solid fantasy player. He does a little bit of everything, and is an extremely good base stealer, only being caught 22.7 percent of the time. But we’ve all seen what Rios can do and we want more.

He has the potential to be an excellent five-category outfielder, it’s just that each season he takes a step back in one area or another. Rios is the type of player always leaving you wanting more.

According to fangraphs.com, Rios pulls the majority of his home runs, and the dimensions of left field and left center in the Rogers Centre in Toronto and U.S Cellular Field are almost identical, so we really shouldn’t see a major power boost from Rios, while playing in Chicago.  Both stadiums have nearly identical HR per game, 2.35 for U.S Cellular, and 2.37 for the Rogers Centre. He’ll never become a true power hitter because he just doesn’t hit enough home runs per each fly ball, with an 8.6 percent career rate. 

I would expect him to continue to his effective base stealing, and see a tad bump in his numbers just due to a change of scenery and being part of the playoff race.

What Does This Mean for the Blue Jays?

Jose Bautista manned the OF in place of Rios last night, but there isn’t really any fantasy upside to him playing the outfield. Joe Inglett also isn’t much of an option in LF, which is where he played last night.

As of now, the Blue Jays' lineup is a bit worse, but it shouldn’t effect their big boppers at all because Rios was batting in the sixth hole in the lineup. And it’s not like Vernon Wells was having a great year anyway, even with Rios batting behind him.

What this could mean for the Blue Jays is a promotion of OF prospect Travis Snider to the big leagues. While he struggled initially at the major league level, with just a .242 average, three HR, and 12 RBI in 99 AB, the bulky outfielder has hit .314 with 13 HR and 37 RBI in 156 AB at Triple-A this season.  He was on the DL for a few weeks with a shoulder injury, but has felt no ill effects of it lately, batting .410, with six HR and 12 RBI in the last 10 games. 

The Jays have nothing else to lose with trying Snider out again and if he gets the call soon, he could prove to be a solid keeper option. He was the Blue Jays’ top prospect before the season, according to Baseball America. He’s got a great swing, and "profiles as a high-average hitter with well above-average power," according to Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein. 

Even though he’s just 21-years-old, I think the Blue Jays ought to be ready to give Snider a look for the rest of the season. Snider has a chance to become a solid player.

What do you guys think of the Rios acquisition? Will we see Snider in Toronto soon?