Penton: Encouraging start to Blue Jays’ rebuild
By Bruce Penton
Toronto Blue Jays are doing it right.
When a Major League Baseball team like the Jays falls flat on its face, it not only disappoints fans from Deer Lake, Nfld. to Duncan, B.C., and all points in between, but it makes a mess of its owners’ bottom line. Rogers, the media company that calls the shots for the Jays, obviously wants more people to tune in when the Jays are playing on TV, because they can then charge more for commercials and, in theory, boost future budgets for the ball club to pursue better players.
Anyway, back to the Jays doing it right. After falling into last place in the American League East, a full 15 games out of first place and without a whisker of a chance to earn a wildcard berth, Jays’ management threw in the towel at the trade deadline and dealt off a few precious commodities for prospects.
One of those deals involved pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, a left-hander with so-so numbers, being sent to Houston, a playoff contender for whom an extra arm in the starting rotation or bullpen might be the difference come October. Only a few Blue Jays’ fans shed a tear when Kikuchi was traded, but among the prospects who were acquired by the Blue Jays were a pair of exciting youngsters who could represent the start of a rebuild.
One of them was Will Wagner, a 26-year-old infielder who is the son of long-time MLB closer Billy Wagner. The Jays called him up from AAA Buffalo on Aug. 12 and all he did in his first four games was go 8-for-15 at the plate, including three doubles and three RBI.
Maybe it was just beginner's luck, or maybe the Jays knew what they were doing when they insisted on Wagner being part of the parcel for Kikuchi’s services. With Bo Bichette on the injured list, the Jays need some stability at second base, and Wagner might be the guy to give them that.
Also acquired by the Jays in the Kikuchi trade was outfielder Joey Loperfido, who has yet to set the world on fire, batting a little over .200 in his first few games with Toronto.
But it’s Wagner who could be the sparkling gem in this deal. Toronto has had good luck in the past with sons of former big-leaguers. Slugger Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., is the son of the former Expo star; Bichette grew up around major leaguers because his father, Dante, hit 274 career homers over a 14-season career. And Daulton Varsho’s father, Gary, played for the Cubs, Pirates, Reds and Phillies for eight years in the 1980s and ’90s.
The 2024 season is a lost cause for Toronto, but deals such as the one that brought Wagner into the Canadian team’s fold could be the beginning of a renaissance that returns the Blue Jays to prominence. And that would make a lot of people happy, fans and owners alike.
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Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca