Farrell’s Move to BoSox Leaves Jays in Limbo

When rumours began surfacing that John Farrell was looking to pack his bags and leave the Toronto Blue Jays to manage the Boston Red Sox, Jays fans immediately wondered what they’d get in return.  As it turn out, not much.

In exchange for Farrell, the Red Sox will send utility infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto. Aviles is a solid player, but he isn’t the pitching prospect most Jays fans were hoping for. The Jays also had to send 27-year-old relief pitcher David Carpenter in the deal. Still, Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos likes what Aviles brings to the club. “The fact that he can play all over the infield gives us a lot of options, the fact that he’s been an everyday player before,” Anthopoulos told reporters about what he likes about Aviles. “He has a little bit of speed, has got some power and he does have the defensive ability to play all over the place.”

It looks as though he will likely get the first crack at starting at second base with Kelly Johnson on his way out of town. Aviles hit .250 last season with 13 home runs, 60 RBI and 14 stolen bases, but also had a terrible on-base percentage of .282 in 512 at-bats for the BoSox. In four MLB seasons, Aviles is a .277 hitter. “That’s all I want, an opportunity. Their GM [Anthopoulos] was straightforward with me and I told him I appreciated that,” Aviles told the Boston Globe. “They said I can play a lot and battle for at-bats at second base. That’s all I ask. Getting traded, I think, is a good thing because it shows that a team wants you.”

There was some talk that the Jays were hoping to land Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard, but Boston wasn’t willing to part with either pitcher. Still, but brining on Aviles in place of Johnson at second base, Toronto should have about $4 million to play with as the search for pitching help begins.

Farrell, who was Boston’s pitching coach for four years before coming to Toronto, classified being Boston’s manager as his “dream job.” After that, it was only a matter of time before the pieces of the deal fell into place. “Once John indicated this was something he wanted to pursue … it didn’t make a whole lot of sense not to see if something could be worked out,” Anthopolous told reporters. Anthopolous also said that he doesn’t have a frontrunner to replace Farrell, but that he would begin searching for candidates this week.