Report: Jays release Thomas

Links (3)

A lineup I'd like to see
Published 4/20/2008 by Daedalus at Church of Baseball
... for the Bench, Alex takes Castro's spot on the roster, so we'd get rid of him. Bruce takes Hopper's spot, so we get rid of him. Valentin stays. Trade Hatteberg for a righthanded bench bat (or sign Mike Piazza for a decent amount to be used solely OFF THE BENCH. Yeah, I like that idea. In which case you trade Scotty for a couple of minor league guys or a draft pick or something like that. I like Scotty, but he's a lefty on a bench in desperate need of righties.) I've heard that Frank Thomas is now available...:) ...

Published 4/20/2008 by chris at A Large Regular
... I can't say that I'm surprised by this move. Do I think that Frank Thomas' contract situation played a role? Of course. The Blue Jays don't want to be on the hook for $10 million to a guy who may be falling off a cliff talent wise. Do I think the benching of Thomas was also a move to improve the offense for the Blue Jays? Again - yes. There are many facets at play here. Such as: ...

Jays Release Frank Thomas
Published 4/20/2008 by Old Navy King at MLB Fleece Factor
According to Jordan Bastian at MLB.com, the Toronto Blue Jays have released Frank Thomas, one day after the designated hitter voiced his displeasure over a decrease in playing time. The 39-year old was hitting a paltry .167 with 3 homers and 11 RBI, through 16 games. Under the terms of the Big Hurt’s contract with the organization, he has a vesting option worth $10 million for 2009, provided he gets at least 304 plate appearances (he needed 1,000 in total over life of 2-year deal with Jays). Thomas felt, and maybe rightfully so, that the team was trying to avoid paying him that $10 million in guaranteed money for next sesaon. The Jays are still on the hook for ...