Blue Jays Contract Options

Heading into the 2011 offseason, the Blue Jays had decisions to make regarding club options on two players' contracts; Edwin Encarnacion and Jon Rauch. The decisions weren't particularly surprising.

1B/3B/DH Edwin Encarnacion: 3.5M Club Option (0.5M Buyout) -- PICKED UP

Despite playing nearly historically bad in the first half of the season, Encarnacion picked it up enough in the second half to have his club option picked up for 2012, and barring a major acquisition, guarantee a spot in the lineup as the starting DH. The .272/.334/.453 (.787 OPS) slash line isn't a particularly inspiring one from a potential designated hitter, but his pre- and post-All Star splits are so staggeringly different you have to hold out hope that Encarnacion finally figured himself out. He posted a .688 OPS with 19 doubles, 6 HR, and a 9/39 BB/K ratio in the first half, but followed that up with an .887 OPS, 17 double, 11 HR, and 34/38 BB/K ratio in the second half. If Encarnacion can carry his second half success over to the 2012 season, he could find himself hitting cleanup behind Jose Bautista while putting together impressive numbers entering his free agent walk year.

RP Jon Rauch: 3.75M Club Option (0.75M Buyout) -- DECLINED

Rauch began the season as the defacto closer because of a Frank Francisco arm injury, but never earned the trust of the fans (and seemingly, the front office). The Blue Jays felt it would be better to pay Rauch 750K to leave than to pay him an extra 3M and have him stay, which isn't surprising given the results. As I mentioned in the Making the Grade: The Bullpen piece, Jon Rauch seems to defy physics (but in the bad way), as his size and mass don't result in above average velocity or above average sink. He's a soft tosser who struggles to work in the bottom of the zone, which results in a ton of linedrives and flyballs. This quickly translates to a lot of hits and home runs with a poor groundball rate. Rauch might be the best evidence for the difference between control and command. Control is the ability to get pitches in the strikezone, command is the ability to put the pitch where you want it. Rauch has the former (as evident by his strong walk rates), but seriously lacks the latter. His struggles were emphasized by his role in the bullpen. If Jon Rauch were 6'2", 200 lbs and didn't have a beard/tattoos, he would never see the 8th or 9th inning in a close game. This is another case of teams going for the intimidation factor more than the effectiveness factor.

In other news, Toronto re-acquired Canadian relief pitcher Trystan Magnuson from the Athletics. The 6'7" Magnuson was originally sent to the A's as part of the Rajai Davis trade last offseason, but the Blue Jays pounced when Magnuson was Designated for Assignment by Oakland. Cash considerations went the other way. He should compete for a bullpen spot in the spring.