What started with a simple tweet from the Toronto Blue Jays has now escalated into trade discussions among fans and center fielder Colby Rasmus’ dad.
After the team announced that Rasmus would be missing the upcoming Blue Jays Winter Tour (a meet and greet tour which features a select group of players, this year stopping at various locations around Ontario, Canada) due to a “scheduling conflict” fans took their questions to a source they know they could trust: Tony Rasmus.
Rasmus’ father, who is extreamly active on Twitter, was more than willing to “report what [he] know[s] about Colby” once again igniting the trade rumors that circled around his son throughout the winter meetings in relation to an exchange for starting pitching. Although this still remains speculation, what really got Jays fans wondering was this response:
“I do know Colby’s been told to be prepared for a possible trade because AA has really been trying to improve the team via trade.”
Before things got out of hand though, Tony tried to backtrack a little, clarifying that his son did not hear this information from Alex Anthopoulos.
The “scheduling conflict” for Colby Rasmus’ involvement in the Winter Tour was announced at around the same time that talk began to heat up regarding the Blue Jays as one of the leading candidates to sign either Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez.
If the Blue Jays still are entertaining the idea of capitalizing on Rasmus’ 2013 season, then who would take his place in center field? They could possibly end up filling a hole just to turn around and dig another one in a different spot. Or they could build a package that would include Rasmus along with prospects for a pitcher and an outfielder which could just prove to be a 2013 déjà vu.
Colby Rasmus will be a free agent after next season and is projected to get around $6.5 million in salary arbitration for 2014.