News / Sports
Blue Jays and Frank Thomas Part Ways
Blue Jays General Manager, J.P. Ricciardi said that he and Frank Thomas came to a mutual agreement. Thomas had been informed that he would no longer be the Blue Jay's designated hitter. Understandably, the news didn't sit well with him. When learning of the lineup change, Thomas vented his frustration over the matter publicly. However, this leaves the Blue Jays accountable for the rest of Thomas' $18-million contract.
Thomas was hitless in his past 13 at bats. He batted .167 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs this season. Last year, he batted .277, leading the team with 26 home runs and 95 RBIs. Recognizing that Thomas is a slow starter, Ricciardi says that the team doesn't have the luxury of waiting 2 or 3 months for somebody to kick in. He said that the Blue Jays offered Thomas a lesser role playing 2 or 3 times per week. However, they weren't surprised Thomas decided not to accept the offer.
"Out of respect for his career, it's not fair for him to be sitting around and becoming a part time player," said Gibbons . "I know he wasn't going to be happy with that and we can definitely understand that. He doesn't deserve hanging around here and not being able to play. It's a privilege to be able to say you managed a Hall of Famer. I'll miss a lot of things about him."
Thomas has 516 career home runs which places him 18th on baseball's career list. Additionally, he's hit 264 career home runs as a designated hitter which is the most in baseball history. His career average is .302 and is one of 4 players in baseball history to have a .300 average, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBIs, 1,000 runs and 1,500 walks. The others are Ted Williams, Mel Ott and Babe Ruth.
The problem is that Thomas wasn't producing the way that the Blue Jays wanted him to as a Designated Hitter. They want to do everything in their power to compete for a post-season spot in the American League this season. This doesn't give them a lot of time to let Thomas work through another slump.
Thomas questioned whether the decision to reduce his playing time was a result of his statistics. Thomas will turn 40 years old this year and believes there is more to the situation that just his slow start, implying his contractual situation. Under the terms of his 2 year deal, he could have been guaranteed a $10 million salary for 2009 by reaching 1,000 plate appearances between the 2007 and 2008 campaigns. He needed only 304 more games this year for that to happen.
With Thomas off the team, the Blue Jays don't have to worry about owing him $10 million next season or an extra $1 million in performance bonuses this year. However, they do have to give him his full $8 million salary for this year. Without Thomas, the team will rely more on Rod Barajas and Matt Stairs to occupy the Designated Hitter position. Toronto recalled catcher Robinzon Diaz from Triple-A Syracuse to take Thomas' place. Diaz can help out behind the plate on days that Barajas is the Designated Hitter.
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