Twelve years ago today:
The Blue Jays acquired Colby Rasmus in a multi-player deal.
The transaction unfolded in two distinct acts.
Act One:
Toronto sent veteran reliever Jason Frasor and prospect Zach Stewart to the White Sox in exchange for pitcher Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen—who was nearly Canadian, given his father’s Ontario roots and his stint with Team Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Teahen finished the season with the Blue Jays, posting a .190/.261/.286 line over 27 games, which marked
the end of his MLB career.
Frasor returned to Toronto for the 2012 season, then played for the Rangers, Royals, and Braves before retiring after 2015. He still holds the franchise record for most games pitched, with 505 appearances—a mark unlikely to be challenged soon (Yimi Garcia is our active leader at 185 game).
Stewart struggled in the majors, pitching 103 innings with a 6.82 ERA.
Act Two:
A few hours later, Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Corey Patterson, and Marc Rzepczynski were traded to St. Louis in exchange for Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters.
The Cardinals wanted to strengthen their bullpen, and manager Tony La Russa had grown weary of Rasmus. Colby was, for lack of a better word, unique. His personality couldn’t have been more different from La Russa’s. La Russa was outspoken about Colby, and Colby wasn’t one to ignore criticism.
For GM Alex Anthopoulos, the trade was an opportunity to buy low on a talented player.
Jackson went 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts for the Cardinals post-trade. In the playoffs, he started four games, posting a 1-1 record and a 5.60 ERA over 17.2 innings. After the season, Edwin signed with the Nationals as a free agent and went on to pitch for numerous teams—including the Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Padres, Orioles, Nationals (again), Blue Jays (briefly), and Tigers—before concluding his 17-year MLB career.
Dotel posted a 3.28 ERA in 29 games with the Cardinals. He signed with the Tigers for 2012, had a strong season, but was out of baseball after struggling early in 2013.
Rzepczynski—or ‘Scrabble’—had a 3.97 ERA in 28 appearances for the Cardinals in 2011. He stayed with them through 2012 but was traded to Cleveland after a rocky start in 2013. Marc later pitched for the Padres, A’s, Nationals, Mariners, and returned to Cleveland, last appearing in the majors in 2018.
Patterson wasn’t among my favourite Blue Jays. He struggled offensively (.287 OBP at the time), had questionable defense in left field, and wasn’t a strong base runner (13 steals, caught 8 times). He often swung at pitches over his head—occasionally connecting—but, surprisingly, many preferred him to Edwin Encarnacion at the time. After the trade, Corey hit .157/.189/.235 in 44 games for the Cardinals, marking the end of his MLB career.
As for Colby, he never became a star, but he was a solid contributor. Over four seasons, he played 408 games for Toronto, hitting .234/.295/.433 with 66 home runs. His best year came in 2013, when he hit .276/.338/.501 with 22 homers.
I was a fan, perhaps because I appreciate players who don’t quite fit the mold. I’ll always have a soft spot for him. He sometimes struggled with the pressures and relentless criticism of MLB life, but he was a good person.
After the trade, DanUpBaby, from Viva El Birdos, sent us an operating manual for Colby. I found this to be true:
Your COLBY RASMUS comes equipped with HOME RUN ACTION, INTERMITTENTLY IMPRESSIVE DEFENSE ACTION, and DEBATABLY USEFUL SPEED ACTION. Please do not expose your COLBY RASMUS to direct sunlight, fans of MAKING THINGS HAPPEN on offense or TONY LA RUSSA.
Over time, we got small glimpses into his personality, which I found entertaining. His changing hairstyles, however, I enjoyed less.
After leaving Toronto following the 2014 season, Colby spent two years with the Astros, started 2017 with the Rays but left mid-season, then began 2018 with the Orioles before retiring in July. This retirement appears final, and I hope he’s happy now.
He finished his career with a .241/.310/.436 slash line, 166 home runs, and a 20.2 bWAR across 1,092 games.
It is also Max Scherzer’s 42 birthday.
And he’s also starting tonight. Generally I say, if you are a gambler, bet on the team with a pitcher having a birthday. But, Scherzer has had a rough time of it, and he’s just back from the IL. Add in that he’s 42, and I don’t think he’d be a great bet.
He is also Shea Hillenbrand’s birthday. He’s 51.
He’s mostly famous for writing ‘sinking ship’ on the clubhouse chalk board and getting in a fight with John Gibbons. As a Jay he hit .294/.342/.460 with 30 home runs in 233 games. Not bad, not good enough for the headache he was for each organization that he played for.
Career he played in 943 games, hit .284/.321/.440 with 108 home runs across six teams.
Two years ago:
The Jays traded Nate Pearson to the Cubs for Josh Rivera and Yohendrick Piñango. Piñango, you know about. Rivera is playing in Buffalo this year, hitting .216/.289/.385 as an utility infielder.
Pearson has bounced from team to team, Cubs, Royals, Astros and back to the Royals now. He’s basically the pitcher we traded, throws hard, but walks too many.
And we traded Danny Jansen to the Red Sox for Gilberto Batista, Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino
Batista is a pitcher who is having a rough time in Vancouver (8.22 ERA). Coffey is an infielder who is hitting .223/.307/.335 for the Fisher Cats. Paulino is in the Mets organization now, playing in the low minors.
Jansen? He’s gone from the Red Sox to the Rays, to the Brewers and now he’s with the Rangers. He’s hitting .171/.277/.309 in 41 games for Texas.
