The Toronto Blue Jay added even more depth on Saturday. Clayton Richer of Baseball Hot Corner tweeted out:
Toronto Blue Jays Ink Dayan Viciedo To Minor League Deal http://t.co/3KpAG2ZULI via @MLBHotCorner & @ClaytonRicher pic.twitter.com/Q5XEB36hwV
— Baseball Hot Corner (@MLBHotCorner) March 1, 2015
The move comes shorty after Michael Saunders, who was brought in from the Seattle Mariners in the offseason and slated to be the starting left field in 2015 for the Blue Jays, tore his meniscus stepping on a sprinkler just a few days ago. Saunders, originally expected to be out until the All Star Break, had surgery on Friday and the diagnosis improved and is expected back by mid-April. The Blue Jays had weak in-house options to replace Saunders, and the Viciedo signing is yet another smart move by Blue Jays brass this offseason.
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Viciedo was signed at 19 years of age as an international free agent out of Cuba in 2008 by the Chicago White Sox. He immediately became a Top 100 prospect but has yet to live up to that hype. That isn’t to say that Viciedo isn’t a highly serviceable left fielder, he simply has to improve his plate awareness. Still only 25 and with a nice power swing, Toronto may be the right place to do so.
The now 25-year old right handed slugger has never been known for batting for average, but last season hit new lows in Chicago. He struck out a career high and slashed a career low across the board. He did belt 21 home runs, however with the signing of Melky Cabrera, Viciedo became a high-priced bench player that simply didn’t fit in Chicago’s future plans.
Viciedo is a perfect signing, much like the brilliant Johan Santana signing just a few days ago. Kevin Pillar and Chris Dickerson, the Blue Jays options, have not shown that they are everyday Major League players and Viciedo should step in immediately to the starting lineup. As the Blue Jays have experienced with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, middling power hitters seem to come to Toronto and become All Stars. Is Viciedo heading down the same road?
Viciedo will be in spring training and should he make the Blue Jays Opening Day roster he is set to earn $2.5 million. Should he show he simply doesn’t have it anymore, the Blue Jays send him packing and roll with in-house options for a few weeks until Saunders returns. If Viciedo can transform himself however, as past sluggers have in Toronto, into a solid power-hitting platoon left fielder, the Blue Jays may have struck gold.