<p>So this is turning into an interesting little deal. The details are still filtering out, but right now what we know is that the Blue Jays have traded Francisco Liriano to the Astros for 35-year-old outfielder Nori Aoki, plus a minor leaguer.</p>
<p>Why is that interesting? Because Aoki makes $5.5 million this season (about $1.8 million remains on the deal), and will be arbitration eligible in 2018. He&#8217;s far more likely a non-tender candidate than an actual candidate to play for the Jays next season, but Aoki has a chance (assuming he&#8217;s not immediately D&#8217;d FA) to play a little down the stretch for the Jays and maybe opens some eyes. He gives them a little bit of insurance for an outfield that will be in flux &#8212; and maybe he even gets tendered, with an eye to giving him a DFA in the spring and only paying one sixth of what his deal is. He has a .350 career on-base in the big leagues (he only arrived from Japan in 2012), and before this season was a perfectly slightly-below-average-ish player.</p>
<p>This year, however, he&#8217;s been merely replacement level, as his wRC+ has sunk to 87, and his defence has never really graded out well.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s more important about this is taking on that financial commitment. Aoki&#8217;s money balances out some of Liriano&#8217;s money going to Houston, so the Jays are indeed using some of their financial muscle here. Hopefully they&#8217;ll accommodate the Astros even more eating a bunch of money on Liriano&#8217;s contract, too &#8212; thus receiving a better &#8220;minor leaguer&#8221; in the deal.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s also this:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I have two Nori Aoki memories: <br />1.) wanting the Jays to go after him in &#39;14<br />2.) him whiffing on a foul ball and getting hit in the dick <a href="https://t.co/Xkg2IX3LvW">pic.twitter.com/Xkg2IX3LvW</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Richard Lee-Sam (@RLeesam) <a href="https://twitter.com/RLeesam/status/892082713867505666">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h1>More importantly&#8230;</h1>
<p>We now know the name of the prospect coming along with Aoki, and &#8212; holy piss &#8212; it&#8217;s a pretty decent one!</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Minor-leaguer <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> getting from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> is OF Teoscar Hernandez, per source</p>
<p>&mdash; Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/892087202448068608">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>All of the main sites seem to have Hernandez as being a top 10 prospect in the Astros&#8217; system (<a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2017-houston-astros-midseason-top-10-prospects/#7kju0AUFjJda03HD.97">Baseball America</a> ranked him eighth on their recent mid-season top 10), and we also have this:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pre-season, <a href="https://twitter.com/keithlaw">@keithlaw</a> on Teoscar: &quot;chance to be someone’s regular in right field, maybe in center if you can live with subpar defense there&quot;</p>
<p>&mdash; Andrew Stoeten (@AndrewStoeten) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/892089537329070083">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Really like this deal for both teams. Blue Jays get a high-floor prospect in Teoscar Hernandez, Astros have 1,278 outfield prospects.</p>
<p>&mdash; Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB) <a href="https://twitter.com/Crawford_MILB/status/892090048094519297">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/Wilnerness590">@Wilnerness590</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith">@bnicholsonsmith</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FAN590Walker">@FAN590Walker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten">@AndrewStoeten</a> Hutchison for hernandez ramirez aoki mcguire and a year of liriano!? Jays FO=??</p>
<p>&mdash; Canucks/Jays (@CanucksJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksJays/status/892090563498987520">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Return for Francisco Liriano for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> all about Teoscar Hernandez, whom they believe can be an everyday player.</p>
<p>&mdash; Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/892090032256933890">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Teoscar Hernandez&#39; first big league plate appearance was in Toronto&#8230; against Francisco Liriano. He drew a walk.</p>
<p>&mdash; Jamie Campbell (@SNETCampbell) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNETCampbell/status/892089006820864000">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Teoscar Hernandez 1st MLB homer vs the guy he was just traded for, Liriano. <a href="https://t.co/qvV9kzuKxB">pic.twitter.com/qvV9kzuKxB</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Gruber&#39;s Mullet (@GrubersMullet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrubersMullet/status/892092539787988993">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> GM Ross Atkins said priority at deadline was controllable, young, near-MLB talent. Hernandez is, by all definitions, that.</p>
<p>&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/892091617204727808">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Jays just got a big league ready OFer w/ some upside, and has 6 years of team control. I&#39;m floored Liriano brought that kind of return.</p>
<p>&mdash; BK (@brendonkuhn) <a href="https://twitter.com/brendonkuhn/status/892091028584382464">July 31, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Yep, Hernandez was in the big leagues already. In fact, he took 112 plate appearances in the majors last year, putting up a 93 wRC+. He was basically replacement level, but obviously the Jays see potential for more from the 24-year-old. This year he has slashed .279/.369/.485 in Fresno, and while there may be a little bit of PCL inflation to that, we don&#8217;t seem to quite worry about that stuff the way we used to (it&#8217;s really more about specific parks).</p>
<p>Hard not to like this trade for a team that will need a replacement for at least one corner outfielder next season &#8212; and especially the bit about him being able to play a little bit of centre in a pinch, albeit not very well. Gives them another nice young option in the mix &#8212; and a cheap one at that.</p>
<p>Not bad, Jays. Not bad at all.</p>


So this is turning into an interesting little deal. The details are still filtering out, but right now what we know is that the Blue Jays have traded Francisco Liriano to the Astros for 35-year-old outfielder Nori Aoki, plus a minor leaguer.

Why is that interesting? Because Aoki makes $5.5 million this season (about $1.8 million remains on the deal), and will be arbitration eligible in 2018. He's far more likely a non-tender candidate than an actual candidate to play for the Jays next season, but Aoki has a chance (assuming he's not immediately D'd FA) to play a little down the stretch for the Jays and maybe opens some eyes. He gives them a little bit of insurance for an outfield that will be in flux -- and maybe he even gets tendered, with an eye to giving him a DFA in the spring and only paying one sixth of what his deal is. He has a .350 career on-base in the big leagues (he only arrived from Japan in 2012), and before this season was a perfectly slightly-below-average-ish player.

This year, however, he's been merely replacement level, as his wRC+ has sunk to 87, and his defence has never really graded out well.

What's more important about this is taking on that financial commitment. Aoki's money balances out some of Liriano's money going to Houston, so the Jays are indeed using some of their financial muscle here. Hopefully they'll accommodate the Astros even more eating a bunch of money on Liriano's contract, too -- thus receiving a better "minor leaguer" in the deal.

There's also this:

https://twitter.com/RLeesam/status/892082713867505666
<h1>More importantly...</h1>
We now know the name of the prospect coming along with Aoki, and -- holy piss -- it's a pretty decent one!

https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/892087202448068608

All of the main sites seem to have Hernandez as being a top 10 prospect in the Astros' system (<a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2017-houston-astros-midseason-top-10-prospects/#7kju0AUFjJda03HD.97">Baseball America</a> ranked him eighth on their recent mid-season top 10), and we also have this:

https://twitter.com/AndrewStoeten/status/892089537329070083

https://twitter.com/Crawford_MILB/status/892090048094519297

https://twitter.com/CanucksJays/status/892090563498987520

https://twitter.com/ShiDavidi/status/892090032256933890

https://twitter.com/SNETCampbell/status/892089006820864000

https://twitter.com/GrubersMullet/status/892092539787988993

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/892091617204727808

https://twitter.com/brendonkuhn/status/892091028584382464

Yep, Hernandez was in the big leagues already. In fact, he took 112 plate appearances in the majors last year, putting up a 93 wRC+. He was basically replacement level, but obviously the Jays see potential for more from the 24-year-old. This year he has slashed .279/.369/.485 in Fresno, and while there may be a little bit of PCL inflation to that, we don't seem to quite worry about that stuff the way we used to (it's really more about specific parks).

Hard not to like this trade for a team that will need a replacement for at least one corner outfielder next season -- and especially the bit about him being able to play a little bit of centre in a pinch, albeit not very well. Gives them another nice young option in the mix -- and a cheap one at that.

Not bad, Jays. Not bad at all.

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