Alex Rios, Gone. Where Do The Blue Jays Go From Here?

Written By: Mark "The Hard Hitter" Ritter “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run”. Babe RuthAnd so it goes for general manager J.P. Riccardi and his Toronto Blue Jays.Yesterday, news hit the airwaves that one time first round draft pick (1999) and two time All-Star (2006, 2007) Alex Rios was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox.Rios, who was hitting .264 with 14 Home Runs and 62 RBI’s, was signed to a monster contract by Blue Jays general manager J.P. Riccardi just 18 months ago. The deal was worth $69.8 Million over four years, which, at the time, based on Rios’ past and future potential, seemed about right. Sadly, despite the huge upside that Rios has, he has never materialized into the player the Jays had hoped for. Now, with payroll clearly being an issue in Toronto, Blue Jay fans watched as one of their top producers—Rios was third in home runs, third in RBI’s and seventh in on base percentage—was let go...