Part 6: In need of relief…

12 th trade, to Tampa Bay: Mark Hendrickson, minor league Sandy Nin, Received Justin Speier
This three way trade was the first of two trades during the off-season that helped solidify the Blue Jay bullpen. The tall left-handed Hendrickson had shown flashes of talent during his stint with the Jays but was seen as expendable with the acquisition of Lilly. Speier came in and was immediately solid for the Jays, becoming the setup man for the next three seasons. This is a trade where Ricciardi got a great deal for a position of which he had good depth. Speier vastly outperformed Hendrickson, establishing a VORP 33.6 runs higher than Hendrickson's during his tenure as a Blue Jay. Hendrickson has additional value since he was traded to the Dodgers while Speier's future with the Jays is currently in the air as he is an unrestricted free agent.

Justin Speier
Total VORP: 55.2
Total WS: 20

Mark Hendrickson
Total VORP: 21.6
Total WS: 19

As a starter, Hendrickson had more win shares than the reliever Speier but their value can be measured in the difference in VORP. Although this trade won't be evaluated until the additional value of the Hendrickson trade and the Speier free agent situation is figured out, this seems like a trade where the Blue Jay brass was able to solidify a tough position by dealing depth in a positive fashion.

13 th trade, to LAD: Jayson Werth, Received Jason Frasor
Right before the season began, the Jays figured out that although they had no room for Werth on the roster, he had impressed enough through spring training that he would not be able to get through waivers. A deal was struck with the Dodgers for young reliever Jason Frasor. Both players were earning the minimum in their first season and both produced well with VORPs over 15. Frasor continued his solid pitching for the Jays throughout the next two seasons while Werth regressed in the following season and was not on the Dodgers last season. This is a trade where again Ricciardi was able to deal from a position of depth to acquire an asset he needed, along with getting the more productive player.