I think I would be in the majority with how surprised I was to see Toronto and Seattle making this type of trade. I am not surprised on Toronto's end, but more so Seattle, because in all reality they are going "all-in" this year by trading away Brandon Morrow for Brandon League and a second-tier prospect.
Seattle is getting a guy that has the stuff and the makeup to be a great setup guy or a closer if he really puts his talent to use. Last year was his first full year in the big leagues, and although his ERA wasn't all that impressive (4.58), he has shown me that with a few adjustments he can improve. He has a plus fastball that is consistently in the mid 90's and sometimes touches 97-98 MPH. He has developed a change-up to tackle left handed hitters and last time I saw him pitch it seemed to have good depth and deception. I have seen him show a slider to right hander's to keep them off of his fastball, but I think that in time the change-up will be his go-to second pitch even against right handed batters.
The second guy involved in the trade is a strong tools outfielder who has a lot of raw ability but has yet to show an ability to put it together and struggles with plate discipline. League will fit in well with Seattle and I think he will eventually take over the closers role, especially knowing how inconsistent that incumbent closer David Aardsma can be.
What is being said around baseball is that this trade seems pretty lopsided. In my opinion it doesn't make baseball sense from a GM's point of view to trade a potential top of the rotation guy for a setup guy. Granted they are both young and League is more proven than Morrow, but Morrow has shown that he can deliver one plus pitch for an entire game. If the Jays handle him right and develop what's missing from his arsenal, this will be a steal and we will all look at Seattle and say "why did they do that?"
With these kind of trades there is always a lot of speculation because you're dealing with relatively young and not very well established major leaguers. If you put aside the future results, looking at this deal from an X's and O's standpoint makes me really question Seattle's willingness to give up a guy that could be an impact starter for many years to come.
On to other stuff:
The Yankees surprised everyone and went out and got another ace in Javier Vazquez. I think this was a brilliant move by the Yankees. They are basically creating a team that on paper looks unbeatable. Vazquez is unquestionably durable and is a two-way pitcher, in that he can get ground balls but also racks up high strikeout counts. I know that Atlanta needed to shed payroll, but unless they see Melky Cabrera developing into a more all-around hitter I think they lose in this deal.
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