Blue Jays Boost Offense With Overbay Acquisition

By Matt Meyers
December 8, 2005

Having signed A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan to lavish five-year contracts, the Blue Jays are clearly in win-now mode. With that in mind, general manager J.P. Ricciardi sent righthander David Bush, outfielder Gabe Gross and lefthander Zach Jackson to the Brewers for first baseman Lyle Overbay and righthander Ty Taubenheim.

The deal bolsters the Toronto offense, which has been Ricciardi's focus since bringing in Burnett and Ryan. While the Blue Jays finished fifth in the American League in runs in 2005, their offense stills lacked punch.

Overbay may not be the masher they once had in Carlos Delgado, but he will give them a boost. The lefthanded hitter batted .276/.367/.449 in 2005 and .301/.385/.478 in 2004. Originally drafted by the Diamondbacks out of Nevada in 1999, Overbay went to Milwaukee in a package for Richie Sexson in December 2003. The 28-year-old is a patient hitter who is willing to go the other way. He mostly has doubles power, having hit 87 over the last two years.

Defensively, he has solid range and excellent hands. He will start at first base, a position that was handled mostly by Shea Hillenbrand and Eric Hinske in 2005. Hinkse will likely be the odd man out, with Hillenbrand getting most of the DH at-bats.

With Overbay gone in Milwaukee, the Brewers' youth movement continues as the path is now clear for Prince Fielder to be the everyday first baseman. Bush, 26, will compete for a rotation spot in Milwaukee, and the other players will further bolster an already strong farm system.

Bush, a second-rounder in 2002 out of Wake Forest, ascended rapidly through the minors before making a promising big league debut in 2004. A reliever in college, he was converted to a starter in the minors and made 24 starts for the Blue Jays in 2005 going 5-11, 4.49 in 136 innings. His best pitch is a slow curve, and he also features a low 90s fastball with average life. Bush has had trouble developing a consistent changeup, which has allowed lefthanders to pound him.

In Gross and Jackson, the Brewers receive two first-round picks. Gross was the 15th overall pick out of Auburn in 2001, while Jackson was the 32nd overall pick in 2004 out of Texas A&M.

A starting quarterback as a freshman at Auburn in 1998, Gross is an excellent athlete with solid or above-average tools across the board. After hitting .319/.423/.481 in Double-A in 2003, Gross was clearly in the Jays plans, but he has yet to produce in limited big league duty. In 221 major league at-bats he has hit .250/.324/.348.

The Blue Jays were aggressive with Jackson, starting him off in high Class A Dunedin and promoting him twice. The 22-year-old led the minors with 16 wins in 2005, but he was hit harder as he advanced, posting a 2.88 ERA at Dunedin, a 4.00 ERA at Double-A New Hampshire and a 5.13 ERA at Triple-A Syracuse.

Jackson works quickly with a quirky motion that makes his pitches look faster than they are. He developed an 83-89 mph cut fastball this season that he gets in on righthanded batters. He also throws a two-seam fastball in the 88-92 mph range and a sweeping curve he uses to expand the zone against lefties. His change is average, but he commands it well. Jackson is an intense competitor and a terrific athlete who fields his position well.

The final piece of the trade, Taubenheim, gives the Blue Jays a righthander with fringy stuff who has had decent success in pro ball. A 19th-rounder in 2003 out of Edmonds (Wash.) Community College, the 6-foot-5 Taubenheim was 10-2, 2.63 at high Class A Brevard County in 2005 before earning a promotion to Double-A Huntsville. He struggled there, going 2-6, 4.36.

The 23-year-old has a fastball that sits in the 86-89 mph range with a slurvy curveball, a changeup and a slider that is his best pitch. While his command is not pinpoint, he is able to throw all of his pitches for strikes.