Toronto Blue Jays

[D-Gap-Willie]

There was no point in making a $14 M qualifying offer to Johnson. It was obvious to most observers that Johnson had completely lost his pitching mechanics while trying to recover from shoulder inflammation ( and subsequent problems) early in the 2011 season. He had moments when he looked OK, but it was obvious that he was still battling injury problems. Can he rebound ? I doubt it. Almost 3 years of battling through arm issues will make a permanent mess of pitching mechanics. He got more than $35 million for only 13 wins in the last 3 seasons. Now his agent wants another $10 M for next season. A minor league contract would be more realistic.
I don't see the trade as having "gone bad for the Jays". They still got Reyes and Buerhle, and gave up very little in return.