Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Angels are sending Mike Napoli to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal that would bring Vernon Wells back to Anaheim. There are apparently others involved in the deal.
Well, then.
Wells is owed $86 million over the next four years, a contract that made him seem untradeable, and it may be that the Blue Jays are eating a good chunk of his salary as part of this deal.
Rosenthal says Wells will play center for the Angels, with Hunter moving to right field.
Wells is a weird case. He's been well below-average defensively in centerfield the last three years, and since 2004, he's had an OPS over 800 in every even year and under 800 in every odd year, including particularly awful offensive seasons in 2007 and 2009.
I think we'll need to see the rest of the details to properly evaluate this. Very strange deal.
UPDATE -- Rosenthal says it is Napoli and Juan Rivera to Toronto, Wells and cash to the Angels. How much cash is, of course critical.
UPDATE II -- Multiple reports are saying that Toronto is sending no money to Anaheim. The Angels are taking on the entire Wells contract.
Stunning.