So we've had a couple of hours to let the idea sink in so I thought we'd put up a poll to see who we think won the trade.
Baseball Prospectus likes it a lot from the Jays side. I'll quote a bit:
So, we're all in understanding that this Yunel Escobar character and Bobby Cox don't seem to be likely to swap Christmas cards in the years to come, right? Cuteness aside, this was a lovely little move by Alex Anthopolous, and exactly the sort of thing he should be doing this season. Converting some or many of the veterans enjoying fine seasons on a surprising competitive Jays team isn't cynical, it represents a realistic appraisal of what this team's place is in the great chain of major-league being: fourth place in the AL East, again. Rather than stoically perpetuate that destiny, Anthopolous continued doing what he set out to do from the start, going about making something out of very little. This deal could very well be one of the foundation stones of that effort.
Beyond that they congratulate AA for picking up Gonzalez in the off-season, a move a lot of us (ok me) didn't like all that much. AA picked up a player that plays a position that contenders often need.
About Escobar this season:
Escobar's performance this season has been fine in the field, and he's walking as well as ever. What's changed in his batting that has effectively ruined his season so far are two things: his pop-up rate has spiked dramatically, from a career rate that was below six percent before the season, and is at 16 percent in 2010. That suggests a lot of fruitless attempts to power pitches, but his strikeout rate hasn't changed any, while his BABIP has predictably dropped from .310 or better the previous three seasons to .270 this year
They also suggest that seeing Escobar among the Jay's free swingers will be interesting and they wonder if Cito and Murphy will be able to help his power numbers and if that power would come at a cost of some of his walks, saying that is what has happened with Fred Lewis.
They also think Reyes should be tried in the bullpen.
Adding a bit: They also don't much understand the Braves wanting Gonzo...
Betting on Alex Gonzalez while he's slugging a career-high .497 in his age-33 season, seems crazy on more than a few levels, but ridding Bobby Cox of Escobar at least came with a goodie basket in the form of a pair of players who could end up being good secondary players in the major leagues. But Gonzo? He of the .296 OBP? Does this really sound like a win-now move?
In fairness, it was Anyway the poll: