The Blue Jays just announced that they have claimed Jesus Montero off waivers from the Mariners.
Interesting move, I suppose. Montero, 26, struggled in spring training. He had a disappointing 2012-15 as well, at least at the big league level. Still, in baseball, if you were a prospect once it’s hard for people not to think that you’re just a tweak or two away from regaining your form or fulfilling your potential. Ask Dontrelle Willis how that works. Same goes for Montero who, once upon a time, looked like a can’t-miss prospect. Today Dave Cameron offered some smart words about him and so-called “cant-miss prospects” that are well worth remembering, but people always forget it anyway.
It’s hard to see where Montero fits on the Blue Jays, but they’ve taken on reclamation projects in the past that have worked out well for them. They’ll likely send him to the minors to see if they can’t fix him and have him available for depth going forward. If he can hit like he did at Tacoma last year -- .355/.398/.569 with 18 home runs and 85 RBI in 430 plate appearances -- he should get his usual brief tour of the big leagues in 2016 as well.