Blue Jays Sign Thomas, Zaun

So, does anyone else suspect that maybe the owners aren’t suffering as much as they would like us to believe? There have been some downright perplexing signings this winter, among which are two made by Toronto.

Frank Thomas

I’ve admired Frank Thomas’ skill set of power and patience for a long time, and it’s great to see him rewarded for a fine 2006 campaign that saw him knock 39 homers for the Oakland A’s while earning “just” (we should all be so lucky) $500,000. That said, he’s been injured over much of the past six seasons and he turns 39 in May. In other words, Toronto is nuts to give him $18 million guaranteed for 2 years. It could work out okay for the Blue Jays, but there is way too much risk here.

Gregg Zaun

Greg Zaun is a 36-year-old catcher with a career batting line of .253/.345/.385. He earned $1 million in 2006 and hit .272/.363/.462 — one of his better showings — over 339 plate appearances. Zaun’s reward? A 2-year, $7.25 million deal to stay in Toronto.

At this point, I’d like to make it perfectly clear that I don’t begrudge the players one bit for taking what the market gives them. But the next time you hear an owner complain about escalating salaries, just ask yourself who is responsible for the situation?

Hint: It’s not the players or their agents.