Bill Caudill celebrates his 70th birthday today.
For those unfamiliar, Caudill was the Blue Jays’ answer to B.J. Ryan back in the 1980s. He broke into the majors with the Cubs, then found his stride as one of baseball’s elite closers in Seattle, before moving to Oakland, where he racked up 36 saves in a season.
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After the 1984 season, the Jays traded Dave Collins and Alfredo Griffin for Caudill. Collins spent one not-great season with the A’s. Griffin spent three seasons in Oakland. Surprisingly, the A’s used him as a leadoff hitter. Considering he had a .307 OBP with him, it was a curious choice.
After a decent first season with the Jays (2.99 ERA and 14 saves), the Jays wanted to lock up Caudill for the future.
Caudill became agent Scott Boras’s first client, landing a five-year, $7 million contract. Fortunately for the Jays, only the first three years were guaranteed at $4.5 million, with vesting options for the remaining two. At the time, that was a significant sum. As we know, long-term contracts for closers rarely work out in the team’s favor.
The following season was a disappointment. Caudill ended with a 6.19 ERA and just two saves. He and manager Jimy Williams clashed, as Caudill believed he deserved the closer role, while Williams preferred the powerful arm of Tom Henke. With rookie Mark Eichhorn frequently pitching multiple innings in 89 games, there were few high-leverage spots left for Caudill.
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During the off-season, the Jays released him.
He signed with the A’s but struggled with ongoing shoulder issues and soon left baseball. After retiring, he went on to work with Boras.
Caudill finished his career with 106 saves, a 3.68 ERA over 445 games, and 24 starts.
Happy birthday, Bill.
It is also outfielder Joe Cannon’s 73rd birthday.
Cannon played two seasons with the Jays (1979 and 1980) after arriving in a trade from the Astros, along with Mark Lemongello and Pete Hernandez, in exchange for Alan Ashby.
The trade ultimately didn’t work out for the Jays:
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Lemongello pitched in 18 games during 1979, recording a 1-9 record and a 6.29 ERA.
There’s an unusual note on Lemongello’s Wikipedia page:
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In 1982, a few years after leaving baseball, Lemongello and his former Wichita teammate, Manuel Seoane, were arrested for kidnapping and robbing Lemongello’s cousins—Mike Lemongello, a former professional bowler, and Peter Lemongello. Lemongello received seven years’ probation after pleading no contest to the charges.
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Hernandez appeared in 11 games across the 1979 and 1982 seasons.
Cannon played in 131 games over his two seasons with the Jays, serving as a fourth outfielder, designated hitter, and pinch-hitter. He posted a .177/.186/.208 batting line.
Ashby went on to play 11 seasons with the Astros, proving to be a solid catcher both defensively and offensively. The Jays had three promising young catchers—Rick Cerone, Ernie Whitt, and Ashby—but Pat Gillick arguably should have secured a better return for Ashby. Not all of Pat’s trades were winners.
Happy birthday, Joe.
It is also Ty France’s 32nd birthday.
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Ty is a glove-first first baseman. I’m not a fan of a glove-first first baseman. But he’s having a decent year with the bat for the Padres this year.
He’s had eight seasons in the majors, 910 games, a .263/.334/.406 with 92 home runs.
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