Well That's Uncalled For

Toronto's General Manager, JP Ricciardi, did a call-in radio show where he was asked about the possibility of trading for Adam Dunn (227 / 395 / 514, 18 HR, 134 OPS+):

“Do you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much?” Ricciardi said to the caller. “Do you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player?

“There’s a reason why you’re attracted to some players and there’s a reason why you’re not attracted to some players. I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here …

“We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn. I don’t want to get into specifics.”

...“He’s a lifetime .230, .240 hitter that strikes out a ton and hits home runs,” Ricciardi said.

“Yes, he hits home runs, which none of the Toronto Blue Jays are doing,” the caller replied.

That retort triggered Ricciardi’s shot at Dunn as a player who “doesn’t really like baseball that much.”

While it's true that Dunn isn't really a big fan of the game, Ricciardi’s actions are pretty inexcusable. The Blue Jays are in last place in the East, and could use a guy who can get on base and hit for power (like, say, Frank Thomas - maybe they can work out a deal for him with Oakland). I don't think JP will have to worry about tampering (which is basically what this was - he's depressing Dunn's value as a player) much longer - I doubt he keeps his job past the end of the season.