Saunders itching to get going
Happy he’s still with Jays, Victoria native considers 2016 his ‘redemption year’
MONTREAL — It was easy to pick out the two Canadians in the Blue Jays clubhouse following Friday night’s 4-2 pre-season loss to the Boston Red Sox at Olympic Stadium.
One — catcher Russell Martin — held court with the Quebec media, happily conversing in French, the language he grew up speaking on the streets of Montreal.
The other — left-fielder Michael Saunders — sat at a table by himself, digging into a post-game meal, resplendent in a red and black checkered Sault Ste. Marie dinner jacket, as if to make it absolutely clear he is a Canadian.
It’s difficult to tell from his demeanour — Saunders is a lowkey, laid-back guy — but the Victoria native is probably the most excited of all the Blue Jays to get the 2016 regular season going.
“He’s probably more excited than anybody to get going here because just being here is such a relief for him,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.
A relief in two ways. The Jays traded for Saunders Dec. 3, 2014, for pitcher J.A. Happ, a dream come true for the B.C. boy who grew up cheering for Toronto. But Saunders stepped on a sprinkler in spring training last seasonand under went surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, missing all but nine games of the regular season and all the playoffs.
And of course, the other reason the 29-year-old left-handed power hitter is relieved is simply because he’s still here. Early in spring training, reports suggested the Jays were nearing a deal to send Saunders to the Los Angeles Angels.
The trade never went down, but Saunders was forced to answer questions about the prospective deal for weeks. He still is.
With all that in mind, Saunders began to wonder if his career in Toronto would end up being a sad joke. And that is why he can hardly wait for the regular season to begin Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
“I understand it’s part of the business,” Saunders said of the rumours. “It is what it is, but I’m just really happy to be a Jay. I told (GM) Ross (Atkins) this is going to be the best trade that he never made. For me, I feel like it’s a redemption year. I didn’t get to play last year and I want to show why I was traded for and I just want to do whatever I can to help this team.”
Saunders has been impressive this spring. His home run Friday was his fourth of spring training. He is batting .318 with four walks and a team-leading 11 RBIs.
Some players might have been put off by the trade rumours. Saunders certainly wasn’t pleased, but now looks at is as water under the bridge and is intent on helping the Jays get to the World Series this year.
“You can look at it one of two ways,” he said. “You can sulk and be mad about the situation, but I look at it as I wasn’t traded and I’m just really happy to still be here.
“I know Gibby, Ross, (president) Mark (Shapiro), they all made me feel as comfortable about the situation as possible, they realize there’s a human element to this game and we’re not just chess pieces on a board, we’re human beings. I think sometimes people lose track of that as baseball players.
“You forget we are people as well and we have emotional feelings, and they did a great job of making me feel taken care of throughout that whole (trade rumour) situation. They constantly contacted me to make sure I was in a good mindset. … Made me feel part of the family and assured me they were just rumours.”