One Jay not waiting for his Grand finale
Veteran Granderson not keeping track of trade rumours
Curtis Granderson got the notifications, too. On Monday morning, Granderson, long considered a possible trade candidate thanks to his expiring contract and touted veteran presence, was the subject of a report by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who tweeted that the Philadelphia Phillies were talking to the Blue Jays about the 37-year-old outfielder.
The Phillies, who demoted struggling fourth outfielder Aaron Altherr to their Triple-A affiliate on Sunday night, are reportedly looking for a left-handed bat off the bench and an occasional starter in the outfield. Granderson, who is hitting .240 with nine home runs against right-handers this season, could fit that bill.
Outsiders might have heard the rumour from social media or a news outlet. Granderson learned his name was out there thanks to texts from friends and family. While the Jays are widely considered sellers thanks to a 46-52 record heading into Monday night’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins, Granderson said no one in the clubhouse talks trades
“They expect us to know,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Hey, did you hear this?’ How would I have heard that? I’m not looking for it. But everyone assumes that that’s all we do, we’re waiting for our name to come across and look it up to see. If it comes up in conversation, it’s just an, ‘Oh, I heard this, I thought that.’ That’s it.”
Despite being in the midst of his 15th season in the big leagues, Granderson has only been traded twice in his career. He was moved from the Detroit Tigers to the New York Yankees in December 2009 and then from the New York Mets to the Los Angeles Dodgers last August.
“The biggest thing is control what you can control,” Granderson said of navigating a time of year when the rumour mill churns more vigorously than usual.
“There’s nothing you can really do. I have never been in a position, no-trade clause guy or a10-and-5 guy where I can have any say in it, so I just kind of do my thing, get myself ready to play every day and wait and see if anything does or doesn’t happen. “Most of the time it doesn’t.” Granderson joined the Jays as a free agent in January, backed by a reputation as a good clubhouse guy who gives a lot back to the city in which he plays.
Jays manager John Gibbons believes the outfielder has lived up to those expectations, and then some, in his four months in Toronto.
“I’d heard all the good things about him,” Gibbons said. “(Former Detroit Tigers manager) Jim Leyland’s a good buddy of mine and he had him in Detroit. Everywhere (Granderson) goes, they say, ‘This guy’s a tremendous individual.’
“Really good player but he’s a leader, refreshing to a club- house, and every bit of that’s true and more.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks with him but, if something does, I’ll tell you I’ve enjoyed being around him as much as anybody.
“He’s the real deal. He’s been a great player for us but he’s just a class act.”
As for what he’s learned from Toronto, Granderson admits he still doesn’t understand the metric system.
He also doesn’t get some peo- ple’s reaction to his belief that Toronto is one of the best cities in the world.
“I’ve told people this from even before I played here, that it’s always been one of my top cities in the world, of all the places I’ve travelled to,” he said. “I feel like when I tell native Canadians, they’re surprised to hear me say it.
“I’m not sure if there’s a complex of how can an American think that Toronto is a great place, but it is.”
As for the biggest change should he leave the city and the Jays, Granderson said the most challenging part of last year’s mid-season trade was learning who is who, who does what and putting names to faces in a new clubhouse in a short amount of time.
Otherwise, it was just a matter of putting on a different jersey and doing what he has always done: play baseball.
“There’s nothing really you can learn about it except continue to go in and do your thing.”