Grichuk trade paying off for Jays, Cardinals
Outfielder learned from two of the best in St. Louis
MONTREAL — Pure baseball trades that are made simply to help both teams in the present tense are becoming a thing of the Major League Baseball past. But the Cardinals and Blue Jays pulled off one of those deals in January when Toronto sent breakout reliever Dominic Leone to St. Louis for outfielder Randal Grichuk. Leone picked up the save on Monday night and has a chance at the closer’s role, while Grichuk has replaced Jose Bautista as an important cog to the offence in right field.
“They needed bullpen help and they got Leone,” Grichuk agreed. “And they needed outfield help here so they got me. It helped both teams out and I’m excited to see what we both can do for each club, see how the trade works out, but I’m definitely excited to be over here.”
Grichuk was able early on Monday to meet and greet his former teammates as the two sides met in a two-game exhibition series at Olympic Stadium to wrap up spring play. He was especially inspired by two men who over his four years as a Cardinal showed him how to prepare and be a major leaguer.
“Yadier Molina when it comes to defence,” Grichuk said of one of those role models. “Obviously, it’s different positions, but you see him busting it, working on drills and he’s arguably the greatest catcher ever. Still training at 5:30 in the morning on days you don’t have to be there until 8 o’clock. Seeing that work ethic late in his career is something that you look up to and say that’s who I want to be.
“Then from an offensive standpoint it’s Matt Carpenter. He would go in there and hit and hit and work on his craft and understand that’s what his job is and that’s what he’d need to do. If it takes more hitting after the game or more hitting early in the day, he’s got to do what he’s got to do. Those are a couple of guys that you look up to in how his work ethic is.”
Meanwhile, Leone, who reestablished his career in his one season as a Jay in 2017, also made the cross-field trek to the Jays side to greet old friends. The 26-year-old Leone is already with his fourth organization, so he knows the drill.
“I’ve met tons of players, whether it’s in the minor leagues or the big leagues, and it is always nice to know that network is a lot smaller than you think,” Leone said of renewing friendships with ex-teammates.
“You might run into a guy you played with five or six years ago. It is fun and you do just pick right back up. It is fun and it makes things a lot easier.”
Leone understands how important his emergence into a reliable late-inning reliever for the Jays in 2017 has been for his career. He is now one of the main options being considered for the Cards’ closer role.
“Hopefully, it leads to consistency down the line,” Leone said. “I’ll always feel that last year was definitely another stepping-stone toward a successful career. It is one of those things that (baseball) is a business. You never know when things like this are going to happen. Clearly, Toronto felt they had a need at a certain position and St. Louis felt the same way. It worked out and I think two great organizations made a pretty easy swap.”