National Post (National Edition)
Semien on board with position shift
FREE-AGENT SIGNING EAGER TO TRY SECOND BASE
There may have been just a touch of awkwardness in the Toronto Blue Jays’ early courtship of Marcus Semien, but it didn’t last long. As the groundwork was being laid for a one-year, US$18-million deal for the veteran infielder, Jays management was upfront from the outset. Yes, Semien was a career shortstop — and a good one at that — but heading into the 2021 season as far as the Jays were concerned, that real estate was going to belong to one Bo Bichette.
The money the Jays were offering didn’t hurt and with that opportunity, it didn’t take much to convince Semien to shift one infield spot to his left.
“During our Zoom call with Toronto they asked me what position do you like if it’s not shortstop,” Semien said on a Tuesday media call. “I said I like shortstop, but that’s when (the talk) of second base came about.
“It’s something I’ve done in the past but focusing on that every day is a little bit different. I knew it was a position switch, but it was something that at the end of the day (going to the Jays) could be something special.”
With that bit of business out of the way, there was a clear route for the two sides to align on a deal that has the potential to benefit both parties.
For Semien, rebounding from an off 2020 season would unlock the potential for a long-term payday going as a future free agent. For the Jays, there would be some much needed stability both as an upgrade and to be a positive influence on the young infielders around him.
“I started thinking that maybe a one-year deal is better, get a full season under my belt and put together a better season,” Semien, who played shortstop with the Oakland Athletics since 2015, said of the negotiations with the Jays. “Let’s try this again.
“Toronto was one of the first teams that called. They expressed their interest and what they liked about what I had to offer such a young talented group.”
Part of the Jays’ willingness to bet on Semien was the belief that impressive offensive numbers from 2019, a performance in which he hit .285 and was stout enough to finish third in AL MVP voting, were more representative of the player.
To that end, Semien, who has a reputation as a workhorse, explained why last season’s disruptions and distractions affected him so acutely.
“First and foremost, everybody’s routine was a little off, just because we couldn’t get to the ballpark when we wanted to,” Semien said. “Cage time was limited. As a creature of habit, it was an adjustment.
“Then I had a slump in summer camp and brought that into the season. Those things happen over the course of a long season, but when it’s at the beginning of a 60-game season, it stresses you a little bit.”
As for the defensive upgrades the Jays are seeking, the 30-yearold Semien has lived through some of the struggles that can occur in one’s early days in the big leagues.
“Sometimes players are a little tight and nervous just because it’s where you want to be your whole life and sometimes it doesn’t go your way,” Semien said. “You need to keep it a little more relaxed just to get through that time and that’s something I’ll be able to share with them.”
PLAY BALL
Now that MLB and the players association have confirmed that spring training and the regular season will begin as originally scheduled, Blue Jays personnel can actually firm up plans for mobilizing to Florida.
Up until last week, that was not the case.
But with the MLB players association rejecting the league’s request to delay the start of the season by a month — citing advice from medical experts around related to the raging COVID-19 numbers in Florida and Arizona — it’s on with the show.
MLB’s proposal to reduce the schedule to 154-games over a shorter period (and adding more post-season games) was rejected by the union, which has become increasingly skeptical of the owners’ motives. With it, the universal DH proposal is also history.
“We want to play a full season,” said Semien, a player rep while in Oakland. “We learned a lot about this virus and how to navigate it and we’ve gotten better at it. We had an entire off-season to learn about it. We like our chances of getting this thing rolling because we are an outdoor sport.
“We learned last year that the virus did not get transmitted from team to team. That shows that our game is one of the safest to play.”
Semien said high among the players concerns with the delayed/reduced schedule was worries that the compression plus doubleheaders could lead to more injuries.
“The me, that proposal it could be a little dangerous for players if you look at injuries,” Semien said. “(Playing) 154 games in 166 days and expanded playoffs ... we had some concerns about it.”
For the Jays, a delayed start likely would have been seen as favourable, at least opening the possibility of games being played in Toronto later in the summer. Jays pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Dunedin on Feb. 17 with the first of 32 Grapefruit League games slated for 10 days later.
QUICK HITS
The Red Sox didn’t waste any time announcing spring training plans that include JetBlue Park in Fort Myers open to fans for Grapefruit League games at a 24 per cent capacity (or 2,400 people) ... The Jays have no plans for ticket sales to spring training games though it remains a possibility. Like most MLB teams, practice sessions at the training facility will be closed to the public.