Blue Jays: Valencia, Carrera designated for assignment

The Blue Jays continued to fine-tune their lineup Saturday, a day after the baseball trade deadline that added four key new players but subsequently saw two others sent packing.

The team, needing to make room for its big acquisitions — David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Revere and Mark Lowe — was forced to shed bench contributors in Danny Valencia and Ezequiel Carrera.

The two were designated for assignment, which leaves various waiver options, a trade or an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo, which the player can refuse and opt for free agency.

There was an element of surprise, especially with Valencia, who was a solid contributor off the bench as a hitter but who necessitated an upgrade defensively in left field.

Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons met Friday after the deadline passed and decided to place Revere in an every-day situation in left field. That left little to no role for Valencia.

“(Friday) was a crazy day — we got Revere and we didn’t think that was going to happen,” Anthopoulos said.

“And then that was initially going to be a platoon with Revere (and Valencia), but we had talks and . . . figured out who was going to go. I think Gibby came away with the feeling he wants Revere in left field every day, so there wasn’t going to be any room for Valencia. With (Chris) Colabello, he was going to hit ahead of Valencia, so with good players like that, the manager can make the decision on who he wants.”

Several theories floated around Valencia, who exited Kansas City last season, just before the Royals went on a tear that led them to the World Series. Valencia was also owed about $700,000 (U.S.) by the Jays over the remainder of this season. Mark Zwolinski