Jays clear way for Saunders, Pompey
Canadian outfielders will fill hole created by Revere trade
There are two huge factors that render the Blue Jays trade of left fielder Ben Revere for reliever Drew Storen anywhere from acceptable to excellent. First, in November, there was speculation that Revere might be a non-tender candidate, that the Jays might not offer him a contract — and make him a free agent — to save payroll. Instead he was tendered and is arbitration-eligible and brought back a nice return. The second factor is that the acquisition of Storen, the former closer of the Washington Nationals, gives the Jays pitching flexibility they might not otherwise have. Both are good results.
The Jays will add Storen to a list of back-end relievers that already includes Roberto Osuna, Aaron Sanchez and Brett Cecil. That could give the Jays depth in a vital area that was considered shallow. But they could also use the Storen acquisition to free up Sanchez to bid for a spring spot in a rotation that currently has question marks. The Jays last season walked a high wire with a 20-year-old closer and almost made it work. But the sturdy presence of Storen, who was bumped in Washington by Jonathan Papelbon, takes pressure off of Osuna.
As for Revere, the Jays took full advantage of his speed on the bases and defence in left field for three exciting months, but removing his offence from the lineup is like worrying about actress Charlize Theron changing her brand of lip gloss. It’s all cosmetic.
Coincidentally, the hotel attached to the Rogers Centre hosted the annual Team Canada banquet and silent auction Saturday. It’s always a proud event that demonstrates player loyalty to the national program, run out of Ottawa by executive director Greg Hamilton, as dozens of former major-leaguers and veterans of the junior and senior programs return to pay their respects and be respectful.
With Revere traded the night before, Michael Saunders and Dalton Pompey, the leading candidates for the Jays’ left-field job — the candidates for the third and fourth spots in the outfield, in fact — were in attendance. They both downplayed their thoughts on the loss of Revere and what it means to them.
Former GM Alex Anthopoulos traded lefty J.A. Happ to Seattle for Saunders last off-season, and the left field job was supposed to be his. But the day before the first full-squad workout, the B.C. native stepped on a sprinkler head at the minor-league complex and tore up his knee and his meniscus. Saunders opted for the surgery and made a too-hasty return before being felled after a brief early-season stint.
His spirit is willing. We’ll see about the flesh being strong.
“They’ve always voiced that, despite the injury, they traded for me for a reason and they wanted me to be a part of the outfield going into the future,” Saunders said. “I felt very welcome with this organization.
“They’ve made me feel very, very comfortable and they kept reminding me throughout the process last year, this off-season, all the way through, that I’m a member of the Blue Jays and they haven’t forgotten about me.”
Saunders blames his physical setbacks more on the bone bruise that accompanied the trauma of the meniscus tear and swears that, after working out for a month in Denver, he feels like he never had the surgery. He will head to Dunedin within a week and be in the hands of the Jays’ trainers.
“We’re not going zero to 100 (miles per hour),” Saunders said. “We’re taking this day-by-day and making sure that I’m ready to go.
Going into spring training, you always have to feel like you’re competing for a job. Whether or not the (Revere) trade went down, I was going to go to spring training competing for a job in left field. My mindset hasn’t changed despite the trade.
“Obviously in order to add players you have to be willing to give up players. We clearly added a great arm in the bullpen and the Nationals got a great outfielder.”
Meanwhile there is a healthy competition for the Jays’ left-field job between Saunders and Pompey. The Mississauga native received a huge late-season boost, contributing in the playoffs, and the Revere trade likely means he can remove bridge information to Buffalo from his GPS.
“It definitely presented another opportunity,” Pompey said, while explaining his reaction to the Revere trade.
“When Ben was here, I was fortunate enough to be around him a lot and I learned a lot of things from him as well. It’s something I’m going to miss going forward, but in baseball it’s all about timing and making the best of the opportunities you’re going to get.
“I turn to Mike (Saunders) a lot because he’s been around a while. He can help me in my career, as well. But definitely the news, when I first heard it, it was excitement. It’s an opportunity for myself to get back in the big leagues and have more chances to contribute to the team as well and hopefully take us to the playoffs again.”
The question now is who, if not Revere, is going to lead off for the power-centric Blue Jays and who, at home, is going to hug the Canadian Forces veterans on the field as they are honoured.