Blue Jays acquire Saunders from Mariners for Happ
Posted December 3, 2014 6:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Toronto Blue Jays plugged their hole in left field by acquiring Michael Saunders from the Seattle Mariners for left-hander J.A. Happ, a deal that signals Melky Cabrera’s departure and gives GM Alex Anthopoulos extra money to work with to bolster the bullpen.
The trade was first reported by Jayson Stark of ESPN.
Saunders, a 28-year-old from Victoria, is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.9 million in salary arbitration, and becomes just the fourth outfielder on the club’s 40-man roster. He’s expected to be the everyday left fielder, meaning the club’s attempts at re-signing Cabrera are essentially over.
The Blue Jays also signed outfielder Ezequiel Carrera to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, where he’ll be given a chance to compete for the starting job in centre field or the fourth outfielder’s spot.
While the two moves address gaps in the outfield created by Tuesday’s non-tendering of Andy Dirks and John Mayberry Jr., moving out Happ’s $6.7 million opens a spot in the rotation for top prospect Aaron Sanchez while freeing up nearly $4 million.
Combined with the signing of Justin Smoak, initially non-tendered Tuesday, for $1 million, the Blue Jays now have nearly $119 million in commitments and arbitration projections for 16 players, leaving them roughly $21 million to fill out the roster on the assumption of a $140 million payroll.
Another $5 million can be freed up by trading Dioner Navarro, but the Blue Jays will only move him if they get value in return since he helps the team as a backup catcher/DH. He’s believed to have garnered significant interest.
The Blue Jays may still look to upgrade at first base or the rotation, but the next focal point is likely to be a bullpen that Anthopoulos has pointed to as an area of disappointment from the 2014 season.
