TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays acquired outfielder Michael Saunders from the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in exchange for left-hander J.A. Happ in a deal that essentially closes the door on the possibility of free agent Melky Cabrera returning to the team. The deal was the latest move by Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos in what has been a busy off-season. He recently dealt longtime first baseman Adam Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers, acquired star third baseman Josh Donaldson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics and signed catcher Russell Martin to a lucrative long-term deal. Saunders, a 28-year-old Victoria native, is expected to be the everyday left-fielder for the Blue Jays. We like the fact that Saunders can play all three outfield spots if needed, we think hes going to play an above-average defensive left field, Anthopoulos said. (Hes) a left-handed bat, which is appealing as well (and) can steal a base - hes stolen 21 bases before. We think he has some power in going from that ballpark (Safeco Field) to ours. He can unlock some things in our lineup as well and the two years of (team) control is nice too. Saunders, who was selected by the Mariners in the 11th round of the 2004 draft, hit .273 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 78 games last season. He spent parts of six seasons in Seattle but battled injuries this year, including joint inflammation in his right shoulder and a strained left oblique. Hes always been a productive player and a big part of that is he brings so much with his defence and his base-running that hes always going to provide value to the club, Anthopoulos said. From an offensive standpoint I think the expectations have always been high, because hes a five-tool player, he can do everything and sometimes that isnt fair. Were not placing those expectations on him to hit in the middle of our lineup, to carry the offensive load. ... The way we see it, hes a guy who played 139 games in 2012, 132 games in 2013, obviously missed time this year but he did hit 19 home runs in 2012 and still had a pretty solid OPS in 12 and 13 in that ballpark. ... If we got the Michael Saunders from 12 and 13 wed be very, very pleased. Happ was uneven over parts of three seasons in Toronto, but had a solid second half to the 2014 campaign. He was 11-11 on the year with a 4.22 earned-run average over 158 innings. His departure improves Aaron Sanchezs chances of making the starting rotation. Hes going to be stretched out in spring training, but it certainly has increased his odds, Anthopoulos said. But hes still going to have to earn a spot right now, depending on what else we might do. Sanchez, a 22-year-old right-hander, was brilliant out of the bullpen in his first season with the Blue Jays. He was 2-2 with a 1.09 ERA in 24 appearances, striking out 27 batters and issuing nine walks. Cabrera, meanwhile, declined the Blue Jays US$15.3-million qualifying offer last month to test the free-agent market. There was interest in a potential return but the two sides were too far apart on contract talks. Cabrera hit .301 in 139 games last season with 16 homers and 73 RBIs. He missed the last few weeks of the season due to a fractured finger. Anthopoulos still has plenty of work to do. The bullpen will now likely get his full attention and he could still use an upgrade at second base. Also Wednesday, the Blue Jays signed first baseman Justin Smoak to a US$1-million, one-year contract, a day after he was non-tendered by the team. Smoak was acquired Oct. 28 off waivers from the Mariners. Toronto also agreed to terms with centre-fielder Ezequiel Carrera on a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league spring training. Notes: The Blue Jays have added an exhibition game against the Canadian national junior team to their pre-season schedule. A Toronto split-squad will face the juniors March 15 at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. ... The Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America unveiled its 2014 award winners Wednesday. Slugger Jose Bautista was a unanimous choice for player of the year. Right-hander Mark Buehrle was pitcher of the year, right-hander Marcus Stroman was rookie of the year and Cabrera was named most improved player. Right-hander Casey Janssen was the winner of the John Cerutti Award, given to the person who exemplifies goodwill, co-operation and character.
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Jerseys from china . -- The Saginaw Spirit remembered late player Terry Trafford on Saturday night in their first home game since he was found dead in a parked car.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Loui Erikssons game-winning goal didnt earn any style points, at least in his eyes. The rest of the Boston Bruins thought it looked just fine. Eriksson scored from a hard angle in the opening minute of the third period, a goal he said "wasnt the prettiest one." His first goal with Boston helped the Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. "I think he only scores nice goals," said Tuukka Rask, who made 26 saves including a few sterling ones late to preserve a one-goal lead. "I mean, it was an unbelievable goal. He does that in practice all the time, too." Bruins centre Brad Marchand rated it a masterpiece. "Its great to see him get one there," he said. "It was a beautiful goal. That gets the monkey off his back." Eriksson, acquired last summer in the big trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas, had scored his first 150 goals for the Stars. He came in scoreless in three games for the Bruins. He said he hadnt reached the point of pressing for goals yet. "Ive had some slow starts in other years," he said. "Itll come. If you create chances out there, itll come. We did that today, and I was able to get one." Boston, which trailed and was shut out until late in the second period, took the lead for good on Erikssons breakthrough goal. On a rush, Patrice Bergeron found Eriksson with a nifty cross-ice pass. From the right side of the goal line, Eriksson tucked a high shot just inside the near post over goalie Sergei Bobrovskys left shoulder 49 seconds into the third. Bruins coach Claude Julien wasnt worried about Eriksson, a veteran of eight NHL seasons. "He was really good," Julien said. "(He made) smart plays, (was) competing better, stuff like that. Thats what we talked about with him. Youve got to give guys some time to get adjusted, to get acquainted and feeling comfortable. You see a guyy like him after a few games finding his stride.dddddddddddd" Playing their first road game, the Bruins also got a goal from Chris Kelly, and an empty-net tally from Milan Lucic. Rask wasnt peppered with shots but came up big when most needed. He blocked Marian Gaboriks tying attempt in the closing moments and then flicked the puck aside with his glove. "We gave up a couple of rushes, which is not the greatest thing when theres five minutes left and youre leading by one," Rask said. "But we took care of business. Maybe we just need to clean up the neutral zone a little better." Jack Johnson scored on a first-period power play for the Blue Jackets, who won their last two on the road but are now 0-2 at home. Bobrovsky, last seasons Vezina Trophy winner as the NHLs top goalie, stopped 33 shots. Boston almost tied it 1-1 when Daniel Paille took a chip pass and was all alone for a short-handed breakaway in the second period, but his shot was wide of the net. An instant after that penalty was killed, the Bruins got even. Iginla dropped a pass to Kelly for a hard slap shot from just inside the blue line that eluded Bobrovsky low on the glove side with 3:42 remaining in the second for his second goal of the season. In the first, with a man advantage, the Blue Jackets James Wisniewski faked a shot from the left point and then slid a pass to Johnson at the top of the right circle. Johnsons one-timer beat Rask to the glove side with 1:08 remaining in the period. Columbus coach Todd Richards said he saw signs that the Bruins were asserting themselves midway through the game. "In the second period, even though we had a 1-0 lead, they started to take over the game a little bit," he said. "They stuck with their game and how they play and with the things they do well. We got away from (our game). We played hard, but there were some areas that they were better than us."
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Topic: Wisniewski faked a shot from the left point (Read 1195 times)
