Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex AnthopoulosTHE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank GunnFRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
The Toronto Blue Jays added one player, got rid of two, and might be willing to kick the tires belonging to Canadian catcher Russell Martin now that he has been cut loose by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos continued a busy period heading into next week's winter meetings in Florida when he acquired right-handed reliever Carlos Villaneuva on Friday from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a player to be named later.
Villaneuva, 27, will be given the opportunity to solidify a Blue Jays bullpen that has already lost veteran Brian Tallet, who signed a free agent contact with the St. Louis Cardinals earlier in the week.
The Blue Jays also stand to lose free-agent reliever Scott Downs and closer Kevin Gregg, who have also declared free agency. Friday's move to get Villaneuva provides Toronto with some bullpen leverage.
Villaneuva appeared in 50 games for the Brewers during the 2010 season and posted a 2-0 record with one save and 14 holds.
The 6-foot-2, 228-pound native of Santiago, Dominican Republic, posted an earned-run average of 4.61 in 52 2/3 innings while allowing 48 hits with 22 walks and 67 strikeouts.
The acquisition of Villaneuva occurred just hours after the American League club declined to tender contracts to outfielder Fred Lewis and right-hander Jeremy Accardo prior to Thursday's midnight deadline.
Lewis led the Blue Jays with 17 stolen bases last season and spent most of the season batting in the leadoff spot.
After the Blue Jays went out and traded for Rajai Davis last month it became apparent Lewis's days with Toronto were numbered.
Same for Accardo, the former Toronto closer who finished with 30 saves in 2007 before injuries started to extract a toll.
Unhappy at having spent most of the last two seasons with Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, Accardo likely sealed his own fate earlier this year when he claimed the Blue Jays "lied" to him over his future role with the big-league club.
Catching is one of the unknowns for the Blue Jays heading into next season after the departure of all-star John Buck, who signed a free-agent deal with the Florida Marlins.
The Blue Jays have veteran backup Jose Molina under contract along with J.P. Arencibia, who is viewed as the everyday catcher of the future. But the Blue Jays are uncertain if the 24-year-old is ready to handle the job on a full-time basis.
The Toronto-born Martin, the former all-star catcher who is now a free agent after the Dodgers decided not to tender him a contract after two sub-par and injury filled seasons, poses an interesting dilemma for the club.
Coming back off a fractured hip, it has been suggested that the American League is a good landing spot for Martin, where he could split his duties between catching and as a designated hitter to help preserve his health.
While Anthopoulos will not discuss his thoughts on free agents, he has said in the past he is not opposed to adding a player as long as the contract doesn't burden the team both in terms of dollar value and in length.
Martin was in line to earn $5-million plus incentives with the Dodgers in 2011, the reason why the National League team declined to tender him a contract.
That type of deal is too rich for the Blue Jays, but Martin - who batted .293 and banged out 19 home runs as recently as 2007 - will probably wind up accepting something less to land a job and get his career back on track.
Matt Colleran, Martin's agent, has said at least six teams have expressed an interest in his client, including the New York Yankees, who are looking for another backstop so they can transition Jorge Posada into the full-time DH.
There is also a chance Martin could resign with the Dodgers but that hope appears lost now that L.A. went out and signed Rod Barajas to a one-year deal.