Blue Jays make a deal for Glaus
While the epicenter of power in the American League East remains somewhere between New York and Boston, the Blue Jays continue to make tremors north of the border.
Toronto acquired three-time All-Star third baseman Troy Glaus from the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday for righthander Miguel Batista and Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson. The Blue Jays will also receive minor league shortstop prospect Sergio Santos.
The Blue Jays made the move to add punch to a lineup that had lost some of its power when Carlos Delgado left as a free agent after the 2004 season. Glaus led Arizona in homers (37) and RBIs (97) last season, playing in 149 games in his only season with the Diamondbacks despite occasional flare-ups of a strained tendon in the back of his left knee.
He was the 2002 World Series MVP for Anaheim, following a season in which he had a career-high 111 RBIs. In 2000, Glaus led the AL with 47 homers.
Batista, 34, had 31 saves last season, his second with the Blue Jays and first as their closer. He went 29-26 in 76 starts and 44 relief appearances with the Diamondbacks from 2001-03.
Hudson, 28, is a career .271 hitter and a spectacular defensive player.
Glaus is due to make $10.5 million next season as part of a $45 million, four-year contract he agreed to last December.
No Classic for Matsui
Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui has decided against joining Japan's squad at the 16-nation World Baseball Classic next March, a Japanese baseball official said in Tokyo. Matsui told Japan squad manager Sadaharu Oh late Monday he would sit out the inaugural tournament, according to Hiroshi Kimura, a spokesman for Oh's Japanese league team, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. Kimura said he could not elaborate. Kyodo News agency quoted the slugger as saying he wanted to concentrate on his role in the Yankees. ''The reason I decided to go to the United States was to try and become a world champion with the Yankees, and I fear that chasing two goals might get in the way of that dream," Kyodo quoted Matsui as saying in a statement. In a country that places a premium on duty, there has been tremendous pressure on Matsui to represent Japan at the World Cup-style tournament . . . Outfielder Jody Gerut signed an $875,000, one-year contract with the Pirates. Last season, he played for the Indians, Cubs, and Pirates. He was dealt by Chicago to Pittsburgh for outfielder Matt Lawton July 31, but a knee injury limited Gerut to 18 at-bats with the Pirates. He is expected to compete for the right field job.
