Saturday, January 19, 2013
Can Jays rely on Santos?
By Jason Catania
Last winter, the Toronto Blue Jays traded for Sergio Santos to be their closer. The move didn't work out well, though, as the right-hander missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. That seems to be giving the club some pause about whether Santos can be counted on.
The Jays have spent much of the winter looking to add a relief pitcher, particularly a setup man with the ability and/or experience to close, if needed. Such arms are still available via free agency -- Jose Valverde, Matt Capps, Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Wilson come to mind -- so it may come down to the price and just how confident Toronto is in Santos.
Santos, who finally underwent exploratory surgery in November, is expected to be ready for the start of 2013, and he wants to regain the closer's job.
After Santos went down last season, the Jays turned to Casey Janssen as their ninth-inning man, and he did a great job (2.54 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 22 saves), but having multiple power pitchers in the late innings can only be a good thing for a team that has remade itself into a contender this offseason.
