Russell Martin, “CANADIAN!”

Brett Lawrie, Dalton Pompey and now, Russell Martin. What do they all have in common?

That’s right, they’re Canadians. Oh right, and they’re members of the Toronto Blue Jays, I almost forgot.

Besides the fact that he produced a .290/.402/.430 slash with a 5.3 WAR, this signing means a lot of to Jays fans, especially those like myself who are of Canadian descent.

The Jays have been seriously longing for a star player who can dawn the blue and white while, at the same time, representing the red and white. Brett Lawrie has shown some promise, I mean like for about a half a season at a time and Dalton Pompey certainly gave me a month to be excited about as a Canadian baseball fan but now, us Canadian baseball fans have someone in the top tier of his position to cheer for.

What does this mean? I don’t know. It’s impossible to say for certain that jersey or ticket sales will increase because of this but maybe, just maybe, they will.

Mostly, it gives Canadians a reason (if they didn’t have one already) to tune in or take the venture down to the ballpark to see someone of our own.

Wendel Cameron, avid Jays fan, said he was ecstatic his favourite baseball team finally landed a home-grown All-Star. “It’s just more fun to cheer on our country boys because they’re more rare than other nationalities. People get a sense of pride out of that, no doubt,” Cameron said.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day

While some may think that $82 million over 5 years is a lot to pay for a 31 year-old catcher who is coming off the second most valuable season of his career, it’s nice to see the organization make a move to put a Canadian on the Canadian field for another five seasons.

No doubt, come spring training, when it comes time for the Jays to make their second annual trip to Montreal to face-off against the Cincinnati Reds it will be before a packed house at the aged Olympic Stadium.  There, Jays fans of all nationalities will be grinning ear-to-ear over the fact that the Jays finally have an All-Star catcher behind the dish.

Without a question though, for the first time in a long time, when O-Canada is played, the Toronto Blue Jays will take on the true feeling of the country they play in: Canada.