Casper Wells Latest Waiver Claim For Blue Jays

Jul 28, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Casper Wells (33) hits the ball during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated Kansas City 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY SportsThere are only three things you can count on in life; death, taxes, and the Toronto Blue Jays making a waiver claim.

According to Peter Gammons, the Blue Jays have claimed outfielder Casper Wells off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners. He threw his typical Gammons humor into the mix on Twitter.

The 28-year-old Wells was designated for assignment on April 1st, with the Mariners outfield being overrun by the likes of Franklin Guitierrez, Michael Saunders, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, and Michael Morse. The additions of Morse, Bay, and Ibanez also cost Seattle Mike Carp earlier in the spring.

Wells made a career-high 316 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2012, posting a .228 average with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 93 games. For his 3-year career, Wells is a .246 hitter with a .752 OPS while playing all three outfield positions.

The Blue Jays will need to make a 25-man roster move when Wells joins the team later this week. With an 8-man bullpen in place, that cut will likely be Edgar Gonzalez, who was added on April 9th and made his first appearance for Toronto in Tuesday’s game.

Of course, the Blue Jays will still be faced with an question of what to do with Wells once Brett Lawrie comes off the disabled list, a decision that likely will not occur until the end of April at the earliest. If Wells becomes the odd-man out, he would have to be exposed to waivers again, as he is out of Minor League options.

*Update – The Blue Jays announced that they have designated right-hander Alex Burnett for assignment. This move clears space on the team’s 40-man roster for Casper Wells. However, the team will still need to make a corresponding move to the 25-man roster.