Blue Jays pull off blockbuster trade on this date in 2005

Traditionally the Toronto Blue Jays have not been very active during the Christmas holidays however on this date in 2005 the Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off a four-player blockbuster deal that saw Troy Glaus along with prospect Sergio Santos shipped north from the desert.

Two days after jolly St. Nick had spread Christmas cheer the Toronto Blue Jays pulled the trigger on a deal that would see them acquire third baseman Troy Glaus and pitcher Sergio Santos in exchange for infielder Orlando Hudson and closer Miguel Batista.

The 29-year old Glaus was fresh off a 37 home run campaign when the Jays landed the three-time All-Star. The middle of the order thumper would only stay in Toronto for two seasons before being shipped to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Scott Rolen. During his short tenure with the Jays, Glaus hit .256/.360/.496 with 58 round trippers and a 7.6 WAR.

Santos at the time of the deal was still a shortstop after Arizona had selected him 27th overall in the 2002 amateur draft. The California native would toil in the Jays farm system until the spring of 2008 when the Twins scooped him off waivers. Santos would eventually convert into a pitcher and be reacquired by the Blue Jays in 2011 from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Nestor Molina.

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Leaving town in return for Glaus and Santos was the fan favourite “O-Dog who at the time was just in his fourth season in the majors and had just won his first Gold Glove at second base. Hudson was taken in the 43rd round, 1280th overall in the 1997 amateur draft and made his MLB debut in with the Jays 2002. During his four seasons leading up to the trade, Hudson batted .270/.328/.418 with 35 homers, 19 stolen bases and a 12.6 WAR rating in 462 games north of the border.

The fourth and final player involved in the deal was veteran pitcher Miguel Batista who had just completed his first season as the Blue Jays closer nailing down 31 saves with an inflated 4.10 earned run average. The Jays had signed Batista as a free agent in the winter of 2003 however after a first sub-par season as a starter they opted for the switch to the bullpen. During his two seasons in Toronto, Batista accumulated a 4.61 earned run average and was not a personal favourite of mine as I recall many choice words being directed his way during his short stint with the Jays.

Next: Blue Jays: Jays Journal Podcast- “2017 Year in Review”

As we struggle through an unusually quiet offseason thus far this is the biggest deal ever pulled off by the Blue Jays on December 27th or around the holidays for that matter in franchise history.