The many links between the Blue Jays and Giants

Following the San Francisco Giants’ selection of a pair of Toronto Blue Jays in the recent Rule 5 Draft, the list of links between the two franchises grew just a little bit longer. Here are just a few of the recent connections between the Giants and the Blue Jays.

In the larval stages of the Blue Jays’ evolution to a full grown major league franchise, it was rumoured that the team was to become the “Toronto Giants”, stemming from the fact that it was widely believed that the team would be relocating from San Francisco after the team had been sold to Toronto-based group of investors.

Eventually, the sale was squashed and the Blue Jays emerged as an independent baseball club, playing in the American League East opposite the National League West dwelling San Francisco Giants. The connection nevertheless remained, as many who followed the original chase to bring a team to Toronto still often refer to the Giants as the team “that could’ve been”. Since their inception in 1977, the Blue Jays and Giants have only played 19 games against each other, according to mcubed.net, with the majority of those coming from 2007 onward, when interleague play was popularized and included as a more prominent part of the major league schedule.

Still, there exist many, many links between the Giants and Blue Jays, especially in the last decade. Whether it be trades, Rule 5 picks, signings or common players, the Jays and Giants share some entertaining common names, and likely some that the average Blue Jays fan hasn’t heard since the logo displayed on the cap was that of an angry and disgruntled triangular bird.

With that, here are just a few of the names that have been involved in both organizations over the last decade. While some may be minor in influence, every name mentioned has, in some capacity, been associated with both franchises since 2008.

Sam Moll and Travis Bergen – Recent Rule 5 Picks

Travis Bergen, formerly a member of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Double-A team, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, was selected by the Giants in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft in Las Vegas this past week. Prior to leaving the organization, he’d appeared in games for every single Blue Jays affiliate except the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. My colleague Clayton Richer excellently summed up why losing Bergen was so unfortunate in a recent column that can be found here.

Bergen, 25, spent the majority of 2018 as a closer, racking up eight saves and pitching to an incredible 0.95 ERA in 56.2 innings, most of them for the Fisher Cats. He also added 74 strikeouts and 15 walks to go along with an excellent 1.006 WHIP. Last season, he appeared in nine games split between the Gulf Coast Blue Jays of the Gulf Coast League and the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League.

Additionally, in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, Sam Moll, a left-handed pitcher who the Jays claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in March, was selected by the Giants as well. A more detailed analysis of that selection can be found at this link, via KNBR.

Moll, a native of Lakeland, Tennessee, appeared in 15 games for the Triple-A Bisons in 2018, pitching to an ERA of 5.30 while striking out 19 and walking five. Prior to joining the Blue Jays organization, he’d logged time with the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies organizations, appearing briefly in the majors for the Athletics in late 2017.

Fred Lewis – The Conditional Inclusion

Playing in an oft-forgotten period of Toronto Blue Jays baseball, outfielder Fred Lewis was traded to Toronto from San Francisco on April 26, 2018. Prior to his stint with the Giants, the native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi had attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Although he only played with the Blue Jays for one year, he wasn’t all that bad, slashing a decent .262/.332/.414 in 110 games during the 2010 season, stealing 17 bases and adding 31 doubles, five triples, and eight home runs to his season’s totals.

In 480 plate appearances, he boasted an OPS+ of 101 and had a quietly useful WAR of 0.2. He would eventually be non-tendered by the Blue Jays and became a free-agent in December. After briefly signing on with the Cincinnati Reds in 2011, he bounced around a bit, first logging time with the Cleveland Indians organization and then appearing in 18 games for the New York Mets in 2012.

He eventually went to Japan to play with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp before signing on with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League. He retired from professional baseball in 2016 after playing 26 games with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. For his career, which lasted six years, he slashed a cumulative .266/.344/.403 and notched 53 stolen bases, 27 home runs, 21 triples and 91 doubles in 1562 at-bats. He finished his career having amassed a total of 4.1 WAR.

Melky Cabrera – A Short-Lived Stint

Another exciting and often frustrating former Toronto Blue Jay, Melky Cabrera joined the Blue Jays in 2013 after regaining his free agent stock with the Giants in 2012. Though he missed time due to a suspension, Melky, 27 at the time, slashed .346/.390/.516 in 113 games for the Giants, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 60 to go along with 13 stolen bases, 10 triples, and 25 doubles.

An All-Star in his first and only season in San Francisco, Melky signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Blue Jays in November 2012. Though he struggled heavily in his first season north of the border (.279/.322/.360, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 47 SO in 344 ABs in 88 G), an offseason surgery seemed to cure everything, as the new and improved Melky Cabrera turned around and forcefully slashed .301/.351/.458 with the Jays in 2014, adding 16 homers, 73 RBI and 35 doubles.

After leaving Toronto, Melky ended up signing a three-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, eventually being dealt to the Kansas City Royals in 2017. In 2018, he spent time with the Cleveland Indians, largely serving as a fourth outfielder and only tallying 278 plate appearances in 78 games.

For his career, he’s 15th among active players in at-bats, 16th in games played and triples, 18th in doubles, and 26th in runs scored. Prior to the Giants-Blue Jays era of his career, the native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, played for the rival New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves.

Marco Scutaro – A Friendly Face

One of the friendliest and most honest men to play for the Blue Jays, Marco Scutaro, a smiley middle infielder who served as the Blue Jays’ starting shortstop from 2008 to 2009, played for the Giants from 2012 to 2015.

Scutaro, 32 when he first arrived in Toronto, had previously appeared in games for the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. Though his first season in Toronto wasn’t special by any means, it was his second season, 2009, that cemented him as a solid and unassuming bat with a penchant for quick turns at second and short.

In 2009, the native of San Felipe, Venezuela slashed a healthy .282/.379/.409 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 35 doubles in 144 games played. In December 2009, Scutaro signed on with the Boston Red Sox, playing for them until early 2012, when he was dealt to the Colorado Rockies. Scutaro then finished out his career with the Giants, being awarded the 2012 NLCS MVP. He also earned an All-Star nod as a San Francisco Giant in 2013.

Scutaro finished his career with 1355 hits (tied for 798th all-time) and 1391 games played. In total, he logged 289 games in a Blue Jays uniform, hitting .275 and driving in 120 and stealing 21 bases (including an especially sneaky one in Philadelphia against the Phillies).

Sam Dyson – A Distant Enemy

The original owner of the 1-1 pitch that Jose Bautista crushed over the left-field wall in Game 5 of the infamously memorable 2015 ALDS, Sam Dyson is perhaps primarily known for his three-year stint with the Texas Rangers.

As unbelievable as it may seem, Dyson was actually a Blue Jay in 2012. In fact, he was originally drafted by the Jays in 2010 and worked his way up through the Blue Jays farm system, logging innings with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Dunedin Blue Jays before making his major league debut. Interestingly enough, Dyson, a native of Tampa, Florida, was actually drafted twice (first by the Washington Nationals and then by the Oakland Athletics) before eventually signing on with the Blue Jays.

After his short, troubled stint north of the border, Dyson, who most recently served as a member of the 2018 San Francisco Giants, spent time with the Miami Marlins, spending parts of three seasons in their organization. He is under contract in San Francisco until the end of the 2020 season and will earn $5 million in 2019.

The owner of a 3.41 career ERA in 324.1 major league innings, Dyson will likely always be remembered as the pitcher who was taken deep by Bautista in one of the most epic innings in the history of baseball.

The Veterans – Mark DeRosa, Rajai Davis, and Merkin Valdez

Though he only played for the Blue Jays for one season, Mark DeRosa is one of the most entertaining players to have donned the Blue Jay. Having slashed a decent .235/.326/.407 in 2013 as a 38-year-old, DeRosa spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Giants, appearing in a total of 73 games for San Francisco.

Rajai Davis, another veteran who at one point was a Toronto Blue Jay, discreetly suited up for the Giants in 2007 and 2008, when he appeared in 63 games and stole 21 bases in 160 at-bats. Having spent three years with the Blue Jays, Davis, who recently signed a minor-league deal with the New York Mets, also played for the Pirates, Tigers, Red Sox, Indians, and Athletics. He is seventh in Blue Jays franchise history with 125 stolen bases as a member of the organization.

Another forgotten Blue Jay, Dominican pitcher Merkin Valdez, was traded from the Giants to the Blue Jays in January 2010 for cash considerations and proceeded to spend the next season in the Blue Jays organization, mostly for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s.

In parts of three seasons with San Francisco, Valdez, now retired, pitched to an ERA of 5.24 in 67.0 innings. He also briefly appeared as a member of the Texas Rangers in 2011, suiting up for five games in September of that season.

The Leftovers – Nori Aoki, Brad Penny and Cole Gillespie

Though only a Blue Jay for 12 games, Japanese outfielder Nori Aoki did manage to smash three home runs and drive in eight in 32 at-bats in late 2017. Prior to coming to Toronto, he played with the Astros, Mariners, Royals, Brewers, and the Giants.

In 2015, Aoki, 33 at the time, slashed .287/.353/.380 with San Francisco, stealing 14 bases and driving in 26 in 93 games. That winter, he signed with the Mariners and played with them throughout the 2016 campaign.

Brad Penny, a veteran starter who’d briefly been a member of the Blue Jays in the winter of 2016, when he signed a MiLB deal with an invite to spring training, also played two seasons for the Giants. In parts of two seasons for the Giants, Penny, a native of Blackwell, Oklahoma, tossed 69.2 frames in San Francisco, boasting an ERA of 4.00 and striking out 30 and walking 18.

Prior to heading to California, he appeared in games for the Florida Marlins, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Boston Red Sox. He also was, at various points throughout his career, a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers organizations.

Finally, Cole Gillespie, a journeyman outfielder who appeared in a single game for the Blue Jays in 2014, is also known for his brief stint with the Giants in 2012. Gillespie, now 32, most recently served as a member of the 2016 Miami Marlins, going 12-for-51 in 41 games.

The Future

Though there doesn’t appear to be any imminent deals between the two clubs as of right now, something could always come to fruition. Just recently, Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar was the subject of a rumour that claimed the Giants had a genuine interest in acquiring him.

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Despite Pillar’s underwhelming 2018 campaign (.252/.282/.426, 15 HR, 59 RBI, 14 SB, 98 K, 18 BB in 512 ABs, 142 G), he could conceivably be of some value to a team like the Giants who are, as the above rumour suggests, looking to fortify their outfield depth ahead of the start of the 2019 season.

Beyond that, it’s not totally outlandish to suggest that the Giants could look to trade for Justin Smoak or Marcus Stroman, two assets that have been known to be somewhat available so far this offseason. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins has not indicated in any way that Pillar is on the trade block.

Regardless, it’s surely interesting to look for the many subtle, yet apparent links between two seemingly opposite franchises.