November 24, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball notes from the past week:

Blue Jays non-tender Romano

The Toronto Blue Jays non-tendered closer Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) on Friday, making him a free agent. The two-time All-Star closer, who was projected to make $7.75 million in 2025, could still re-sign with the Blue Jays.

Romano registered eight saves in 15 appearances in 2024 before undergoing elbow surgery in early June. He also struck out 13 batters in 13 2/3 innings and finished the season with a 6.59 ERA. 

On April 22, he pitched the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals in a 5-3 win to record his 100th career save. With that, he became just the fourth Canadian and fifth Blue Jay to reach that milestone.

In 59 games in 2023, Romano matched his career-high with 36 saves. The hard-throwing right-hander also had 36 saves in 2022. In his three full seasons as Blue Jays closer, his ERA was never higher than 2.90.

Originally chosen in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Blue Jays in 2014, the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum has pitched in six major league seasons.

Pop tendered a contract by Blue Jays

On the flip side, the Blue Jays did tender a contract to Romano’s bullpen mate and fellow Canadian, Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.).

Pop made a career-high 58 relief appearances for the Blue Jays in 2024. The 28-year-old right-hander collected his first big league save on July 28 when he pitched the final 1 1/3 innings in the Blue Jays’ 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre. In all, Pop recorded a 5.59 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 48 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays in 2024.

The Blue Jays acquired Pop from the Miami Marlins on August 2, 2022. He developed into a reliable middle reliever down the stretch that season, posting a 2-0 record and a 1.89 ERA in 17 appearances. He followed that up by registering a 6.59 ERA in 15 relief outings in 2023.

Pop was chosen in the seventh round of the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After parts of two seasons in the Dodgers’ organization, he was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles as part of the package for Manny Machado on July 18, 2018.

Pop pitched for parts of two seasons in the O’s organization before he was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Rule 5 draft in December 2020. The D-Backs then flipped him to the Marlins. The Junior National Team alum spent the 2021 season in the big leagues with the Marlins, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 4.12 ERA in 51 appearances, while striking out 51 batters in 54 2/3 innings.

In total, Pop has pitched in parts of four major league campaigns.

Quantrill non-tendered by Rockies, becomes a free agent

Right-hander Cal Quantrill is a free agent after the Colorado Rockies non-tendered him on Friday. The Port Hope, Ont., native was arbitration eligible and projected to earn $9 million in 2025.

The move comes after the 29-year-old righty went 8-11 with a 4.98 ERA in 29 starts for the Rockies this season. His ERA was inflated by three rough starts in September after he had returned from a triceps injury.

Overall, Quantrill led Canadian big-league pitchers in starts (29) and innings pitched (148 1/3) in 2024. His eight wins and 110 strikeouts ranked second among Canadian major leaguers.

Quantrill was dealt to the Rockies by the Cleveland Guardians on November 17, 2023 after he was limited to 19 starts that year by a shoulder injury.

Quantrill, who has pitched in six big-league seasons, honed his skills with the Ontario Terriers and the Junior National Team before starring at Stanford University. He was selected eighth overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2016 MLB draft and he played parts of three minor league seasons in their organization before making his big-league debut on May 1, 2019.

After being employed both as a starter and reliever during his major league tenure with the Padres, Quantrill was dealt to the Guardians on August 31, 2020, as part of a package for right-hander Mike Clevinger.

In 2021, he began the season in the Guardians’ bullpen but joined the starting rotation on May 31 and proceeded to go 8-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 22 starts. He was even better in 2022 when he led the Guardians and set a career-high with 15 wins (fourth in the American League). The 6-foot-3 right-hander also hurled a career-best 186 1/3 innings and posted a 3.38 ERA. His 32 starts were tied for the second-most by an American League starter.

In total in his major league career, Quantrill is 43-34 with a 4.07 ERA in 161 appearances (123 starts).

Smith receives AL Cy Young vote

Guardians reliever Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) received a fifth-place vote for the American League Cy Young Award from Gabe Lacques of USA Today. With that vote, he tied for ninth overall for the award that was won by Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal.

According to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Smith, who posted a 6-1 record and a 1.91 ERA in 74 relief appearances for the Guardians this year, is the ninth Canadian to receive Cy Young Award votes (See graphic below).

On Monday, Smith finished fifth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Melvin to have ball field named after him in Chatham

There’s already a Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham, Ont. And if all goes all planned, there will be a Doug Melvin Field in the city in 2026. Melvin, of course is a former big league general manager and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee who was born in Chatham in 1952.

The Chatham-Kent Sports Network shared the plans for the new field on Thursday. The field will be built as part of the CK Dream Field project, an initiative led by the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, Chatham Minor Baseball Association and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

“The CK Dream Field Project is working on raising $4 million until the spring of 2026 to build a new ball field,” reported the Chatham-Kent Sports Network. “The field is scheduled to be built on Tweedsmuir Avenue between Fergie Jenkins Field and Chatham Memorial Arena.”

After being raised in Chatham, Melvin went on to pitch in the minors in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ and New York Yankees’ organizations before moving into the administrative ranks. He worked in a number of prominent posts, including as scouting director with the Yankees and as assistant GM and director of player personnel with the Orioles, before landing his first general manager’s job with the Texas Rangers in 1994. During his time with the Rangers, he was named MLB executive of the year twice in 1996 and 1998.

After his tenure with the Rangers, he was named executive vice president and general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002 and was voted executive of the year in 2011 after the team set a franchise-record with 96 wins and captured a National League Central Division title. Melvin stepped down from his post with the Brewers in 2015, but he still serves as an advisor for the club.

Gordie Howe was an excellent baseball player in Saskatchewan

Ian Wilson, of Saskatchewan Dugout Stories, researched and wrote this excellent article about hockey legend Gordie Howe’s baseball and softball playing days in his home province of Saskatchewan. Even in the early years of his NHL career, Howe returned to Saskatoon to play softball or baseball at a high level in the summer. According to Wilson, Howe was a power-hitting corner infielder. Legend has it that Howe clubbed the longest home run in the history of Saskatoon’s Cairns Field. I highly recommend that you read the full article.

Blue Jays hired Tim Johnson 27 years ago

It was 27 years ago today that the Blue Jays hired Tim Johnson to be their new manager. And while the former infielder’s one year as the Blue Jays dugout boss is infamously remembered for the false Vietnam stories he told, his team finished with an 88-74 record. And if the current playoff format had been in place in 1998, the Blue Jays would’ve secured the second Wild Card spot.

Remembering Canadian baseball legend Tom Burgess

It was 16 years ago today that Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tom Burgess passed away at the age of 81. The London, Ont., native signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946 and his finest minor league season came seven years later with the triple-A Rochester Red Wings when he hit .346 with 22 homers and 93 RBIs. His career year earned him a roster spot with the big-league Cardinals in 1954, before he returned to the minors for the next seven seasons. He enjoyed his longest major league stint with the Los Angeles Angels in 1962. After retiring as a player, he started a long and successful minor league managerial career with the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League team at Sarasota in 1969. He later piloted first-place minor league clubs at Modesto (1972), Johnson City (1975), Tulsa (1982) and Bristol (1985) and was a major league coach for the New York Mets (1977) and Atlanta Braves (1978). He was also a minor league hitting instructor for the Kansas City Royals from 1988 to 1995. Following his professional career, he served as a coach for the Canadian national team.

Bavasi resigns as Blue Jays president 43 years ago

It was 43 years ago today that Peter Bavasi resigned as Blue Jays president. He had joined the club as its first vice-president and general manager on June 18, 1976 after four seasons in the same post with the San Diego Padres. Prior to that, he had served as a business and general manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization and as the Padres’ director of minor league operations. Bavasi shifted into the Blue Jays’ president role in 1978 when he promoted Pat Gillick to be the general manager. In Bavasi’s five seasons in Toronto, the Blue Jays never escaped the American League East cellar.

“The thrill of building the Blue Jays is gone,” Bavasi said at his departing press conference. “Now patient maintenance is needed. I would’ve liked to have gone out a pennant winner or a world champion but the history of expansion shows that takes a long time . . . I haven’t got a whole lot of patience maintaining things.”

Though Bavasi claimed he was leaving voluntarily, many believed that he was being pushed out by the board. During the 1981 season, Bavasi had reportedly wanted to fire manager Bobby Mattick, but the board overruled his decision.

Woodward named Dodgers’ first-base coach

Former Blue Jays shortstop Chris Woodward has been named the Dodgers’ new first-base coach. Woodward had served as a senior advisor with the Dodgers in 2024.

This will be Woodward’s second tenure as a Dodgers’ base coach. He coached third base for them from 2016 to 2018 before being hired to manage the Texas Rangers in 2019. He was the Rangers’ skipper for 498 games before he was fired on August 15, 2022.

Woodward’s first professional coaching experience came with the Seattle Mariners in 2012. He worked in different roles for the M’s, including as their first-base coach in 2015.

Prior to his coaching career, Woodward spent parts of 11 big league seasons as an infielder. His first six campaigns were with the Blue Jays, where he enjoyed his greatest success. He returned to play 11 games with the Blue Jays in 2011.