The Blue Jays pulled off a very late off-season trade Wednesday night, flipping veteran DH Kendrys Morales and cash considerations to the Oakland Athletics for minor-league infielder Jesus Lopez and international bonus pool space, less than 24 hours before first pitch on opening day. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is a prime candidate to take over the bulk of the DH duties from Morales, who was prized for his clubhouse leadership but lacks the versatility — 229 games at DH between 2017 and 2018, 29 at first base — coveted by new manager Charlie Montoyo. Morales hit .249 with a .318 on-base mark and .442 slugging percentage as a Jay. “Really sad to see (Kendrys Morales) go ... never let our language barrier get in the way of giving me advice or pointers during games/practice,” centre fielder Kevin Pillar tweeted. “Doesn’t get any credit for being a leader but what he does behind the scenes for those young kids is unbelievable.”

Source: thestar March 28, 2019 00:30 UTC