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Jul 24, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes (7) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Jose Reyes turns 43 today.
In November 2012, Jose Reyes joined the Blue Jays as part of a blockbuster trade with the Marlins. Toronto received Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, outfielder Emilio Bonifacio, and catcher John Buck, while Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Justin Nicolino, Jake Marisnick, Jeff Mathis, and Anthony DeSclafani went to Florida.
This was the first in a series of high-profile moves that supposedly ‘won the off-season’ for Toronto. By all accounts, Reyes was the player then-GM Alex Anthopoulos most coveted, and the deal expanded from there.
The trade ultimately didn’t work out well for the Blue Jays. Johnson made 16 poor starts, was injured, and never pitched in the majors again. Emilio Bonifacio struggled on both offense and defense before being traded mid-season. John Buck was quickly flipped to the Mets, and Mark Buehrle ended up staying with the team the longest.
As for Reyes, he struggled with frequent injuries and didn’t quite meet expectations during his two and a half seasons with the Blue Jays.
In 2013, Reyes hit .296/.353/.427 with 15 steals in 93 games. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe ankle injury on April 12th, causing him to miss over two months. After returning, he struggled to push off that foot, which seemed to impact his defensive range.
2014 was another challenging year. Reyes hit .287/.328/.398 with 30 stolen bases, but defensively, he committed 19 errors and his range was diminished.
2015 brought more of the same challenges. Radio broadcaster Jerry Howarth seemed determined to criticize Reyes, particularly for his errors at crucial moments and his cheerful demeanor on the bench even when the team was losing.
While the criticism was understandable given the team’s disappointing performance in recent seasons, Howarth’s focus on Reyes felt excessive.
Eventually, Reyes was traded along with Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, and Jesus Tinoco to the Rockies in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins.
That trade, along with acquisitions of David Price, Mark Lowe, and Ben Revere, plus Marcus Stroman’s return from the IL, energized the Jays, who went 40-18 over the last two months of the season. Perhaps Jerry was right that Reyes was holding the team back; Tulowitzki provided more defensive stability, though he too would struggle with injuries.
Reyes finished 2015 with the Rockies, but off-field issues arose, including a domestic violence incident that led to his suspension and eventual release by Colorado before he played a game in 2016. He later signed with the Mets and played with them from 2016 to 2018.
During his 2.5 seasons with Toronto, Reyes hit .289/.334/.404 with 61 stolen bases over 305 games.
Over his 16-year MLB career, Reyes posted a .283/.334/.427 line with 145 home runs and 517 stolen bases in 1,877 games—a very solid career overall.
Ezequiel Carrera turns 39 today.
Carrera spent the final three years of his seven-year MLB career with the Blue Jays, from 2015 to 2017, primarily playing the corner outfield positions.
I’ll admit I wasn’t a huge fan. In 2015, he hit .273/.321/.372 over 91 games, and in 2016, he posted a .248/.323/.356 line in 110 games.
His saving grace was his strong playoff performance in 2016. Carrera went 2-for-4 in the Wild Card game against the Orioles and then hit .333/.429/.583 with a home run during the Blue Jays’ three-game ALDS win over the Rangers. He didn’t hit much in the ALCS loss to Cleveland, but neither did the rest of the team.
Carrera had his best offensive season in 2017, hitting .282/.356/.408, but his defensive struggles limited him to a -0.1 bWAR. He often took circuitous routes to fly balls and lacked the arm strength to compensate.
After being released by the Blue Jays following the 2017 season, Carrera signed with the Braves, Mets, and Dodgers organizations but never returned to the majors.
Beyond his defensive issues, my lasting memory is of Carrera occasionally getting a home run on a pitch at head level. Then, for the next couple of weeks, he’d swing at anything high.
Carrera was a classic replacement-level player—good enough to fill a roster spot, but ideally not playing as often as he did. For a left-handed hitter, he posted only a modest platoon split (.660 OPS vs. lefties, .698 vs. righties), which limited his value as a platoon option. He wasn’t dependable enough to be used as a late-inning defensive replacement either.
Across seven MLB seasons, Carrera hit .262/.324/.365 with 19 home runs and 44 stolen bases in 508 games, including 332 appearances with Toronto.
Happy Birthday, Ezequiel.
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