TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays have exercised the 2014 contract options on Casey Janssen, Adam Lind and Mark DeRosa while declining the option on Munenori Kawasaki, multiple sources told sportsnet.ca Thursday.
Lind will earn $7 million, Janssen $4 million and DeRosa $750,000. Kawasaki would have earned $1 million, but may still return on a minor-league deal.
The moves mean the Blue Jays now have $120 million committed to 16 different players for 2014.
Lind, 30, is essentially a $5-million player because his contract called for a $2-million buyout if the option had been declined. The Blue Jays still hold options on him for the 2015 ($7.5 million) and 2016 ($8 million) seasons.
The first baseman/DH posted an .854 OPS with 23 homers and 67 RBIs in 143 games, but tore up right-handed pitchers with a .924 OPS.
Janssen, 32, was one of the most effective closers in baseball during the 2013 season, making the decision an easy one for the team. The $4 million option is part of the US$5.9 million, two-year deal Janssen just completed, leaving him eligible for free agency after the next campaign.
Janssen posted a 4-1 record and converted 34 of his 36 save chances, tied with Steve Cishek for the best rate in baseball at 94.4 per cent. He posted an ERA of 2.56 and his OPS against of .558 was the seventh lowest among American League relievers.
DeRosa, 38, provided the Blue Jays far more than they expected when they signed him to be the 25th man on the roster, posting a solid .733 OPS in a part-time role while serving as an important and effective clubhouse influence.
He’s been toying with retirement and by exercising the option, the Blue Jays are leaving it up to DeRosa to decide if he has another season in him.
Kawasaki, 32, energized the fan-base with his quirky antics and energized play, but at this point projects at best as minor-league depth for the Blue Jays, particularly with the late-season emergence of Ryan Goins.
He posted a .634 OPS in 96 games, the bulk of them covering for Jose Reyes after he sprained his left ankle.
