Freischaltung » -hitter spot. Justin Smoak, claimed off waive

TORONTO - As the Toronto Blue Jays seek flexibility in their lineup, rotation, bullpen and payroll, Adam Lind became the odd man out.The Blue Jays traded Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday for right-handed pitcher Marco Estrada, ending the first baseman/designated hitters decade-long run in Toronto. Had they not found a trade partner, the Blue Jays planned to decline Linds US$7.5-million option for 2015 but instead got themselves another potential starter.This deals about reconfiguring the roster, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said on a conference call. It gives us a lot of flexibility moving forward and also allows us to reallocate some dollars to some other areas of need.With Lind gone, Edwin Encarnacion figures to be the Blue Jays regular first baseman, freeing up the club to rotate players at the designated-hitter spot. Justin Smoak, claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners earlier in the week, may provide some depth in both areas as well. Lind, a third-round pick in 2004, has been in the majors on a consistent basis since 2007. The 31-year-old lefty hit .273 with 146 home runs and 519 RBIs over his career with the Blue Jays and won a Silver Slugger award in 2009.He hit in the middle of our lineup for a long time, Anthopoulos said. Theres no question the offence and the bat will be missed, but we have some other areas of need on the club and sometimes you have to make a tough choice and a tough decision.Ultimately that decision was to part ways with Lind, who has become a part-time player. In 2014, he hit .354 with a .942 OPS against right-handers but was just .061 and .223 against left-handers.Lind fills an area of need for the Brewers, who have been weak at first base since losing Prince Fielder to free agency before the 2012 season.Adam brings us a productive left-handed bat at a position of need with the ability to hit in the middle of the order, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said in a statement.In Estrada, the Blue Jays get a 31-year-old pitcher who could start in the bullpen and provide some insurance for the starting rotation. He made $3,365,500 last season, is eligible for salary arbitration and can become a free agent after the 2015 World Series.In seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers, Estrada has a 23-26 record with a 4.23 earned-run average. In 39 appearances in 2014, which included 18 starts, the Sonora, Mexico, native went 7-6 with a 4.36 ERA.Marco performed well for us with his versatility to start or pitch out of the bullpen, Melvin said.Anthopoulos hopes that versatility continues in Toronto, where the rotation already appears set. The Blue Jays also picked up the $6.7-million contract option on left-hander J.A. Happ, who will likely return to the rotation along with R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Marcus Stroman and Drew Hutchison.Aaron Sanchez, the organizations top prospect who spent some time in the bullpen in 2014, will be stretched out to start in spring training as well, Anthopoulos said.The presence of Sanchez and the addition of Estrada gives the Blue Jays a wealth of pitching depth even after the team declined the options of right-handers Dustin McGowan, Brandon Morrow and Sergio Santos. Anthopoulos acknowledged he has work to do this off-season to re-make the bullpen.Thats not the only place the Blue Jays must focus on. The team extended a $15.3-million qualifying offer to Melky Cabrera, and though Anthopoulos said hed like to keep the veteran outfielder he did not sound optimistic about that possibility.It takes two parties to come to an agreement, Anthopoulos said. All you can do is negotiate and try to get deals done and make offers and counter-offers. But at some point if youre far apart, youre far apart and theres only so much that can be done.By extending the qualifying offer, the Blue Jays ensure they would receive draft-pick compensation if Cabrera signs elsewhere.As expected, the Blue Jays declined a $3.65-million option on Smoak, but the former blue-chip prospect remains under team control. They also picked up catcher Josh Tholes $1.75-million option and reinstated third baseman Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C., infielder Maicer Izturis, right-hander Chad Jenkins and outfielder Andy Dirks from the 60-day disabled list and added them to the 40-man roster.Freeing up some of the $7.5 million that Lind would have made if he remained on the roster should give the Blue Jays a bit more money to work with.It does give us some options and some flexibility as we navigate through the off-season, Anthopoulos said. We have some ideas in free agency, we have some ideas in trades. Being flexibles going to be pretty important for us.———With files from The Associated Press.———Follow @SWhyno on Twitter. Don Barclay Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Ron Leary Jersey . Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban. http://www.cheapbroncosjerseysauthentic....y-wadman-jersey. Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. Todd Davis Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No. Brendan Langley Jersey . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.The Toronto Raptors offence appears to be back on track after a miserable stretch. DeMar DeRozan and Toronto can match a season high with a sixth straight victory Saturday night when they visit the Washington Wizards, who hope to be refreshed following a flurry of games in spite of the precedent theyve set. The Raptors (32-15) averaged 90.0 points on 39.2 percent shooting during a 1-3 stretch from Jan. 16-21. Theyve since averaged 111.0 points on 48.8 percent shooting during a five-game winning streak. They also won six straight from Nov. 15-26 and Dec. 12-21. Both streaks included four home victories, while three during this run have come on the road, including Fridays 127-122 overtime victory against Brooklyn. DeRozan, who shot 35.7 percent when Toronto lost three of four, has scored 24-plus in three of four and had 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting against the Nets. He has 59 points in his last two games versus Washington. DeRozan also had nine assists, matching his second-highest total ever. Toronto owns a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio during its winning streak after recording a 1.1 ratio when it lost three of four. I know I draw a lot of attention, especially when I get in the paint, said DeRozan, who averages 2.9 assists. ... Its just me paying attention to how teams are going to defend me, defend us, where guys are going to be open. Amir Johnson had 24 points - 14.1 above his season average - while reserve Lou Williams scored 25 two nights after recording 27 against Sacramento. Both performances helped buoy the Raptors in spite of Kyle Lowrys 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting. He has shot 35.3 perrcent over his last seven games and is 11 for 31 in his last two versus Washington, though he has 10-plus assists in four straight meetings.dddddddddddd Amir and DeMar held it down tonight, Lowry said. They made all the winning plays. DeRozan had 25 points in a 103-84 home win over Washington on Nov. 7, Torontos fifth victory in six meetings. The Wizards shot 36.1 percent with John Wall, Paul Pierce and Nene going a combined 8 for 35. Washington (31-16) is likely relieved to have two days of rest since Wednesdays 106-98 loss at Phoenix, its fourth game in five days. Each of those opponents rank 11th or higher in terms of pace, with the Suns at No. 2. The Wizards and Raptors prefer a slower style, ranking 20th and 18th, respectively. Wall and Bradley Beal were a combined 10 of 31 versus Phoenix while Nene is questionable after sitting out with a sore right foot. The Wizards are 4-4 when he doesnt play. It was our fourth game in five nights and we were playing teams that were pretty fast, said Wall, who had been 26 of 45 over his last three games before going 5 for 16. Denver and L.A. and now them, so it was tough. Im not looking for excuses but we definitely didnt have the same energy as we usually do. Washington is 5-5 with two or more days rest, however, and Wall is shooting 41.8 percent in those contests compared to 47.4 in all others. Wall has been wildl