WATCH ABOVE: Toronto Blue Jays acquire relief pitcher Mark Lowe, outfielder Ben Revere at trade deadline
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have made more moves to bolster their bullpen and outfield, just a day after GM Alex Anthopoulos said he doesn’t expect the team to make any more trades ahead of today’s deadline.
Relief pitcher Mark Lowe has been traded to the Blue Jays from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for left-handed pitching prospects Nick Wells, Jacob Brentz and Rob Rasmussen.
Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said Lowe was the type of pitcher who could go into late innings, adding that he has had an “outstanding year” for Seattle.
“I think our bullpen is really starting to be deep with power arms and that’s exciting,” he said.
“The deeper that you can be the more options that you have, the more protective you’re going to be.”
Anthopoulos said the Blue Jays organization had asked the Mariners about the possibility of trading Lowe “for a while” but they weren’t “in a rush to do anything.”
“I had no idea how the week was going to play out,” he said. “We’re excited and I love the fact that we’re in a position to do some things.”
Lowe doesn’t carry the star power of the recent trades the Blue Jays have made for ace pitcher David Price and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but he is in the midst of a solid season.
The 6’3″, 210 lb, 32-year-old right-handed relief pitcher currently holds a 1.00 ERA with a 95 mph average fastball.
His pitching debut came in 2006 and he’s since played for the Mariners, the Texas Rangers, the Los Angeles Angels and the Cleveland Indians.
The Blue Jays made another move ahead of the deadline, nabbing Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Ben Revere in exchange for right-handed pitchers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado.
The Phillies confirmed the deal on Twitter just before the 4 p.m. trade deadline.
“I think hew was the best fit for us and for our team,” Anthopoulos said of Revere.
“Down the road Michael Saunders is our left fielder, but Mike right now is hurt — he has the knee issue. But we expect him back in September.”
Regardless, Anthopoulos said he thinks the moves “speak for themselves.”
“We’re adding to the team we’re trying to get better,” he said. “The players put us in a position to make these moves.”
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