Dioner Navarro was gearing up for his second season as the Blue Jays’ starting catcher when Toronto decided to make a massive splash by signing Russell Martin in November. Navarro, an offensively-gifted catcher is his own right, was understandably unhappy with the prospect of seeing less at-bats at a new position. Navarro asked for a trade days after Martin’s arrival and weeks ago he said that the D’Backs and Tigers were among the teams that have called on him. For now, however, he’s keeping his focus solely on the field.
“No not at this point. I really try to stay away from it now [laughs],” Navarro told MLBTR when asked if he’s heard of additional clubs that have interest in acquiring him. “I already said my feelings about it, whatever happens is going to happen.”
Navarro had a chat with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos earlier this offseason where both men were able to explain their positions. In the weeks that have followed, Navarro said that he hasn’t heard from AA or anyone else in the front office about a potential deal.
“No, I just had a conversation early during the offseason and we spoke our piece. Since Spring Training started he expressed his feelings and I expressed my feelings and we’ll leave it at that. We don’t need to be saying anything else, we gotta get ready for baseball season.
“I think I’m at that point where I don’t even pay attention anymore, whether it’s here or somewhere else. I’m just trying to get ready and let my agent do what he’s got to do. If he gets something done, he’ll let me know,” the 31-year-old said.
In other words, if a trade is merely days away, Navarro doesn’t know about it. The catcher also told MLBTR that he hasn’t given any thought to where he might potentially be a good fit. In the interim, his plan is to do whatever is asked of him, even if he’s not all that gung ho about playing primarily in the DH spot.
“There’s a little bit that I like about playing DH, but, I mean, I love playing behind the plate. I love being in there every pitch every play, I love playing behind the plate, and I feel like myself behind the plate. But, right now I want to help my team win. In this case, if I stay with the Blue Jays I’d love to help them win and help them be in the postseason this year,” said Navarro.
It remains to be seen whether the Tigers, Diamondbacks, or another team will make a move for the well-traveled veteran, who will be a free agent again after the season. Even if the outside interest is significant, a deal might not materialize for a while as Anthopoulos knows how valuable Navarro can be for a catching-needy team and is demanding a quality return for him. In the interim, Navarro says he’s ready to give 100%, even if he’s only doing 50% of what he loves at present.
