The Toronto Blue Jays are in the thick of a pennant race in the American League East and manager John Gibbons has reached out to a familiar face in an attempt to bolster the roster.
According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, the Blue Jays manager texted pitcher Mark Buehrle and reminded him that rosters expand in September. The retired left-hander rebuffed Gibbons, sending him back a picture of a lake.
John Gibbons recently texted Mark Buehrle saying "you know, rosters expand in September." Buehrle texted back a picture of a lake.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) August 29, 2016
You can’t fault Gibbons for making an effort to re-recruit the dependable veteran.
The 37-year-old played three seasons for the Blue Jays, becoming a consistent anchor for an up-and-down starting rotation. Gibbons could always count on Buehrle to give Toronto quality innings while providing veteran leadership to youngsters like Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. Adding Buehrle would give more depth to an already deep rotation. In 2015, Buehrle won 15 games with a 3.81 ERA, throwing nearly 200 innings. He’s just a year removed from baseball and went out on top. Buehrle hypothetically might be able to step in and pitch right away.
With all that said, Gibbons text was nothing more than a joke with a hopeful outcome. Buehrle’s been coveted by multiple MLB teams throughout the season but remained adamant about staying retired. Toronto would have the best chance to bring Buehrle out of retirement given their record and his familiarity with the club, but for now, Buehrle wants to enjoy his post-baseball career.
