Kevin Pillar is headed back to the States.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays shipped him out of town in exchange for infielder Alen Hanson and right-handed pitcher Juan de Paula & Alen Hanson. Pillar spent his entire MLB career with the Blue Jays up until the trade and was understandably emotional while addressing the news with the media. He couldn’t hold back his tears as he explained why the move is so emotional for him.
Born in West Hills, California, Pillar now returns home to the place where he also played his college ball (California State University). As a Jay, Pillar smacked 55 dingers, batted in 231 runs and stole 69 bags. However, he became more known for his circus catches in centre field that helped earn him the nickname ‘Superman’.
Just hours ahead of the trade, the 30-year-old addressed trade rumours with TSN’s Scott Mitchell and by the sounds of it, this shouldn’t have been something that caught him off guard too badly. He now joins a list of Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Batista, David Price, and Edwin Encarnacion to get sent packing from the 2015 and 2016 playoff teams.
With the Jays already below .500 at 2-3, and playing in the toughest division in baseball, they could be in for a long, long season.
(H/T Laura Armstrong)
