TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays outfield got a little bit less crowded on Friday night with the trade of Ben Revere to the Washington Nationals for reliever Drew Storen.

The two men likely to be the greatest beneficiaries from Revere's exit – Dalton Pompey and Michael Saunders – both realize the opportunity at hand, but know that nothing is given and things can change very quickly, as the pair learned last season.

Pompey and Saunders, along with teammate Russell Martin, were in Toronto Saturday for Baseball Canada's annual awards dinner. Much of the talk during the afternoon's media availability was focused on the deal.

For Mississauga, Ont., native Pompey, it's hard not to view the trade as a vote of confidence in his abilities.

"No doubt, it obviously goes a long way," Pompey told TSN.ca. "Ben's a very good player, a very capable player and he did a lot of good things for this team. To have this opportunity now is really great for me. It also helps the team, as well, getting a reliever like Drew Storen."

Saunders, like Pompey, headed into the 2015 season as a prospective starter in the Jays' outfield, until a freak accident in spring training – Saunders tripped over a sprinkler head during a fly-ball drill – railroaded his season, tearing the meniscus in his knee. The Victoria, B.C., native had surgery to correct the tear, but discomfort continued to plague Saunders and his first season with the Jays ended up being limited to just nine games.

Before he can earn his place back on the roster, let alone a starting spot, Saunders feels he needs to demonstrate a full recovery.

"I have to prove my knee is healthy," said Saunders, acquired from the Seattle Mariners just over a year ago for now-teammate J.A. Happ. "It feels great right now. It feels like I haven't had surgery. That bone bruise was there since the day I tore my meniscus and it was very symptomatic and, now that it's gone, I'm just looking forward to a healthy season."

The knee injury wasn't the first significant health setback for Saunders. He missed all but 78 games in his final season in Seattle with a viral infection and a strained oblique.  The 29-year-old says that his recent battles with injuries won't change his approach to the game.

"Obviously, I missed almost a full year, but my preparation in the off-season stays the same," said Saunders. "I have to make a minor couple of adjustments, obviously, with the rehab process. I've never had to rehab in the off-season before. As far as jumping back on the bike (so to speak), I'm not worried about it. I'm going to go down to spring training early and I'm going to start seeing some live arms. Between taking four or five months off in the off-season or seven or eight, for me, I don't feel there's that big of a difference."

While it was injury that felled Saunders a season ago, Pompey struggled with consistency and confidence. The team's starting centre fielder on opening day, Pompey was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo at the beginning of May. He was demoted again a month later to Double-A when his issues at the plate continued with the Bisons.

He worked his way back up to the big club in September in time for the postseason run, an experience Pompey says reinvigorated him after a mostly trying season.

"It was something that we all enjoyed, we want to experience again and get farther," said Pompey. "So it's one of those things where you kind of take it in stride and try to do your best and make the most of your opportunity."

For Pompey, making the most of that opportunity means taking a different outlook heading into this season.

"I'm more relaxed," said Pompey of where he's at now. "At the beginning of last season, I was a little bit more intense, trying to force things to happen. This year, I'm just trying to have fun and go out there and enjoy my teammates and enjoy playing this game, because you don't get to play forever. I'm looking forward to it."

As for the hole in left field with Revere leaving town, Saunders won't take anything for granted.

"I'm going into spring training looking to compete," said Saunders. "Nothing is mine. I have to earn every job. I have to earn every start I get. That's the way I look at things. Somebody is always trying to take your job."

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TRADE COMES AS NEWS TO MARTIN

While the vast majority of Jays fans were well aware of the Revere-for-Storen swap by Saturday afternoon, the team's starting catcher actually wasn't.

"I just kind of found out, three minutes ago," Martin said upon his arrival to the event, held at the hotel adjacent to the Rogers Centre.

Martin, who signed a five-year, $82-million deal with the team last season, is sorry to see Revere go, but is excited about what Storen brings to the club.

"I know over the last couple of years he's really polished himself," Martin said of the 28-year-old Storen. "I didn't really follow him too much and what he did last year, but I know he's capable of being a pretty tremendous force out there. He's got a great slider, a good fastball. He's a good pitcher."

The trade marks the first significant personnel move from general manager Ross Atkins, who was appointed by club president Mark Shapiro in early December.

Martin says he has yet to speak to his new general manager, but doesn't see it as an issue.

"I'm not surprised," Martin said of not yet being introduced to Atkins. "Off-season is golden. There's a long season ahead and we're going to spend a lot of days trying to accomplish what we've set out to accomplish. There will be that time in spring training when everybody is around, so I'm definitely not expecting him to call. I didn't think about calling him, so I don't know why he should think about contacting me."

For Martin, personnel decisions will be made by those in that department and he intends to roll with the punches.

"I'm the kind of guy that's going to work with whatever he has and whatever decisions are made up top, that's on them," said Martin. "My job is to get myself ready right now in the off-season, but I'm definitely happy and looking forward to what's coming up. I think we've got a good team going forward and it's going to be a fun year.

"For me, the key – as it always is at the beginning of the year – is to stay healthy. We saw what can happen last year with (Marcus Stroman), so if we can just stay healthy on the field, I really like where we're going to be."

As for fans worried that the changes in the Jays' front office – the appointment of Shapiro in late August, the departure of general manager Alex Anthopoulos in October and the subsequent hiring of Atkins – will somehow curb the positive momentum built up by the team's first American League East title and postseason appearance since 1993, Martin's message for them is pretty direct.

"I really don't care what people say about stuff like that," Martin said with a smile. "Just enjoy the game, watch us win and keep rooting us on. That's all I got. Keep coming to the games, please. We enjoy it!"

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JUNIOR'S RAW DEAL

Count Pompey among those incredulous that Ken Griffey, Jr.'s election to the Baseball Hall of Fame last week wasn't a unanimous one.

The Mariners legend will be enshrined in Cooperstown this July after receiving a record 99.3 per cent of the vote (437 of 440 ballots), but that didn't sit well with Pompey, who took to Twitter on Wednesday to voice his displeasure.
 

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He further explained his position on Saturday.

"I thought it was pretty ridiculous," Pompey said. "It's one of those things where you see a guy that everybody knows is a Hall of Famer and, for whatever reason, three guys thought that he wasn't. I just wanted to know, what was their reasoning behind it? It's something that boggles my mind, but sometimes it's politics. People have their beliefs and maybe they don't like somebody for whatever reason."

Asked if the votes might have gone the way they did to purposely bestow the unanimous honour upon somebody else down the line (Derek Jeter, perhaps, in four year's time?), Pompey wonders if that might not have been the case.

"I can see that - I can see that 100 per cent," Pompey said. "But we'll see what happens. What if there are Seattle writers that (will) have their ballots? Are they going to do the same thing? You never know, so it is what it is."