Blue Jays Pushing to Move Adam Lind

Sep 28, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind (26) gets ready for a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. The Baltimore Orioles won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

The first move of the Hot Stove League could happen sooner than expected, as the Toronto Blue Jays are looking hard to move 1B-DH Adam Lind

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Hot Stove League fans may not have to wait long before the first log is placed into the fire, as the Toronto Blue Jays are looking to find a new home for 1B-DH Adam Lind.

Lind, who is due $7.5 million next season, is a left-handed hitter who wore out righties to the tune of .354 with a .902 OPS last season. He’s now on borrowed time after the Blue Jays claimed 1B Justin Smoak off waivers from the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Smoak, once the crown jewel in the Mariners’ farm system, batted just .202 with seven homers in 80 games with Seattle last season. The Jays feel that a move from Safeco Field — considered Death Row for power hitters — to a more hitter-friendly Rogers Centre could be the tonic to revive Smoak’s lagging career.

There is a market for a hitter like Lind, who hit .321 in 96 games in 2014.

“The Mariners and A’s stand out as teams that could dedicate significant DH at-bats to Lind. In theory, Lind also could play first base, but he is a limited defender,” Joel Sherman of The New York Post writes. “Also, he fits a model Oakland — among others — deploys when it cannot find an everyday player at a position: Obtain a player who can be used against a specific type of pitching.”

It is very unlikely the team will buy out Lind for $1 million, as they will focus on adding either another outfielder or depth in the bullpen.

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