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TORONTO -- Alex Anthopoulos was prepared to stay the course with catcher J.P Arencibia, until he discovered the Toronto Blue Jays could make an upgrade behind the plate with free agent Dioner Navarro. The Jays officially parted way with Arencibia on Monday by declining to tender a contract offer to the fourth-year catcher. The move came after Anthopoulos signed Navarro to a two-year, US$8-million deal. "Dioner had a wonderful year last year in 240 at bats, and we think that theres some upside there, especially considering his age," the Blue Jays GM said on a conference call Tuesday. "We just think its a nice fit, and obviously well find out." Arencibia struggled through the worst season of career in 2013, with a .194 batting average, 21 home runs and 55 RBIs. The 27-year-old fan favourite, who began his Blue Jays career with so much promise -- homering on his first major-league pitch in 2010 -- struck out 148 times this past season, 15th most in Major League Baseball. Anthopoulos said he has no idea why Arencibia regressed so much last season. "I wish I did. I do think hes going to bounce back," Anthopoulos said. "He was a little banged up, and one thing about J.P., hes a very durable guy, very tough, plays through a lot of injuries. There was a time we almost put him on the (disabled list), he wanted to keep playing, he battled through it and grinded through it, and Ive seen him play with a broken hand and things like that. "But I really dont know, certainly we didnt expect him to have that type of year. .. Obviously hes very proud and has extreme pride in his job, and I think it may have just worn on him." Still, Anthopoulos said the decision to replace Arencibia wasnt made until the "last few weeks or so." The 29-year-old Navarro, a 10-year veteran from Venezuela, has served mostly as a backup but was an all-star with Tampa Bay in 2008. He hit .300 with a career-high 13 home runs in 89 games for the Chicago Cubs last season. He also had 34 runs batted in. "Navarro was someone who has pretty good contact rate, low strikeouts, pretty good on base skills, been able to take a walk and work the count," Anthopoulos said. "From a game-calling standpoint, the work that we did on him, everyone really raved about his game-calling, and how guys love throwing to him." Anthopoulos said Navarro -- whos also played for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and the Chicago Cubs -- is keen to get return to a starting role in the majors. "The fact that Dioner has played over a hundred games three times in his career, has been an all-star and is only 29, that certainly factored into the decision," he said. "Dioner is very motivated and very hungry to get back to being that everyday guy, he just hasnt had an opportunity to be the everyday guy since he left the Rays." The GM said he called Arencibia on Sunday night to let him know his plans. Through his struggles on the field, the catcher became a lightning rod for criticism this past season when the Jays were failing to live up to lofty pre-season expectations. The catcher lashed out on Twitter at Sportsnet analysts Dirk Hayhurst and Gregg Zaun over their negative comments. He then deleted his Twitter account, posting in a final three-part tweet to his some 145,000 followers: "Its unfortunate to see how words are twisted to make false stories. "I give way too much of myself to have others try and make me out to (be) something/someone Im not." "I will no longer be on twitter," he said. "Thanks to all the fans who support and praying for the others that hate. God bless." Anthopoulos said in the "grand scheme of things," the fact Arencibia vented his frustration on Twitter wasnt a big deal, and said there were never any off-field issues with the former Jays catcher. "I think he was probably one of our best guys in the community, always was available, always was a great supporter of the ball club, any time we had a need in the off-season," Anthopoulos said. "Theres a lot of things he did behind the scenes that no-one saw so to me he was outstanding." Will Harris Womens Jersey . Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday. Kenny Golladay Womens Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. http://www.shopdetroitlionsnfl.com/lions-calvin-johnson-black-jersey/ . TSN was honoured with several awards, with Rod Smith and James Duthie sharing the win for Best Sports Host for SportsCentre and the NHL: Season On The Brink coverage, respectively. Jahlani Tavai Womens Jersey .com) - The Ottawa Senators will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they face the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to secure their place in the post-season. Austin Bryant Jersey . -- The Chiefs have signed seven players to reserve/future contracts, including running back Joe McKnight, a former fourth-round pick of the New York Jets.NEW YORK -- Ruben Tejada and the New York Mets have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.1 million, one-year contract. Tejada lost his job as the teams starting shortstop last year, when he was demoted to the minors for months during an injury-plagued season. He missed time with a strained right quadriceps and broke his right leg on Sept. 18, eight days after he was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Tejada batted .202 with no homers, 10 RBIs and a dreadful .dddddddddddd519 OPS in 57 games. But assuming hes healthy by the start of the season, hes in line to start at shortstop again because the Mets have been unable to find a suitable upgrade this winter. The deal Wednesday night leaves New York with six players in arbitration: first basemen Ike Davis and Lucas Duda, pitcher Dillon Gee, second baseman Daniel Murphy, reliever Bobby Parnell and outfielder Eric Young Jr. ' ' '

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