Fresh off not becoming the Blue Jays’ CEO, Dan Duquette has been really busy this week! First, the Birds agreed to terms with Bud Norris and Ryan Flaherty to avoid arbitration hearings, now they’ve reportedly acquired outfielder Travis Snider from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In exchange for Snyder, the O’s sent LHP Stephen Tarpley, a 2013 3rd-round pick, and the always critical Player to Be Named Later.
Snider, 26, goes by the nickname “Lunchbox,” so he’s already cool with me. You can follow him on Twitter @LunchBoxHero45.
Why “Lunchbox?”
“I love food, especially red meat,” Snider said. “If you follow me on Twitter, I constantly tweet out pictures of food, give restaurant reviews or ask people in whatever city I’m in for a good place to eat. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a good way to interact with the fans.”
“When I was in high school, I used to hang out with the older kids. They saw me put on a few eating displays, a round table buffet and a few other spots during football season,” Snider explained. “There was a guy before me named the lunchbox who also played fullback, so they dubbed me the lunchbox too and ever since then, it kind of just stuck.”
In addition:
Snider knocked Carlos Gomez to the ground during a brawl last season so he's cool with me
— G. Dixon (@GDixon410) January 28, 2015
Also, Drew Silva likes him, so who am I to argue?
Travis Snider, 26, would be a pretty good late-offseason add for O's. He hit .288/.356/.524 in second half of 2014. http://t.co/pELkZ0OYH2
— Drew Silva (@drewsilv) January 27, 2015
This actually dovetails nicely with the recent Duquette drama, because Snider was, coincidentally, a first-round pick by, guess who?
That’s right, the Toronto Blue Jays. He was the 14th overall pick back in 2006. In 140 games for Pittsburgh in 2014, Snider hit .264/.338/.438 with 13 HR.
Who knows if Snider answers any questions in the Birds outfield, or just adds to the logjam at this point? But, as a friend of mine texted me as the trade rumors heated up earlier this evening, he could be a very nice replacement for Nick Markakis.
Here’s hopin. Welcome to Birdland, Lunchbox.