Reason to smile

TORONTO – September baseball with something real on the line is a new experience for Vernon Wells and Scott Downs, the latest former Toronto Blue Jays to experience a true pennant race for the first time in another team’s uniform.

Wells and Downs returned to the Rogers Centre on Monday with the Los Angeles Angels, who headed into the night’s action second in the American League West, 4½ games behind the Texas Rangers.

While not exactly breathing down the defending AL champion’s neck – they’re actually closer to wild-card leading Boston although Tampa Bay is also ahead of them there – the Angels are close enough to keep things interesting, especially with three games against the Rangers in Anaheim to wrap up the regular season.

"We have a fighting chance,” says Wells. "That’s the good thing about where we are. It would be nice to be one game (back when the final series begins). Three is not going to be an easy task.”

Of course Blue Jays fans, living with a post-season drought that dates back to 1993, would be happy to trade places with the Angels, daunting challenge and all.

It isn’t easy for some to stomach the sight of former Jays on teams either headed for the playoffs or fighting to get in, a list that includes Roy Halladay in Philadelphia, Shaun Marcum in Milwaukee, Aaron Hill, John McDonald and Lyle Overbay in Arizona, Marco Scutaro in Boston and Alex Gonzalez in Atlanta.

Their departures were a result of decisions taken with the long-view in mind, and the Blue Jays look to have a more stable foundation in place now than they have had in many, many years. Still, it’s easier for teams in other divisions to compete, something Wells says really struck him once he left.

"I’d have loved to do it in a Blue Jays uniform,” he says. "It’s just you start to see how truly difficult it is once you get out of the division and kind of look and watch what goes on, and who you have to play, and how many times you have to play them. It’s not an easy task.

"Obviously Alex (Anthopoulos, the Jays GM) has his work cut out for him. He’s going about it in a way that he’s going to have guys that he has control over for many years to come.”

Seeking financial flexibility for that future, Anthopoulos dealt Wells and most of the US$84 million left on his contract to the Angels last fall, while Downs left as a free agent netting the Blue Jays two draft picks used on outfielder Jacob Anderson (35th overall) and left-hander Daniel Norris (74th).

The payoff for Wells and Downs was almost immediate given that they’re in a race, while the Blue Jays are still awaiting their full reward (the money saved on Wells did help get Jose Bautista re-signed and some international free agents under contract).

Downs has been his usual reliable self in the Angels bullpen, taking a 6-2 mark with a 1.29 ERA in 55 games into Monday’s play, while Wells has been in salvage mode since a dreadful start to the year, pulling his numbers up to .219/.252/.406 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs.

He attributes his struggles in part to the difficulty of adjusting to a new environment, and in part to "trying to do too much and the expectations, trying to do stuff that’s just not me.”

"I go out and play my game I’ll be fine, but you try to become something that you’re not, trying to hit home runs all the time,” he says. "I think the first couple of months I was probably swinging and missing more than I was making contact. That’s not part of my game.

"I learned my lesson so hopefully going into next season I’ll have a good start.”

That next season will be with the Angels, as Wells has no intention of exercising the opt-out clause within the US$126-million, seven-year deal he signed with the Blue Jays.

Former GM J.P. Ricciardi back-loaded the deal, paying Wells US$21 million in each of the final three years in order to create more wiggle room with the club’s payroll on the front end.

That structure essentially guaranteed that Wells wouldn’t walk away because of the amount of money owed him.

"It wasn’t something I ever thought about even when I was here,” Wells says of the opt-out. "The reason why it was put there was because everybody at the time, J.P., his contract was going to be up, Doc, everybody was going to be either in or out at that point, so it was put in there.”

Regardless, Wells is doing his best to make an impact in his first meaningful September, with four homers and nine RBIs in 15 games prior to Monday. He’s keeping close tabs on the out of town scoreboard and feeling better at the plate.

"I’m giving myself an opportunity to hit, now it’s just coming through in situations where we need it most,” Wells says. "The games we’ve lost, we’ve missed a lot of opportunities to drive in those quote unquote easy RBI situations. That’s the biggest thing for us.”

Shi Davidi is the MLB Insider for sportsnet.ca. Come back to read his insight and opinion regularly.