Blue Jays GM hints Papelbon isn't a realistic trade target; team linked to other free-agent relievers

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos attempted Wednesday to dispel a recent report suggesting his club has interest in brokering a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for closer Jonathan Papelbon.

"I can tell you that - I can't ever mention specific players, especially when they're under contract to other teams - I know I've said this a lot in the past, when you see us linked to a player for days and days and back and forth, I'd say 9.9 times out of 10, there probably isn't anything to it," Anthopoulos told Bob McCown and Ken Reid on Sportsnet590 The Fan.

Anthopoulos, a notoriously reticent executive, intimated that Papelbon - who's set to earn $13 million this season with a vesting option for 2016 - isn't a real trade candidate for Toronto.

"I can say that we are not going to be in the market for relievers making (upwards of) $10 million or more," Anthopoulos added. "It's just not something that's going to fit for us. So any rumors that people would see of us being in that price range for a reliever (are) strongly false."

The Blue Jays don't have a reliever with considerable ninth-inning experience coming into spring training, but Anthopoulos suggested that both Brett Cecil and Aaron Sanchez are capable of handling the ninth inning in 2015.

FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reported later Wednesday evening the Blue Jays have contacted the representatives for free-agent relievers Rafael Soriano, Burke Badenhop and Francisco Rodriguez.