Blue Jays GM expects to trade Dioner Navarro

Dioner Navarro spoke candidly with the media Monday in Dunedin, Fla., lamenting his reduced role with the Toronto Blue Jays following the club's offseason acquisition of Russell Martin while reiterating his desire to be traded.

Barely 24 hours later, general manager Alex Anthopoulos indicated that the woebegone 31-year-old may get his wish.

"(Navarro) wants to play every day. We understand that," Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm on Tuesday. "And if an everyday job presents itself for him, we think we can get a deal done fast.

"And I expect something to happen. If he's being evaluated as an everyday player, I think a deal will happen pretty fast. He's too good a player for it not to," Anthopoulos said. "But until that happens, he'll be a member of this team."

Navarro, who signed a two-year, $8-million deal with the Blue Jays last winter, is tentatively slated for a reserve role with the Blue Jays, wherein he'll start behind the plate on occasion while also contending for at-bats in the designated hitter spot.

"I can't blame him for not being happy," said manager John Gibbons. "He's a big-league player and a good one. We made the decision because we thought bringing Russell in would give us a big, big boost.