wart, prospect William Carrier, a 2015 first-round pick and a conditional 2016

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle. Neither allowed a run; both pitched with purpose. The catcher is the only position player on the field the entire defence can see; the others pick up the vibe the backstop puts down and after Wednesday nights 3-0 win over Tampa Bay, Jose Bautista made it clear he notices a difference this year over last. "Ill tell you what, I could really get used to the chemistry that I see between our catcher and our pitchers," said Bautista. "If they manage to keep that going for an extended period of time, were going to have a lot of fun playing this year." One can draw a number of conclusions from the statement. The first, and most basic, is that Bautista is commenting on what hes witnessed from his spot in right field. One could also deduce Bautista is firing some verbal retaliation at ex-teammate J.P. Arencibia, who suffered through a dreadful offensive season while continuing to struggle defensively and with his handling of the pitching staff. Arencibia, in a media scrum last month, said it was "refreshing" to be in Texas because the atmosphere was "baseball emphasized." Later in the same scrum, he appeared to call Torontos leadership into question. "Elvis (Andrus,) (Adrian) Beltre, you have these guys who are leaders and have been around for a while. They make it easy. Its not like you come in here and youre walking on egg shells." While this falls short of what should be qualified as a verbal spat, theres little doubt that Bautista, as informed a player as there is, hadnt heard or read Arencibias comments. Regardless, Navarro is making an impression. "Even during spring training, he came in with a real interest in learning the pitchers as fast as he could and I think it shows right now," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "He spent the spring getting a feel for these guys and I think the evidence was (Wednesday) night with Mark. I think they worked great together." "Bottom line is, the pitchers got to make the pitch, but if they have confidence in what the catcher is throwing down, thats one of those little things where they have more conviction," said manager John Gibbons. In fairness to Arencibia, it must be pointed out that the Blue Jays used 13 different starting pitchers during an injury-riddled 2013 campaign. Names like Ramon Ortiz, Aaron Laffey and Chien-Ming Wang werent long-term solutions, regardless of who was behind the plate. But the game preparation, the ability to work smart as much as work hard, is setting Navarro apart. "I wont go there," said Walker, when asked to compare Navarro to Arencibia. "Its a different feel behind the plate. In the past, weve had some good catchers here and he just brings a different element this year that Ive enjoyed watching and working with so far." If Arencibias departure was considered addition by subtraction, Navarros arrival has more than filled the void. Its calmed the pitching staff. Janssen Update Casey Janssen, whos been seen working his weighted ball program in the clubhouse over the last couple of days, threw off flat ground from roughly 120 feet on Thursday. Hes being careful as he works his way back from an abdominal/back strain. "Im trying to not piss it off," said Janssen. "It might if I do certain things but Im staying in that comfort level and I havent pissed it off. It could be completely gone but I havent tested it enough to know. I dont think today is the day to test it." Janssen is eligible to come off the disabled list on April 13 in Baltimore. Its too early to predict whether hell be back on that date. USA Soccer Jerseys China . For Sweed, a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, this will be his second go around in the CFL after previously having spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 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LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues have re-signed goalie Brian Elliott to a three-year contract and will not pursue a new deal with Ryan Miller. General manager Doug Armstrong said Monday the team took a calculated risk acquiring Miller from Buffalo, hoping he could lead the franchise to its first Stanley Cup. But the Blues were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. "Certainly, its not all reflected on Ryan, its a team game," Armstrong said. "Weve gone this direction and were excited about the tandem we have." Armstrong said the 29-year-old Elliott will compete for the starting job with Jake Allen, the teams top goalie prospect. He said the team met with Miller at the end of the season and again last week before deciding to move on. "Brian wanted a chance to compete for the No. 1 job," Armstrong said. "He has that now." Not re-signing Miller also gives the Blues financial flexibility for upgrades elsewhere.dddddddddddd The Blues sent Buffalo goalie Jaroslav Halak, forward Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier, a 2015 first-round pick and a conditional 2016 third-round pick. The third-rounder would have been a first-round pick this year if the Blues reached the Western Conference finals or re-signed Miller to a new contract before the draft. "We gave up quite a bit," Armstrong said. "We took a swing. It certainly was a lot to give up for 20-some odd games and six playoff games." Elliott was 18-6-2 with four shutouts, a 1.96 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. He shared the starting job with Jaroslav Halak before the Miller deal. In three seasons with St. Louis, Elliott has an NHL-high 16 shutouts -- tied for second in franchise history. ' ' '