Blue Jays acquire reliever Lowe from Mariners, outfielder Revere from Phillies

TORONTO – Stocking up at the trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays wrapped up their busy week Friday by acquiring reliever Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners and Ben Revere from the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Blue Jays sent left-handers Nick Wells, Jacob Brentz and Rob Rasmussen to Seattle and right-handers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado to Philadelphia.

Lowe, a 32-year-old right-hander, has a 1.00 earned-run average with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks in 36 innings. He can become a free agent at the end of the season.

“He’s got the stuff and he’s performed where he can pitch in the late innings,” Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “This was an upside guy that’s performed that’s maybe not as famous, but he’s performing as well as some of the other relievers in the game.”

Getting Lowe is the latest signal that the Blue Jays are all-in on trying to make the playoffs this year, even at the expense of the future.

Toronto has traded several prospects this week to get shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, reliever LaTroy Hawkins, ace starter David Price and now Lowe and Revere.

The new-look Blue Jays bullpen now features closer Robert Osuna, Lowe, Hawkins, lefty Brett Cecil and righty Aaron Sanchez.

Revere adds an element of contact hitting and speed that Toronto lost by trading shortstop Jose Reyes to Colorado for Tulowitzki and Hawkins.

“Just having that pest, that guy that can come up and you can have that big strikeout guy on the mound and you know he’s going to put the ball in play, put pressure on the defence, steal a base when everyone in the park knows he’s going,” Anthopoulos said of Revere. “It’s just completely a new element for our offence.”

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