Toronto Blue Jays centre-fielder Myles Straw (3) is doused with ice water by teammates Alejandro Kirk, left, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in MLB baseball action in Toronto on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker

TORONTO — Around this time last year, Myles Straw was considering retiring from professional baseball at the age of 29.

He'd spent the entire season up to that point playing for the triple-A Columbus Clippers, the minor-league affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, after clearing outright waivers in March 2024. If Straw wasn't going to be playing in the major leagues, he'd rather be focusing on his home life.

"I didn't want to really play baseball anymore. I was almost through with it," Straw told reporters on Sunday. "I thought of my daughter a lot.

"I just wanted to be with family, but I knew there was more left in the tank."

Straw was a September call-up to the Guardians on Sept. 17, playing in seven games with one hit and two runs in four at-bats. He was then traded to Toronto on Jan. 17, along with cash and international signing pool space, in exchange for a player to be named later.

The deal wasn't really about Straw, as the Blue Jays appeared to be getting that bonus pool space to try and land Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, but the free agent chose the Los Angeles Dodgers instead.

Straw, however, saw it as an opportunity to revitalize his career, especially after a phone call with Toronto hitting coach David Popkins shortly after the trade was done.

"I remember him just talking to me and pumping some confidence into me, and we had some good talks then," said Straw, who had a .462 batting average for the Blue Jays in Grapefruit League play. "Getting to spring training and being close to home, that was a good start.

"Just kind of getting to know the team and the guys made it enjoyable. I'm thankful that I'm here."

Straw made the Blue Jays' major-league roster to start the season and has been a regular in Toronto's outfield, filling in for centre-fielder Daulton Varsho throughout the year and making appearances in left and right field and sometimes even at second base.

“It’s a luxury to not have Dalton Varsho and to throw Myles Straw in centre field, who kind of is a right-handed version of Varsh,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider on Saturday.

Straw made a highlight-reel catch in the first inning on Milwaukee Brewers star Jackson Chourio and went 3-for-3 at the plate, while Varsho had the day off after getting hit in his right hand by a pitch.

"That's (Straw) in a nutshell: playing defence, three hits, running the bases the way he did. He's been so consistent this year," Schneider said.

Straw is hitting .272 with four home runs, 30 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases over 116 games this season. He's a career .248 hitter with a total of 10 homers, 155 RBIs and 100 stolen bases.

This year's numbers are on pace to match or better his 162-game average over eight seasons with the Houston Astros, Cleveland and Toronto.

Most impressive is his Wins Above Replacement, a stat that measures a player's value in all facets of the game, including defence — Straw's specialty — by deciphering how many more wins he's worth than a replacement-level player at the same position.

Straw is at 2.9 so far this season, his highest WAR since 2021, when he reached 3.3 splitting time in Houston and Cleveland. Only stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (4.1), George Springer (3.4), and Bo Bichette (3.2) have better WAR for the Blue Jays this year.

"There's nothing that I don't appreciate," said Straw on his career's revitalization in Toronto. "Everyone's great here. The people are amazing. The team's great. The coaches, the front office, our chefs, our security guards.

"I mean, there's not really a bad part of the stadium where you walk in and you're like, 'Oh, this sucks.'"

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025