DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Alex Anthopoulos spoke volumes with what he didnt say on right-hander Ervin Santana. The Blue Jays had been in the mix for the former Kansas City Royal with several Toronto players making a public plea to sign the 33-year-old former all-star. But Santana, a Dominican who counts several Jays as friends, elected instead to sign with the injury-ravaged Atlanta Braves. "I probably dont want to comment on how close I felt we got or didnt get," the Blue Jays general manager said Wednesday. Anthopoulos deflected many questions on Santana, leaving the impression he was not happy with the way the process had gone. Asked if he felt used, he said "No, no. But (thats) probably the only thing Im going to say." Money and terms apparently werent factors in Santanas decision to sign with Atlanta. "He had a strong desire to pitch in the NL and there was no way to compete with that," said Anthopoulos, who is also Torontos senior vice-president of baseball operations. Was that always the case, he was asked? "Very good question," Anthopoulos replied, before suggesting it was better directed at the pitchers camp. However the Jays GM did say he was told "recently" of that strong NL interest. Such hints aside, Anthopoulos was clearly looking to take the high road, "Obviously its done. He made his decision. Hes in Atlanta. Great signing for them. I wish him the best. Sorry it didnt work out with us." Certainly the NL East, home to the .sub-500 Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies last season, might seem more hospitable than the thorny AL East. Especially when Santana is eligible for free agency again after this season. Santana has spent his entire career in the American League, with eight seasons as a Los Angeles Angel before being traded to the Royals in 2013. His career record is 105-90 with a 4.19 ERA. He became a free agent after turning down a US$14.1-million qualifying one-year offer from the Royals. Its the same deal he accepted from the Braves and likely in the same ballpark as the Jays offer. Minnesota reportedly tendered a three-year offer but at a lesser annual rate. Unlike last off-season, the Jays have been quiet in player acquisitions. So the Santana snub stands front and centre. Anthopoulos said everyone in the organization wanted Santana to become a Jay. "I think we all feel we did everything we could," he added. With Josh Johnson gone and question-marks over J.A. Happ and Ricky Romero, the Jays have been looking to bolster a starting rotation that features R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow. Asked about the paucity of additions, Anthopoulos instead pointed to the healthy return of players like outfielder Melky Cabrera and pitcher Drew Hutchison. "We think Drews got a chance to be outstanding and hes put himself in a great position to make this club. I think if he does make this club, hes got a chance to have a tremendous year." Anthopoulos acknowledged the questions from fans and other observers. "All that being said, I can understand skepticism that comes with the job, the performance we had on the field last year. I think we will show how good we are when we break (spring training). I think the guys that we have tremendous upside but we would have loved to add someone just to have depth." "We werent going to force a deal and do things we really didnt believe in just to make a splash," he added. The GM said the Jays were "extremely close" to landing another starting pitcher in a trade only to see it not happen. He did not provide any other details. Bottom line, he says, the Jays like their talent but know it lacks seasoning in some quarters. So the search continues for that experience. NOTES -- Happ, whose spring training progress has been delayed by back problems, threw a side session Tuesday and "everything felt good," according to manager John Gibbons. Closer Casey Janssen, who has had soreness in his shoulder, was scheduled to throw a side session Wednesday. Dustin McGowan is also back after losing eight pounds to the same stomach bug that hit fellow pitcher Sergio Santos. Adrian Wilson Jersey . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Chandler Jones Jersey .A. Dickey, even though he was coming off a Cy Young Award in 2012. Many felt the Jays would regret giving up righthanded pitcher prospect Noah Syndergaard and catcher Travis DArnaud over the long haul. http://www.officialarizonacardinalspro.com/Christian-kirk-cardinals-jersey/ . You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal or on TSN.ca/Montreal. Also, TSN.ca features live streaming of the post-game news conferences from the Bell Centre. The Rangers grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final after Sundays 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Habs. Haason Reddick Jersey .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Kurt Warner Jersey . Webb birdied the 18th hole to take the outright lead, then watched as Choi, who shot a course-record 62 on Saturday to take a share of the third-round lead, pushed a 10-foot putt wide of the hole at 18 to miss the chance for a playoff.CLEVELAND - Billy Cundiff practiced inside FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday, working on his mechanics and hoping to snap out of his recent funk.He wont play there Sunday.The Browns waived the slumping kicker Saturday and replaced him with veteran Garrett Hartley, who will likely kick against the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals.Cundiffs release comes a week after he missed a 40-yarder in a one-point loss to Indianapolis and following two days in which he kicked well in practice before injuring his knee.On Thursday, Browns special teams coach Chris Tabor offered his support of Cundiff, who had missed a kick in each of Clevelands past five games. Tabor gave a glowing report on Cundiffs workout at the downtown stadium.We just got back moments ago, and I thought he kicked the ball as well as Ive ever seen him, Tabor said. There are some other things that sometimes go into it, but if he strikes the ball the rest of the season like he did today, well be in great shape.Cundiff, however, then missed Fridays practice and coach Mike Pettine said thee 34-year-old veteran had injured himself the previous day.ddddddddddddundiff refused to discuss his injury, deferring all questions about his status to Pettine. Although Cundiff had a sleeve on his left leg, the Browns said on their injury report he hurt his right knee.Whatever the case, with three games left, the Browns (7-6) couldnt afford to squander any more scoring chances if they want to make the playoffs.Hartley was one of three kickers the Browns worked out earlier this week. He kicked in 57 games for New Orleans from 2008-13 and made 82 field goals. Hes converted on 81 per cent of his attempts.Cundiff made 22 of 29 field goals in his second season with Cleveland. Last year, he was good on 21 of 26. The Browns signed him as a free agent in 2013 after deciding not to re-sign steady Phil Dawson, who went to San Francisco. Cundiff has also played for Washington, Baltimore, New Orleans and Dallas. He was previously with the Browns in 2009.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys discount uswnt jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Wholesale Arsenal Jerseys Wholesale A.S. 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