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Toronto tried to trade for Ian Kinsler, per reports

Before Ian Kinsler was traded to the Detroit Tigers, he was reportedly pursued by the Toronto Blue Jays

USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays were pursuing a trade for Ian Kinsler earlier this offseason, before Kinsler was traded by the Rangers to Detroit for Prince Fielder, according to reports.

Shi Davidi writes that the deal was "scuttled by Kinsler's no trade clause," which some are interpreting as meaning that Kinsler rejected a trade to Toronto.

However, Ken Rosenthal writes that Kinsler was never asked by the Rangers to approve a deal, and it may be that the Rangers halted talks with the Blue Jays because they figured Kinsler would not waive his no-trade clause, making negotiations moot.

Rosenthal also writes, though, that the Rangers wanted Edwin Encarnacion in a Kinsler deal, which the Blue Jays weren't willing to do.  Rosenthal says the Blue Jays and Rangers talked about Sergio Santos (who was also part of a three-way deal that would have sent him to Texas, with Brett Anderson going to Toronto, that fell apart when Anderson failed his physical) and Ricky Romero, but that that package wouldn't have been enough for Kinsler.

So while Davidi says the deal collapsed because of Kinsler's no trade clause, Rosenthal's column would seem to indicate it may have fallen apart because the Rangers couldn't get back from the Jays what they felt was fair value for Kinsler.

While both the Davidi and the Rosenthal pieces talk about the Santos/Anderson deal, there's no mention of what the Rangers would have sent to Oakland in that trade.  Anderson ended up getting shipped off to Colorado for an underwhelming package, so while I initially wondered if Craig Gentry would have been part of that deal, I have to think it was something less than that.