​Osuna Last Line of Defence in New-Look Blue Jays Bullpen

Just last week, Roberto Osuna didn't seem at all sure he'd keep the job he performed with such aplomb last year. The Blue Jays had traded for another closer, Drew Storen, setting up a long-running competition in spring training.

Asked then whether he thought Storen would win the job, Osuna replied: "I don't know. Probably. He's got the experience and he's what they are looking for. But, I mean, we'll see."

Early Wednesday morning, we saw, and Osuna was happy. Manager John Gibbons announced that Osuna, who excelled as a 20-year-old rookie last year, would open the season as the closer. Storen, who won and lost that job several times in Washington, will be the setup man.

"We like both of them," Gibbons said, "but I have a familiarity with Osuna. We all do here. We've got some flexibility that if we decide to change some things as we get further along in the season, we can do that, too."

If familiarity was a key issue in the decision, what took so long? Why stage a drawn-out mystery that finally ended on the team's last day in Florida?

"Well, we wanted to make sure we got it right," Gibbons said, keeping things vague. "That wasn't the full thing. Really, I said when we came down here, we're not going to judge them on the performance. We're just going to look at things as we go along without making a snap decision, and that's one we came up with."

His answers suggest there was division within management over who should be the closer, just as there was division over whether Aaron Sanchez should be a starter or reliever. Minds may have changed along the way, for reasons that are not evident.

On one level, it made sense to give the job to Storen. In six years with Washington, he appeared in 355 games and saved 95. Osuna, as good as he was last year, has appeared in only 68 games and logged 20 saves.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for continuity and for looking ahead to next year. Storen, a free agent after this season, will likely be gone then. At the moment, no one else besides Osuna looms as a credible closer candidate for 2017. Osuna was an integral part of a magical season last year and earned the trust of his teammates along the way. No returning players will dispute this decision.

Up until Wednesday, both Osuna and Storen had engaged in team-first diplomacy when asked about their preferred roles. Both wanted to close, but both said they would happily accept the setup assignment. In fact, however, whoever did not get the closer's job was going to be unhappy.

Storen was unavailable for comment Wednesday morning, already in his car on the way to an exhibition game in Fort Myers. Osuna spoke briefly with reporters, saying he was glad to be able to focus on a familiar role that involves a predictable routine.

Asked whether he was pleased to see last year's performance pay off in the battle with Storen, Osuna replied: "Not too much about what I did last year. It's just about the confidence that [pitching coach] Pete Walker and all the coaches and staff and Gibby are giving to me right now. So that means a lot for me and obviously I'm going to do my best."

He was asked whether he expected to win the job.

"I was 50 and 50," he said.

Which, for a while there, might have been the split among the Blue Jays' deep thinkers, too.

Gibbons also filled in the remaining roster blanks. Ryan Tepera, Arnold Leon and Rule 5 pickup Joe Biagini will fill out an eight-man bullpen during the first week of the season while starter Marco Estrada is on the disabled list. Ezequiel Carrera will be the fourth outfielder.

Estrada, whose spring routine was delayed by back problems, is scheduled to make one more catch-up start against minor-league hitters in Florida. Assuming he comes off the DL in time to make his scheduled start April 10 in Toronto against the Red Sox, one reliever will be cut.

If it's Biagini, he'd have to be offered back to the Giants, from whom he was claimed, and they would probably take him back.

Biagini, 25, is a 6'4", 215-pound, strong-armed right-hander who logged a 2.42 ERA as a Double-A starter last season. In six games this spring, he allowed three runs in eight innings with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Tepera, 28, impressed the Jays during a 32-game callup last year when he posted a 3.27 ERA. After Tepera logged a 1.42 ERA in seven spring games, "it would be a little unjust" to leave him off the roster, Gibbons said.

Leon, 27, was picked up from Oakland in an offseason cash deal. He appeared in 19 games for the A's last season, posting a 4.39 ERA. Over eight minor-league seasons, working as both a starter and reliever, he has a 3.96 ERA. Leon is out of minor-league options so would have to clear waivers in order to be sent down. He allowed no runs over seven innings in six spring games.

Carrera is also out of options, which might have been a factor in the Jays' decision to keep him. A career .259 hitter, he batted .273 with a .693 OPS in 91 games for the Jays last year. Carrera has speed, but in polite quarters, he might be described as an outfielder whose defence is best watched through a sleeping mask.

The opening-day roster:

Starters: R.A. Dickey, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman.

Relievers: Joe Biagini, Brett Cecil, Jesse Chavez, Gavin Floyd, Arnold Leon, Roberto Osuna, Drew Storen, Ryan Tepera.

Catchers: Russell Martin, Josh Thole

Infielders: Darwin Barney, Chris Colabello, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Ryan Goins, Justin Smoak, Troy Tulowitzki.

Outfielders: Jose Bautista, Ezequiel Carrera, Kevin Pillar, Michael Saunders.