DUNEDIN, Fla. -- We knew before that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria assured Jose Reyes that he'd never be traded.
We didn't know until Friday that Loria was still suggesting that to Reyes the week of the Nov. 19 deal that sent him to the Blue Jays.
"He always told me to get a nice house in Miami," Reyes said, after arriving at Blue Jays camp. "I was at a dinner with him in New York, and he was still talking about the house.
"Two days later, I got traded."
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Reyes left for a vacation shortly after that dinner, and he was so stunned by news of the trade that he thought someone was playing a joke on him. He said he hasn't spoken to Loria or other Marlins officials since.
"Why do I need to talk to them? They don't want me there," Reyes said. "I don't need to see [Loria]. He traded me. It's all good."
While Reyes was initially shocked and disappointed about the trade, he said he got more excited about playing for the Blue Jays after talking with Tony Fernandez and Carlos Delgado.
"[Delgado] talked to me about how great a city Toronto is," Reyes said.
He still likes the city of Miami.
The Marlins? Not so much.
"I feel sorry for the fan base in Miami," he said.
Same goes for Giancarlo Stanton, the star who didn't get traded?
"He's an unbelievably great player," Reyes said. "I feel sorry for him."
Oh, and as for that house, Reyes is still making his offseason home in New York. He's not buying anything in Toronto.
"No, not yet," he said. "In baseball, you don't know what will happen, but I'm hoping to spend the five [remaining] years of my contract here."
