BWDIK: Aumont, Martin, Pivetta, Smith, Stephenson, Wick
Victoria Eagles and Junior National Team alum Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) has prioritized getting ready for his major league season with the San Diego Padres over pitching for Canada at the World Baseball Classic.
February 15, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Pivetta on declining WBC invitation
When meeting with the media earlier this month, San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) shed some light on why he decided not to pitch for Canada at the World Baseball Classic in March.
“I was invited. It was a hard decision for me to make,” Pivetta told the media. “But at the end of the day, I have a finite time in the big leagues right now. With the way that I pitched last year, I think the rest is probably good to allow myself to achieve the goal that I want and that’s to win a World Series, and taking the time to focus on that.”
The 6-foot-5 right-hander, who turned 33 yesterday, pitched for Canada at the 2017 WBC. He said he’d like to participate in the event in the future.
“I know that I will have more opportunities to play in the WBC with Canada again and that’s also a priority of mine,” said Pivetta. “But right now . . . I think being here [in Padres’ camp] is really important.”
After signing a four-year contract with the Padres in February 2025, Pivetta proceeded to lead all Canadian big league pitchers in wins (13), starts (31), innings pitched (181 2/3) strikeouts (190) and WAR (5.3) last season. For his efforts, he finished sixth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Pivetta is heading into his 10th major league season. He owns a 69-76 record and a 4.47 ERA in 254 appearances (209 starts).
Stephenson promoted to bench coach for Dunedin Blue Jays
Women’s National Team legend and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ashley Stephenson (Mississauga, Ont.) has been promoted to the position of bench coach with the Toronto Blue Jays’ class-A Dunedin Blue Jays.
She was the club’s position coach in 2025 after serving in the same role for the class-A Vancouver Canadians for two seasons. Among the players she worked with in Dunedin last year were fellow Canucks Bryce Arnold (Grimsby, Ont.) and Sam Shaw (Victoria, B.C.).
Prior to her coaching career, Stephenson starred as a player for the Women’s National Team for 15 years and helped lead the squad to seven medals, including silvers at the WBSC Women’s World Cups in 2008 and 2016 and at the Pan Am Games in 2015. Along the way, she was named Women’s National Team MVP twice (2005, 2008).
In 2024, she became the first Women’s National Team player inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Smith ranked as fourth-best reliever in MLB
On Tuesday, the MLB Network released their list of the Top 10 Relief Pitchers and Cleveland Guardians right-hander Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) was ranked fourth behind only Aroldis Chapman, Mason Miller and Edwin Diaz.
On MLB Now, former National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy praised Smith’s fastball.
“It comes down to his release point being a little bit lower and the extension is elite . . . The total package is an unhittable fastball,” said Peavy.
In 2025, Smith posted an 8-5 record and a 2.93 ERA in 76 relief appearances and struck out 104 batters in 73 2/3 innings. This made him just the third Canadian reliever to have back-to-back 100-strikeout seasons (joining John Hiller (Toronto, Ont.) and Eric Gagne (Mascouche, Que.)). Smith, 26, took over as the Guardians’ closer in late July and finished with 16 saves, which was the most by a Canadian major leaguer in 2025. His 76 games were the fifth-most by a major league reliever.
Aumont did not sign with the Blue Jays
It would’ve made for a great comeback story, but it’s not happening.
On Tuesday, some eagle-eyed baseball writers noticed a transaction involving Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) on the Toronto Blue Jays’ website. It sparked a stir with some media outlets – including the New York Post – who wrote that Aumont had signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays and would attempt a comeback after not pitching in the majors since 2015.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t true.
As Mitch Bannon, of The Athletic, pointed out, it was strictly an administrative transaction. Aumont had voluntarily retired from the Blue Jays’ organization in 2020. In order for him to pitch for Canada in the WBC (which he plans to do), the 37-year-old Aumont had to be activated then released by the Blue Jays.
A first-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2007, Aumont spent two seasons in the M’s organization before he was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a package for left-hander Cliff Lee on December 16, 2009. The 6-foot-7 right-hander would eventually pitch parts of four major league seasons with the Phillies from 2012 to 2015.
Aumont has toed the rubber for the Canadian National Team on multiple occasions, including on the gold medal-winning Pan Am Games team in 2015, as well as on the 2009, 2013 and 2023 World Baseball Classic teams.
Wick signs with Giants
Right-hander Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, B.C.) has signed with the San Francisco Giants. The 33-year-old right-hander will miss the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the contract includes an option for 2027.
Wick is coming off a dominant season with the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japan Central League in which he went 4-1 with a 0.84 ERA in 40 appearances. He fanned 49 batters in 42 2/3 innings. It was his second straight excellent season with the Bay Stars.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander last pitched in the majors with the Cubs in 2022 when he registered a 4.22 ERA in 64 relief appearances. In total, the Junior National Team grad has toed the rubber in parts of five big league seasons with the Padres and Cubs.
Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) turns 43 today
Happy Birthday Russell Martin!
Longtime big league catcher and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Russell Martin turns 43 today.
Born in East York, Ont., Martin moved to Montreal when he was two. Martin would make his big league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 5, 2006. He proceeded to bat .282 with 10 home runs in 121 games that season. For an encore, he hit .293 with 19 home runs and a career-best 87 RBIs in 2007 and was selected to his first All-Star Game. He was also honoured with a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove Award and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award.
After three more seasons with the Dodgers, he split his next four campaigns between the New York Yankees (2011-12) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2013-14). Following the 2014 campaign, Martin signed a five-year contract with the Blue Jays. In his first season with Toronto, he belted a career-best 23 homers to earn his fourth All-Star selection and help the club to their first postseason appearance in 22 years.
Martin played his final major league season with the Dodgers in 2019. The legendary catcher ranks in the top 10 among Canadians in most major league statistical categories, including first in dWAR (16.5), third in WAR (38.8), fourth in games (1,693), fifth in runs (803) and sixth in hits (1,416). He also holds Canadian major league postseason records in games (58), hits (38) and runs (24).
On the international stage, he played for Canada at the World Baseball Classic in 2009 and coached for Canada at the event in 2017 and 2023. He’ll also serve as a coach for Canada in the WBC this March.
Dempster on Devo
Former Chicago Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, B.C.), who was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019, was asked about the 2026 Canadian ball hall class on an episode of MLB Hot Stove on Thursday.
Dempster spoke about what it means to be inducted and also about his love for 2026 inductee and Blue Jays legendary centre fielder Devon White.
“I don’t get very starstruck about other baseball players . . . but I get starstruck when I’m around Devo,” said Dempster. “He was like my Willie Mays. He was that centre fielder who was robbing home runs, hitting from both sides of the plate, stealing bases, doing everything . . . This guy what he did in Toronto to win back-to-back World Series and he was a catalyst at the top of the lineup and I’m really happy for Devo that he’s getting into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He deserves it.”
McRae joins Blue Jays’ double-A team as bench coach
After a long and successful collegiate coaching career, Mike McRae (Niagara Falls, Ont.) has been named the bench coach of the Toronto Blue Jays’ double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
McRae has joined the Blue Jays’ organization after serving as associate head coach/pitching coach at Rutgers University in 2025. In total, he has over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience that has included stops at William and Mary, VCU and an impressive 13-year stretch as head coach of the Canisius Golden Griffins. With the Golden Griffins, he was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year three times and piloted the Griffs to 11 straight appearances in the MAAC tournament, three regular season titles, two tournament championships and its first two NCAA Tournament appearances.
McRae’s first head coaching position came with Niagara University, where he was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 2003. Prior to his storied collegiate career, McRae coached the Junior National Team at the 1996 and 1997 World Championships.
Lavallee promoted by Blue Jays
And while McRae joins the Fisher Cats, Brent Lavallee (North Delta, B.C.), who managed the club in 2025, has departed for a position as the Blue Jays’ director of position player development for their entire minor league system.
In 2025, in his sole season as manager of the Fisher Cats, Lavallee led the club to a 56-81 record. But it would be hard to blame him for the club’s subpar finish. The club went through 57 players (25 position players and 32 pitchers) in 2025.
One of the pitchers Lavallee managed was 21-year-old World Series hero Trey Yesavage. The young fireballer struck out 46 batters in 30 innings in eight appearances (seven starts) for the Fisher Cats.
Lavallee was promoted to New Hampshire after three seasons as dugout boss of the class-A Vancouver Canadians. His Canadians clubs reached the Northwest League finals in all three seasons. They won a league championship in 2023 and he was named the league’s manager of the year in 2024.
Rest in peace, James Van Der Beek
Actor James Van Der Beek passed away on Wednesday after a three-year battle with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. He was just 48. He is best remembered for his role in the teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which ran on the WB Network from 1998 to 2003, and as the quarterback in the 1999 coming-of-age film Varsity Blues. But Van Der Beek was also a baseball fan.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes posted this image of Van Der Beek on Wednesday.
February 15th Birthdays
1959 – Joe Hesketh, former Expos pitcher
1962 – Rolando Roomes, former Expos outfielder
1963 – Barry Jones, former Expos pitcher
1974 – Ugueth Urbina, former Expos pitcher
1977 – Alex Gonzalez, former Blue Jays shortstop (the second Alex Gonzalez to play short for the Jays).
2000 – Elvis Luciano, former Blue Jays pitcher