DUNEDIN — When he looks back at the 2015 American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals, there are dozens of ‘what ifs?’ that haunt John Gibbons.

Most of them involve decisions that would have been managerial no-brainers if Brett Cecil had been available to work his magic out of the bullpen.

“It’s hard not think that the outcome of some of those games, and maybe the entire series, would have been different if Brett had been available,” said Gibbons. “You look at that left-hand dominant (Kansas City) lineup and you just know we would have had opportunities to use him in every game.”

Cecil had been as dominant as any reliever in baseball over the last four months of the season, allowing zero earned runs and striking out 44 in his final 37 appearances, not including a clean slate in both games he pitched against Texas in the ALDS.

But Cecil was not available, having torn a calf muscle clean through in the second game against Texas. While Cecil worked feverishly with Toronto’s training staff to rehab the injury to the point that he might have been able to pitch in the World Series, after eliminating the Rangers, the Jays fell in six games to the eventual World Series-champion Royals.

Through it all, Cecil watched in anguish, knowing he could have impacted the games as they unfolded.

“In the moment, yeah,” he said when asked if he was stung by not being able to contribute.

“There were countless times when they’d have somebody up in the bullpen and I knew there was a very good chance it would have been me. That’s when it probably hurt the most. But those things happen. It’s water under the bridge and I’m just looking forward to this year.”

He’s heard how much he could have changed the playoff outcome from many people, including Gibbons, but he is modest in his response.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say that and even Gibby said it to me, but I told him what I tell everyone else: That I find it hard to think that one guy, especially a guy coming out of the bullpen can change the dynamic of a seven-game series. But we’ll never know.”

The work that Cecil and the training staff did to try to get him back in harness did make the off-season healing process shorter than it might have been and that may impact him in a good way as he goes forward this spring.

“The work I did, trying to get healthy to play in the World Series, the work that the trainers did and our acupuncturist, that jump-started it and made it a lot less time-consuming during the offseason for it to heal,” he said. “Probably about a month after the season, I did run for an extended period of time and then I had a limp for an extended period of time ... about two days.

“I axed the running part of it and just worked on strengthening it up, getting that muscle strong and then worry about running later. Running on the field is not a huge part of my position. I mean, of course I have to field bunts and that’s what I put my focus on, not necessarily running for endurance or any long distances.”

When Cecil came to camp, he thought he was fully healed, but even the running he did between fields during the early workouts left him stiff, so he adjusted his workout schedule to allow him to ease himself back into his normal routine.

“That’s when we backed up a little bit and looked at my schedule to tailor it to what I need to be doing,” he said.

He’s been throwing bullpen sessions normally and will appear in his first Grapefruit League game on Monday.

Surprising as it may seem, Cecil is the second longest-serving of all the Blue Jays players. Cecil made his debut on May 5, 2009. Only Jose Bautista, who came over from Pittsburgh the previous August, has been on the big-league roster longer.

Now, as the 2016 season approaches, he and Bautista are among 10 potential free agents and could be preparing for their final seasons in Toronto. Cecil claims not to have followed, with any special interest, the free agent market this past winter, but he does realize that quality relief pitchers — both setup men and potential closers — are now valued much higher than they used to be.

“I’ve been able to see that through the last couple of years,” said Cecil. “When the dollars start jumping like that, you’re going to see them one way or another. It’s great. Those guys are getting what they deserve. Sometimes the hardest jobs are in the seventh inning, when you come in with runners on base.”

As far as he knows, his agents have not yet engaged the Blue Jays front office in discussions about a contract extension.

“Not to my knowledge yet,” he said. “I’m open for whatever. I’m not saying I’m doing this or doing that. I’m open. I’m very easy to work with. I’ve heard people say I’m very coachable — not that this is a coachable situation — but I’m a very easy-going person, easy to work with so there’s not going to be any demands. If they want to talk, we can talk. If they don’t want to, then we won’t.”

A year ago, the Blue Jays broke camp with Cecil as the tentative closer, but he was ill-prepared, having been plagued by shoulder inflammation that lingered into the final stages of camp. Not at his best, he blew his first save opportunity in the second game of the season and was supplanted as closer by Miguel Castro. After an uncertain period for everyone in the bullpen, Cecil settled into his familiar set-up role and was nearly unhittable.

“It’s where I worked myself into in 2013 and continued in 2014. I think early in 2015 would have been a lot different had I not had a setback in camp. I’ve said before that a setback in camp really throws you off completely from what your routine is in spring training. The outcomes of some of those games would have been different if I hadn’t had that setback.”

He is not at all intimidated with the notion of closing, if the possibility ever arises again.

“Would I take another shot at closing if they asked me? Of course. No doubt in my mind,” he said. “But I’m comfortable where I’m at. (Drew) Storen has obviously done it in the past and he’s comfortable with where he is at. (Roberto) Osuna can do it and he’s comfortable. Either way you slice the pie in that direction should give you the same reults.”

And if all goes well, next October, Cecil might well get a chance to answer all those lingering questions that plague both he and his manager.

SAUNDERS CLEARS MENTAL HURDLE

During last fall’s playoff run, Michael Saunders was relegated to cheerleader status. On Saturday, in Toronto’s 9-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, the folks were cheering for him, not with him.

“I was telling Buck (Martinez) today in BP that it feels like my first big league camp all over again,” said Saunders, after lighting up the crowd at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium with a pair of home runs, five RBIs and a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate.

“Certainly, there are a lot of nerves, butterflies, moreso excitement,” the Victoria, B.C., native added. “I feel like a kid out there. Now that I’ve got a couple of games under my belt, I’m feeling incredibly grateful that I’m here, after last year. I’m over the butterflies.”

For Saunders, who missed most of the 2015 season recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee following meniscal surgery, this spring is all about proving to himself and the rest of the world that last year’s injury is a dead issue.

“I think I have passed every test there is with my knee as far as health,” said Saunders. “That was the biggest thing for me: I knew I was healthy but it’s different knowing you’re healthy, then playing with it in the back of your mind. That’s something I’ve been able to shut out. I don’t think about it any more. So that’s what I’ve really been able to show myself.

“Not having it lingering in the back of my mind has allowed me to be free and easy. It’s something I wasn’t able to do last year. It’s something I knew was going to be the base test for the last 5% or 10% of rehab. That involves getting over that mental hurdle and knowing you’re healthy.”

In his first at-bat, with two men on, he yanked a ball into the Blue Jays bullpen to give Toronto a 4-1 lead. In his next at-bat, his line drive hit the foul pole in right for a two-run shot. In his final at-bat, he scalded a single that handcuffed the Phils shortstop.

“Tell you the truth, I was happier about the third at-bat, where I was able to hit the ball hard the other way,” said Saunders, a left-handed bat. “I know I’m in a good place when I start making hard contact the other way and allowing the ball to travel (in the strike zone) and staying on it. I’m just getting more and more comfortable with every at-bat.”

Saunders looked as comfortable at the plate as anyone has a right to at this stage of the season.

“This is early, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “I normally like to have between 60 and 70 at-bats during spring training. It can come at different times, to be honest. I’m thankful I’ve seen a lot of lefties thus far. A couple of years back, I went into a season with four at-bats against lefties under my belt. I’m really happy to be getting a lot of at-bats against lefties and I think that’s only going to help my timing against righties.”