Article content continued

At 34, Morales holds a lifetime .270 average and a .870 OPS in the major leagues. He’s also slammed 190 home runs in his 11 seasons. Gibbons believes he’ll break out at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre this year.

“Yeah. Come to think of it, he does look a little better,” Gibbons said, when asked about Morales’ new look. “I do think he’s going to have a better year. I thought he got off to a pretty good start with us last year but I think really he just wants to maintain and stay consistent throughout the year. We had a battle in different areas offensively all year long (in 2017). We get him going and some other guys going and they have big years and we’re that much better off.”

Morales was able to appear in 150 games, but he played most of the season with an aching shoulder and sore hands. He hopes those lingering problems are a thing of the past, though he is not using them as an excuse for past performance.

“I feel great now,” he said. “I’m close to 100%. I don’t think anybody here is 100% yet. It’s a process to get into the season.”

“I came prepared to do anything,” Morales added. “I came prepared to play first base, I came prepared to be the DH, I came prepared to play in the outfield. I came prepared for everything. I come prepared for spring training like it was my last spring training. But this is a grind so you can’t start with a sprint. This is a marathon, you have to go slowly. But I’m ready for everything.”

Like him or not. At his price, even if the Jays wanted to, it’s unlikely they’d be able to trade him. Morales, however, is determined to prove this season that the Jays made a good move in signing him.

sbuffery@postmedia.com