  Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay is feeling healthy and stronger than he has in years. (QMI Agency/Greg Henkenhaf)
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Who could blame Lyle Overbay if he spoke of himself in the past tense? Ever since the Blue Jays acquired Brett Wallace and, come to think of it, for a good long time before that, Overbay has had one foot out the Blue Jays clubhouse door.
But here he is, three days early for spring training, feeling healthy, feeling stronger than he has in years, happy to have found the flaw in his swing, or maybe the swing in his flaw, ready to take part in at least the opening act of the Blue Jays rebuild.
All that and he has his eyes wide open.
"I've been here before," said Overbay in assessing his somewhat precarious position.
"I was there with Prince Fielder. When (Wallace) is ready, he'll be here.
"(The Jays) have to look to the future. They can't be naive and think I'm going to be here for 17 years or something. There's always somebody behind you. I've been there before and it's just the way this game is."
Overbay was Milwaukee's first baseman in 2005 when he hit .276 with 19 homers and an OPS of .816. Good numbers but a young thumper named Fielder was hammering on the door and needed to be let in.
So Overbay was traded to Toronto where, four years later, the same scenario will play itself out, most likely at some point this summer or, if not, then at the end of it.
If he was to allow it, it could be an awkward situation but Overbay is not going to lose any sleep fretting about it. He's feeling physically better than at any time in the past few years and looking to turn that into a season that will make him a desirable free agent next winter. This is the last year of the four-year, $24-million US deal he signed before the 2007 season.
"Earlier in my career it would have been (a worrisome situation)," he said. "Now, I've gone through it. I've been traded twice. There's been trade talks the last two years on me and nothing has happened so I've kind of grown out of it. Younger, it might have hit me. Because when they're talking about getting traded, it can sound like they don't like you."
General manager Alex Anthopoulos stayed in touch with Overbay through the off-season, beginning with the aborted trade that would have sent Overbay to Arizona for catcher Chris Snyder.
"Obviously there was some point in time he was trying to trade me," Overbay said. "Those rumours don't become rumours just out of the blue. There's some truth. But 99% of rumours don't pan out anyway. It was good for him to call me and reassure me they're excited about me being here."
During the 2007 season, his second with the Jays, Overbay was struck on the right wrist by a pitch from Chicago's John Danks. The pain from that fracture dogged him for two full years and affected his swing.
Now, he claims to have spent his first pain-free off-season in a while and it allowed him more time to work on his swing.
"About the first time in three years that I've felt healthy through the whole off-season," he said. "I've been feeling comfortable with my swing and feeling strong.
"I need to get back to driving the ball to all fields. I think I got a little pull-happy last year and it got me off that fastball away. That's one of my strengths, hitting that pitch away."
And if that happens, the Jays will no doubt be happy having Overbay keep the first-base bag warm while Wallace puts the finishing touches on his apprenticeship.
Overbay has no illusions about his role or his future with the Blue Jays. He'll be a free agent next November and something very strange or wonderful would have to happen for him to be wooed by the Jays.
"Honestly I don't think so," he says. "If the opportunity is there, then yeah. The way they're going, though, it seems like they're setting the table for the young guys. Right now, it doesn't look likely.
"When you get trade talks for three years at some point you have to think the time is coming to an end."
