The Blue Jays and right-hander Yimi García are in settlement on a two-year, $15MM deal, reviews Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 (X hyperlink). The 34-year-old is represented by the Nova Sports activities Company. The Jays have 40-man roster openings and gained’t must make a corresponding transfer.
The final time García was a free agent, he additionally signed with the Jays. Going into the 2022 season, he and the Jays agreed to a two-year cope with an $11MM assure, with that deal additionally having a membership/vesting possibility for 2024.
At the moment, García had simply completed a powerful three-year run cut up between the Dodgers, Marlins and Astros. He tossed 135 innings over the 2019 to 2021 seasons, permitting 3.53 earned runs per 9. He struck out 26.7% of batters confronted and restricted walks to a 6.8% clip.
His first two years with the Jays noticed him proceed to pitch in roughly the identical method. He tossed 127 innings over 2022 and 2023 with a 3.61 ERA, 25.9% strikeout charge and 5.9% stroll charge. He racked up 4 saves and 41 holds for the Jays in that point and likewise vested his $6MM possibility alongside the best way.
2024 was a little bit of a blended bag. García got here out sturdy with a 0.47 ERA by means of his 19 innings, punching out 35.3% of batters confronted. He even racked up 5 saves whereas nearer Jordan Romano was battling accidents this 12 months.
However García allowed seven earned runs in his subsequent 9 innings after which landed on the injured listing in mid-June on account of proper elbow ulnar neuritis. He was activated from the IL in mid-July and traded to the Mariners shortly thereafter, with outfielder Jonatan Clase and catcher Jacob Sharp coming again the opposite means. He was solely capable of toss 9 innings for Seattle down the stretch on account of irritation in his throwing elbow.
There’s clearly a little bit of harm danger with García not pitching a lot within the second half of 2024, however the Jays know García properly after spending a lot of the previous three years with him. They clearly just like the match and have introduced him again, now having acquired two youthful gamers for the temporary few months that they have been other than him.
Remaking the bullpen is a transparent precedence for the Jays, because the reduction group fell aside in 2024 and was a key motive for his or her tough season. Toronto relievers had a collective 4.82 ERA in 2024, a mark that was worse than all golf equipment apart from the Rockies. They lower ties with their long-time nearer once they declined to tender Romano a contract for his remaining arbitration season and Romano has now signed with the Phillies. Additionally they non-tendered Génesis Cabrera, who then signed a minor league cope with the Mets.
García ought to leap into the combination for leverage work within the Toronto bullpen alongside guys like Chad Inexperienced and Erik Swanson, although the Jays will probably make different bullpen strikes earlier than the offseason is completed, with a number of free brokers on their radar.
RosterResource lists the membership’s aggressive stability tax quantity at $210MM, which is $31MM under the bottom threshold of the tax. The Jays have been over the road for a lot of the 2024 season however they’re believed to have ducked beneath through their midseason selloff, which included García. President Mark Shapiro has prompt the membership must be working with related monetary parameters in 2025 so maybe they’d be keen to cross the tax line once more within the coming season. They have been closely concerned within the Juan Soto bidding however missed on the market and now look like pivoting to different targets comparable to Max Fried and Corbin Burnes.
