The Blue Jays announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed former Indians left-hander T.J. House to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training.
[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays Depth Chart]
Back in 2014, House looked to have emerged as a viable back-of-the-rotation option in Cleveland after tossing 102 innings of 3.35 ERA ball and averaging 7.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 to go along with a hefty 60.9 percent ground-ball rate as a 25-year-old rookie. However, House spent a pair of stints on the disabled list with shoulder problems in 2015, the latter of which sidelined him for the final four months of the season. In the two years since that promising debut, he’s pitched just 15 2/3 innings in the Majors and allowed 20 runs on 27 hits and 12 walks with nine strikeouts. Now 27 years of age, House did manage a 3.98 ERA in 72 1/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus last season, but his 6.2 K/9 rate and 5.4 BB/9 rate were hardly encouraging.
For the Blue Jays, left-handed depth is an area of clear need on their pitching staff, though. Toronto lost Brett Cecil to a four-year deal with the Cardinals earlier this offseason and has yet to bring in a proven southpaw to take his place. The Jays’ top left-handed options in the ‘pen are Aaron Loup, Chad Girodo, Matt Dermody and Ryan Borucki, plus non-roster invitee Brett Oberholtzer.
I always pickup TJ House in MLB the show. Good AAA depth piece.
I love the game.
I have it for Playstation 3.
I’m doing a franchise with the Blue Jays.
I act as manager and GM.
Yippee Skippee!!
*pardon the sarcasm to come*
As a Blue Jays fan, I have to say I’m overjoyed with this news. Overjoyed may actually be an understatement. Clearly – clearly – Boston was originally targeting House and had to settle for Sale. What a brilliant and promising off season thus far for Jays fans! This signing excites me almost as much as the potential outfield consisting of one guy who can catch the ball and can’t hit, three guys who can’t do either terribly well, and one guy who has done almost nothing at the MLB level. *Plans parade route*
Every team signs filler in the off season. If the few blue chip prospects the Jays have were traded or we signed QO FA’s do you think we would keep up with the Yanks or Boston with there young talent and both getting close to being under the salary cap. They have to go on the assumption right or wrong that the payroll will never match the Yanks or the Sox. The chips were put in the middle of the table by AA, now they have to be careful or it may be a lot longer than you think before they can plan parade routes. Joey may come down enough to warrant a signing pick up someone like Zeigler and a LOOGY. Keeps the payroll somewhere that should not hamper them too much in the future and lets them hopefully compete and build the farm up or at least get the their best prospects closer to the majors.
100% agreed re: every team signs filler. But as a jays fan, it’s been a very trying off season. Outfield a mess, RP a mess, infield questions…again, having options at AAA is key, but the big team needs sorting out. Sharpish.
so explain what you think they should do? sure it’s been underwhelming but the Jays don’t have the prospects to get any front of the line starter. Also how many quality OF have signed. Reddick and Fowler may have been nice but the Jays weren’t willing to go that much money and forfeit a pick and I completely agree with that philosophy. you will see someone sign but honestly I’d like to know who you want to full the holes with?
ThePriceWasRight lmao dude they jays have one of the best starting rotations in the league all jays fans want is an extra SU guy in the bullpen in case grilli goes south or biagini has to be a starter/long inning bullpen guy, a left handed reliever who isn’t trash and two guys who can play the corner outfield postions peferbly with good defence speed and lefties
Exactly.
Totally agree. AA has left the current management with little options. AA traded an astronomical amount of prospects in 2015 and there isn’t any depth left. Atkins/Shipiro have no choice but to play in free agency with unfortunately not enough payroll to fill all of the needs with top end talent
The new regime has done a very good job rebuilding the farm though. The liriano trade was genius, and the additions of gurriel and zeuch helped a lot. If you add in the progress Harris, Reid foley, urena, and Alford made, our farm is looking in great shape. And that’s without Guerrero, Greene and Pompey
Without AA, the Jays would never have seen the success of the past two seasons. He made one bad move – throwing Thor into the d’Arnaud-for-Dickey trade. Beyond that, the Jays have suffered from poor drafting, as do most teams. Now, we have Shatkins to put the team back into the basement, while cheapskate owners act like they’re a small market team when, in reality, the Jays play in the third-largest city in MLB with a fan base.that stretches from Halifax to Victoria. What this team really needs is a new owner.
Your Blue Jays are being very smart.Just let their prices go down.
I’m sure they’ll resign Joey Bats and 2E.
This is so cool. Shapiro is doing a magic trick right before our eyes. Soon the Blue Jays will become the Indians. They’ve already brought over most of the staff. The fact that the Indians have NEVER won a World Series is beside the point. Great job Rogers!!!!! You’ve chased one of the better GM’s in baseball and brought in this loser to do magic tricks. The absolute best though is how Shapiro can make Atkins talk without moving his lips. That trick confounds me.
You lose the point you are making when in fact Cleveland has won two World Series.
Never won under Shapiro.
Neither did AA.
Ya Shapiro only built last years pennant winners
Uh, not really. The key acquisitions came earlier or, in the case of Andrew Miller, after Shapiro left town.
The key acquisitions were litterlly all him. He oversaw that franchise from 2001 until last year. Two executives of the year and a core of lindor, kipnis, Santana, Ramirez, Allen and that rotation are all on him.
Who j’s lose to tho ??
Who won it tho?
Still not the Jays
Gomer, rationality is probably seen as sedition, esp during this period between the gm meetings and the postChristmas break
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It is true that the Jays do not have the prospects to trade for those experienced guys, and also, seemingly, do not want to get into a Vernon Wells kind of contract with aging players again.
By taking their time, I wonder if the new admin is looking at McGuire as a possible back up to Martin? Mc is one of the better defensive catchers in the minors.
And I wonder whether Dermody could be a fit for the Jays BP? He is a 27yrs old, 6’5″ lhp?
These two might be the stopgaps the Jays need during the first month or so of the season, until the market hopefully cools off a little and the experienced players and pitchers become more readily available?