The Blue Jays have reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Curtis Granderson on a one-year deal worth $5MM, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The contract, which is pending a physical, includes additional incentives. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith notes that said bonuses are tied to the veteran outfielder’s playing time. Granderson is represented by agent Matt Brown of Pro Prospects, Inc.
The veteran Granderson will turn 37 in March and is coming off a down season at the plate in 2017. Granderson tallied 527 plate appearances and hit .212/.323/.452 with 26 homers in 2017 — the final season of a four-year, $60MM contract signed with the Mets prior to the 2014 season. He floundered following an August trade to the Dodgers, hitting just .161/.288/.366 in L.A. However, he was hitting a more palatable .228/.334/.481 through 395 plate appearances with New York.
While Granderson obviously had some struggles in the batting average department, he posted a strong OBP which was fueled by a career-best 13.5 percent walk rate. He still displayed plenty of pop as well, as his .241 isolated power mark (slugging minus average) was his highest since a 43-homer campaign with the Yankees back in 2012. Granderson belted 24 doubles and three triples in addition to his 26 big flies. Of course, as is typically the case with Granderson, the vast majority of his damage was done against right-handed pitching; Granderson hit .214/.337/.470 with 21 homers while holding the platoon advantage but limped to a bleak .202/.274/.394 slash against left-handed opponents.
As such, it stands to reason that Granderson will be largely platooned in an outfield corner with the Blue Jays in 2018. Kevin Pillar figures to lock down center field on an everyday basis, but Granderson makes a natural platoon partner for Steve Pearce in left field. His left-handed bat will also provide some insurance in the event that young Teoscar Hernandez, a right-handed hitter, struggles early in the ’18 campaign. (The same is true of Anthony Alford, should he make the club out of camp or later down the line in 2018.)
From a defensive standpoint, Granderson’s days as top-notch center fielder are in the past, though he showed in 2017 that he can still handle the position in a pinch, logging 473 innings there — mostly for an injury-ravaged Mets roster. The majority of Granderson’s corner work has come in right field, where he’s routinely posted above-average marks, as was once again the case this past season. Though Granderson logged only 273 innings in right field last year, he turned in an excellent +6 Defensive Runs Saved mark and an equally impressive mark of +5.1, per Ultimate Zone Rating.
Toronto has been tied to various outfielders as of late, though two potential targets — Jay Bruce and Andrew McCutchen — have come off the market in the past week. Both players are limited to the outfield corners, so it’s possible that Toronto viewed Granderson as a fallback and moved quickly once those younger options were off the board.
It remains to be seen if the addition of Granderson halts the Jays’ reported interest in Lorenzo Cain, though there’s certainly room to add him to the roster. An outfield that regularly deployed both Cain and Pillar would be a formidable defensive unit, particularly if Granderson is able to maintain his quality work in the outfield corners. And, Granderson’s left-handed bat could be used to occasionally spell both Pillar and Cain against tough righties while providing a fair bit of insurance against injuries.
Financially speaking, the Blue Jays should still have plenty of room to add Cain and/or a rotation upgrade. Toronto reportedly had about $20MM to spend on 2018 payroll before the agreement with Granderson, and GM Ross Atkins has said that bolstering the outfield and the pitching staff are both priorities with the team’s remaining offseason resources. Granderson is a nice start on that goal, though he’s also the type of player that could be pushed into the role of a high-quality bench bat/reserve player in the event that the team can land an upgrade that is closer to his prime.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seriously??
The dude put up a wRC+ of 112 against RHP last season, and can still play all 3 OF spots.
Given that Pearce is injury prone and Hernandez is still unproven, Granderson is needed to help patch the OF. Carrera isn’t good enough for that job, simply because his defense is terrible.
For his age (37 yrs-old by season opener), I’m still comfortable giving Granderson ~400 PA as long as it’s against RHP. Play him to his strengths and he can up 2.0 WAR. Signing Granderson is a very solid move.
And it’s a one year deal. Lose nothing by having someone like Granderson on the roster.
Apparently you didn’t see his numbers with the Dodgers!!
Apparently you don’t know what Grande rain brings to a team and to a city. He is one of the most standup humans in the game. He is beloved by all teammates wherever he goes. He has pop which is only going to be magnified in Toronto, and he can fill in at all three positions. His average is bad, but walks are up and he had a bat that can makeup for it. Toronto got a good guy and on a very reasonable one year contract.
Grande rain, ha!
Apparently, you only view small samples!!
Stand Up Guy 112++. Chemistry 60 (scale of 70). Johnny Superscout
What’s your point? I love analytics but nothing the OP said was wrong. He’s a great person to have in your organization.
And he made a difference in the winning attitude of the Mets team last year.
Not really. Good guy…no concept of the strike zone any longer. Get used to the announcer calling, ‘strike 3’.
That’s good for him I’m glad to see him playing again.
Nice. Granderson is a good man.
He deserved another chance, to see what he’s got.
Always enjoyed watching “The Grandy man” play
Looking for class? Then look no further. Wish him nothing but success on the Blue Jays.
Upside deal for Jays. Probably hit 35 hr.
And he’ll hit .400 and steal 40 bases. Oh wait, nope none of that will happen.
35 HR? Please don’t drink and text
Why not he had 28 last year.. home run number only get better in Toronto
5 million for Grandy. Yikes. He was terrible for the Dodgers.
He didn’t really have a chance with the Dodgers. He will be good based on how much he plays.
You’re clueless!!
Rude
The sabermetric tools on the Dodgers done and messed up by not having Granderson on the playoff roster. Cost themselves the World Series. A Granderson hot streak was bound to happen.
Right because Pederson was completely awful in the WS. It’s not like he was a WS MVP candidate had the Dodgers won. That’s not why the Dodgers lost the WS not close. Good try though.
Ever hear of Kirk Gibson? What were his contributions from the starting lineup in 1988?
So Granderson would have won the world series? Lay off the drugs.
Cry harder fake fan.
Shhhhhhhhh
Fake fan hahaha because I dont think mediocre granderson would have made a difference. What next Carl Crawford would have made a difference
umm, why?
Was this their Plan B when they didn’t get Jay Bruce?
I would MUCH rather have Grandy at 1/5 than Bruce at 3/39
I disagree. Bruce is much younger and has a little more upside than granderson.
or Jose Bautisa at 5/$150m
More like they couldn’t afford Rafael Palmeiro.
I’m alright with that. They needed some speed up top. So 15 mill left to spend ?
It’s not much speed
The Arkells were wrong. Curtis Granderson is not gone. Lol.
Granderson has 47 steals total the last six seasons. He’s not slow, but I wouldn’t count on him to provide speed at the top.
That said, it’s a good signing. In the right role he can easily give the Jays a 1 WAR season which would be perfectly fine for $5MM.
I almost choked on my tongue when I saw this. Granderson is a great clubhouse guy, but his days of production are a shrinking image in the rear view mirror. I really hope this doesn’t turn out to be the Jays’ big move of the off season. We wanted Jay Bruce, but we settled for Granderson. Very Mark Shapiro kinda move.
Nobody wanted Jay Bruce. Get outta here with that junk.
Or at least Cargo right? But Grandy… really
Even Cargo’s mother isn’t sure she wants him.
Sheeezus, get outta here.
We didn’t want Jay Bruce
Hey, hey, hey – we also got Solarte.
Woah what a steal for the Jays. I know he’s not what he once was but the dud can still play. Has the potential to hit .280/.340/.500
.280? You wish
.xxx/.340/.500 sounds sick to me.
.230/.330/.440 maybe
Who cares about batting average. It only matters how often you avoid outs and how you’re impacting the ball when you do hit it. Let batting average die.
dud?
More likely to hit .200 then .280
So he’s going to hit 200, then follow that up with 280? Ohhhh you mean than!
.280 isnt happening…
The obp is on point. Slugging % a little high
.230 20 75 10sb is about the best ur gunna get with regular playing time
280? The best 2018 Granderson is gonna give you is around 230.
Typo. Clearly meant .208 not .280
Ew
He was basically the only guy on the Mets to never get hurt the last few years
I’m happy for Granderson definitely a class act. I have always been a fan of his!
Granderson gets 5m, now what does Chris Young end up with as another 4th OF type at this stage, which IMO is all granderson really is. Young made 6.5m last year and wasn’t very good. Does he even get a MLB deal?
Chris Young’s best hope is for the Giants to invite him to spring training. Their OF depth is super thin, and if Young tears it up in ST he might get a roster spot there. Not holding my breath though
No
Except Granderson was worth 1.5 WAR last year to Youngs -0.4 WAR
Dude can still hit bombs. Hope he can turn it around next year, his average was terrible. It was like he wasn’t seeing the ball good at all with how far off he was from making contact with the Dodgers. He’s a good dude though , I wish him the best.
I’m surprised at the number of people who don’t like this signing
Great to see he him back with a AL team, Will be good as a dh or outfield. Grandy you was one of my favorites as a Met
If the Jays signed Darvish there would be people complaining about it. This is a low cost 1 year deal that could work out very well for the Jays. He’s been around 2 WAR the past 2 years and his really low average on balls in play show he could have his average bounce back closer to 2016 numbers. If it doesn’t work out, it’s a small 1 year contract. No reason to hate.
I’m surprised as well. I don’t get. A lot of people just like to complain and will complain about anything.
such little cost, there really shouldn’t be any reason to not like the move.
Good left handed platoon player and class act. The city of Toronto should love this guy, I wish him all the best on the field, he could surprise people at that ball park.
As a Mets fan…watching Grandyman play the past 4 seasons….i can say he definately has something left to give…he has no arm…and his defense has slid….but it is still passable..
Given regular playing time…i see
.235 20hr 75rbi 10sb type production…well worth $5mil for a season. He is also a great clubhouse presence. Good luck Curtis…continued success except any games versus the Mets…Blue Jay fans will be happy with this addition
To this day I’m so glad we let go of him when we did (some people wanted him resigned). Fantastic team leader for the club house but his days as an everyday player are over imo
But why?
Bench depth ?
The big splash we’ve all been waiting for!
Bahaaaa!
Good solid signing for the Jays. Typically is cold to start off the season but picks it up afterwards. For one year, it’s a good gamble to take on Granderson. As people said, good clubhouse guy that’ll help move the lineup along.
Listening to him while he has been in ny for all of his years in this city I think he would be amazing for mlb network when he retires. Espn doesn’t deserve him
I really hope Grandy has what BA has affectionately refereed to as the dead cat bounce.
How can you be upset signing a clubhouse guy with a track record for 1 year at a reasonable rate? This is a good signing I can’t see any downside to it.
If this is the Jays only move for the rest of the offseason then that is upsetting but that doesn’t influence the value of CG himself and at 5MM I like it a lot.
Either a lefty hitting 4th OF or a surprise refurbished OF who comes back and hits 25HR
You could have gotten more production out of Jarrod Dyson…way more.
Describe ‘production’ more specifically.
Can you jays fans help me? So I’m left field Pearce and Granderson will platoon. I’m CF it’s Pillar. And I’m right field it’s Teoscar Hernandez? Anthony Alford is 4th/5th outfielder? Correct me if I’m wrong. And where is Dalton Pompey?
Carrera is the 4th outfielder. Depending on spring training – Hernandez or Alford is the RF. Pompey has been hampered by injuries much of the past 2 seasons, and needs to rebuild his value in triple-A.
Pompey and Alford are probably not starting the season with the Jays unless they blow away the field in ST. At this point I feel like Pearce is LF/1B/DH, Morales is DH/bench, Smoak is 1B/DH, Hernandez is RF/bench, and Grandy is 4th OF. All of that could change however given that:
1) Morales was a waste of a roster spot and $13M last year
2) Smoak has never done what he did last year before
3) Pearce is pretty mediocre with the glove and the bat, and he gets injured a lot
4) Teoscar had a very high Slg%, a low BB%, and a crazy high K% – it’s hard to say what all those things mean for his future because all of them were way off his career norms. Best thing to hope for is that the walks go up, the strikeouts come down, and he hangs on to some of that spike in power.
5) Cain is still out there. Maybe the Jays don’t want to give up the pick. Maybe he’s asking for too much money or too many years. But he’s still there, and there’s no team that seems like a better fit for him than the Jays.
In*
Rebuild Commencing in 3..2..1..0.
no such thing as a bad one year deal. Potential to hit 25 bombs in a platoon situation. 5 mil is a bit steep for this player at this stage of his career but there could end up being quite a bit of value here if he gets hot.
The Cain market took a hit today. They might get the band back together in KC.
It amazes me, so many fans think every player on the roster has to be an All Star or it’s worthless
Granderson seems like a great guy but I’m pretty leery of letting a 36 year old corner outfielder go while picking up another. Worth waiting to see – not a bad pickup if he can platoon against righties and put up near-average stats at 5M.
Given the fact that the Jays have several youngsters knocking on the door, a one-year signing of someone with class and experience, a mentor, is a great idea. Signing someone like Cain could limit our up-and-coming prospects significantly. Let’s hope he has a bit of a bounce-back year.
Now, let’s sign a big-time starting pitcher!
2nd Arkell reference …… nice.
No team has had the problem of too many good players.
If this is a depth move, I’m okay with it. If the Jays don’t make a splashier outfield acquisition, though, I’ll be pretty disappointed.
Awful signing for the Blue Jays. Granderson brings nothing to them other than a good presence in the locker room. He isn’t a good outfielder any more. He isn’t a good hitter at this point of his career. He doesn’t bring speed. The Jays would have been better off signing Cameron Maybin, who would at the very least give them the speed they severely lack.
Granderson was a good player. How can he help Blue Jays? Why didn’t you try Lorenzo Cain or even Josh Harrison? I hope you don’t bring Bartolo Colon instead Darvish or maybe Lynn. Things don’t look well 2018 season
he helps by getting on base…..and he’ll be healthy, hardly on the DL. He is going to be a good backup/platoon outfielder. People like you don’t get the idea of these signings, maybe that’s why you all complain?
Well, people like me likes front office moving to increase the posibilities of their team. If BJ’s needs an OF then go for a good one, not for another 4th OF. We have Zeke (1.9MM) doing this work. We need at least a first row SP and a first row OF.
Carrera is a mostly replacement level guy. Granderson has legitimate floor and upside. Might be more volatile given his age, but he can impact a team.
How can you hate a 1 year $5M signing of a potentially very good 4th OF? He adds some security and depth to the lineup and gives them someone to fall back on during injuries or in platoon matchups.
There seems to be a lot of confusion over why people dont like this move on this thread. Granderson is a fine 4th outfielder and paid like it. Defence should be ok in the corner and hes taken a dip at the plate especially in average. The complaint isnt the value of this deal its that whole he should be a 4th OF he will likelu be handed an every day role as the Jays big impact bat of the offseason. This + Cain would be great nobody would deny that. This taking us out of the running for Cain would be a travesty
Isn’t Carerra going to be the 4th outfielder?
And that’s exactly why people dont like the move. Because it seems to be a sign Granderson is destined for every day at bats and a sign they arent bringing in another OF. Its not about the actual value of the deal itself but the role Grandy will be given
Ok, now they’re contenders.
hahaha!
$5M for a veteran bat off the bench and great clubhouse presence is not a bad deal.
so the blue jays essentially replaced Jose Bautista with Jose Bautista
Exactly
Granderson was worth +2.1 War, between 2 teams, in 2017.
fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=4747&posit…
Bautista was worth -0.5 War, in 2017.
fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1887&posit…
Furthermore, Granderson is known for his class, wheras Bautista is known for bat-flips, amongst other things and…– Baltimore’s GM even said they’re not signing Bautista because: “fans don’t like him”
Other than maybe Dodger fans (due to Grandy’s performance, post-trade) I can’t think of any fanbase, that hates Grandy. I can think of several for Bautista. He’s very polarizing…
I also think Granderson’s the better player. (At this stage of their careers)
Granderson is actually liked amongst baseball fans outside of Canada
Why don’t fans in Canada like him?
It’s not that fans in Canada don’t like Granderson, but rather the Jays FO has been telling fans all off season that the Jays are going to compete in 2018. The only moves that have been made to the Jays has been improved middle infield depth and now Granderson. If Grandy is a platoon with Pearce for LF and Carrera is traded/DFA then fine. If Grandy is the replacement in RF for Bautista then that’s a different story.
I think the Jays front office has done a pretty damn good job of threading the needle this off season. They’re in a tough position of inheriting some absolute anchor contracts, they’ve built up their prospect capital after having none when they got here.
Who cares about building up the minors. Stop lying to the fans. They are not going to win or compete for anything with this club in 2018. Rogers has more money than cell phone time. Let’s jettison Tulo and Martin at any cost and spend spend spend to win now. Yeesh.
The Blue Jays Mgmt assessment of the current state of this club is so far off it is scary. Let’s bring back Mike Bolsinger [again]. yah, good idea Ross, good idea Mark.
Grandy is only a piece, nothing more. He will not help this team to a championship. Let’s look at the big picture. They need a #1, #3, lefty specialist, 40% catcher, new SS, on and on. #scoutseyes
Not true. Grande rain provided value last year
Just another player to trade this summer ! Hell bring back Bautista on a one year deal why not ?
Don’t forget how bad a year big papi had before he came back and ripped it up for 3 more season
Granderson is one of the classiest, most likable players in MLB. Happy he got another contract.
I like the move. He doesn’t have the versatility or speed of a guy like Maybin or Dyson, but I think he can still be reasonably productive in a platoon role given his power and ability to get on base.
Also (for what it’s worth) he put up a career low .BABIP last season, though I suppose you could chalk that up to the fact that he’s become susceptible to the shift as he’s gotten older.
As a Mets fan it makes me sad to see him sign somewhere else. I realize he’d be a poor fit in Queens… but he’s such a class act and fun player to root for, that I just want him on my team whether it makes sense or not.
“Well we checked in on Cain, we checked with other clubs regarding trades, we checked in with other FAs, and we found a steal in Granderson”. Gimme a break Jays. How can you say you’re planning on contending for a championship and sign this garbage? Keep “checking in” on everyone and do absolutely nothing with it. Same story I’ve heard from Shapkins at least the last 2 offseasons. Younger, faster, more athletic. Riiiiiiiight.
Right-on CJ, you nailed it.
Well… not signing any of the free agent OFs could be seen as a desire to get younger, faster and more athletic. Granderson is a 4th OF and platoon bat on a 1 year deal. If the plan is to play Hernandez, Pompey and Alford more then that would definitely qualify as getting younger, faster and more athletic. Maybe not better, but definitely those other 3 things.
The frustration stems from management saying they intend on contending. Yes maybe Granderson is a platoon bat, but that spot as you say may have been better served by one of the young guys coming up. If he’s a 4th outfielder, where does that leave Zeke? Can’t have a OF consisting of 5 4th outfielders and Pillar and plan on contending.
Amen. A piece maybe but still need an OF for everyday. Let the Shatkins annual dumpster dive begin! Can’t wait to see our 5,6,7 starters again. Sheesh
Tha’s my point too. How many 4th OF’s does a team need? Zeke.. Pearson.. Now Grandy.. and eventually Pompey.
Teoscar is a 4th outfielder as well, shouldn’t be relied on as a starter this year. He’s been pencilled in as a starter, but he’s done nothing to solidify or deserve that spot. I think they mentioned Diaz as a possible fit in the OF as well. Same with Travis.
Who is Pearson?
Yup wait for it. Those line of scrapheap pitchers to cover off the Happ, Estrada and Sanchez injuries again.
Ahh yes, I remember the elite performances of Casey Lawrence, Mat Latos, Nick Tepesch, Lucas Harrell. Gavin Floyd, Neil Ramirez, Leonel Campos, Glenn Sparkman, Mike Bolsinger, Jeff Beliveau, Jason Grilli, Francisco Liriano etc etc etc.
I told these blogs back then that all these guys were evidence of a really bad professional scouting operation and these players mostly didn’t belong in the major leagues at the time they were used by the Jays in 2017.
What has changed in the starting pitching staff for 2018? Not much. “let’s do the same thing and expect different results”. One year older, a few more minor leaguers. Yeesh.
I believe that the Jays will start off well in 2018, but injuries, age, lack of quality depth[like last year] in the starting rotation will cause this team to falter, repeat, especially in the starting rotation and be out of the playoffs by allstar break.
Shapiro and Atkins should have sold off all the parts last trade deadline [2017] like me and many others were suggesting to speed up this rebuild process. In fact, I called the 2017 Blue Jays mess back at the end of 2016. Nothing has changed in the rotation.
Ross Atkins, your fired! #scoutseyes
Typo…… Pearce
I like Granderson and all, but i still miss Jose and wondering if he would have been better for 5mill and 1yr.
No.
He gives the Jays some speed and still has power from the left side – both things the team needs. I’m not sure why there’s so much negativity? The team isn’t built around average or on base, so consider the positives he offers. Plus,like a few people have said, it’s a one year deal.
Glad to see he’s signed with them, always been one of my favourites.
Would I rather have Granderson for 1/5 or Kendrick for 2/7? Kendrick, easily.
In a market like this, I’m actually a little surprised Granderson got $5 million. Not that it’s an exorbitant price or anything, but still surprising nonetheless.
It’d honestly depend on the team structure right? They have Pearce. They have Travis, Solarte, and Diaz. They have Alford waiting in the wings. They need lh bats. So in this situation yeah Grandy makes way more sense.
Why be surprised that fans don’t like this signing? A lefthanded Jose Bautista. Grandy has been a very good ballplayer in the past but those days are over. Besides, the stats don’t matter on this guy, he is NOT going to help them win anything. Strictly a placeholder on the field and in the batting order. bargain basement shopping for scraps by Shapiro and Atkins again.
This confirms what I have been saying all along, that the Jays Mgmt do not want to win this year, they want to make money first and get the team sold.
What happened to younger and more athletic? Diaz, Solarte, Granderson? Baloney.
Where is the starting pitching coming from? As I said last year, Happ and Estrada will regress even more, I’m told Sanchez will end up in the pen becuase of his unresolved finger issues, that leaves Stroman and a minor leaguer for the rotation. What a joke.
Atkins must be fired. The assessment of this MLB club is way off and the professional scouting is worse.
Sanchez to the bullpen? Lol.
“Oh you’re injured? Well say no more, welcome to the bullpen! Where your pitches don’t matter!”
You’re delusional.
This team won’t win the AL East bit have some sense.
I am told Sanchez will be going to the pen becuase the skin/blister that comes from the phenominal torgue on his hand through his delivery will not occur in a controlled, low pitch limited count acting in the pen.
Please lets keep it professional and not personal or name calling. Thank you.
Do we know which pitch is causing the most torque?! Two seamer?? Would be nice to change the positioning of his fingers, but I’m sure they’ve tried all that… I agree though if they lose him to the blister as a starter, then move him to the bullpen! Set up/ closers aren’t cheap
I thought it was the curveball that caused him the blister issues
Therefore, put him in the bullpen where he doesn’t need the curveball and can come out and throw heat and take the curveball out of his repertoire.
Yes, the pen for Sanchez. His sinker is so good that he can be a one ptich pitcher in releif without a curve ball Eventually he will find another pitch, he will have to find another pitch in order to be successful and be an elite closer. Perhaps the curveball can be used sparingly and it won’t effect his hand. There’s no way to use the curveball sparingly as a starter without it ripping his finger to schreds.
‘Aging starting pitchers will get worse as their careers continue’
Sage wisdom from a baseball savant.
I still miss him. 🙁
Last 3 seasons he’s hit at Rogers Centre. 2015 Avg .125, 2013 Avg .261, and 2012 Avg .161.
Stop caring about batting average.
Can’t win if you don’t score. Batting average and getting on base is a BIG deal. I was stating that he hasn’t been able to hit at Rogers Centre. It is a factor.
It’s SSS junk and it’s absolute noise, not signal.
Avoiding outs is significant, which has nothing to do with batting average.
No, getting on base is a big deal. That encompasses batting average, no need to look at it separately.
Nooo. It’s not the be-all end-all stat, but it’s worth taking note of.
This Toronto club is no threat to my Yankees so I consider this signing a waste of 5 million dollars. Granderson doesn’t improve them at all I find this effort to be futile and useless. If Toronto beats the Yankees even a handful of games next season I’d be stunned.
All they have to do is make it to the 5th playoff spot. As you said – the Jays will almost certainly beat the Yankees a handful of times, and if they get a WC spot then one more time might be all they need. Only one of Boston and NY is getting the division – the other will end up in a one-game play-in match, and almost any team can beat almost any other team in a one game matchup.
This f-ing off-season is like torture. On the one hand this is actually a solid depth signing to cover for potential injuries or underperformance – just like the Solarte signing. On the other hand watching these little moves for fill-ins, stop-gaps, and depth, as each day ticks by in this excruciatingly slow off-season, makes you wonder “Is this all? Is this all they’re going to do?”
Still – good value signing by the Jays. Granderson adds depth to all 3 OF spots at a reasonable price and with basically zero risk.
…I’d still like them to sign Cain and another SP.
Also this move hopefully diminishes the chances of seeing Carerra in the OF, which can only be a good thing….
This is turning into a worst case scenario offseason isn’t it? Team is not getting young (older as of today) with no impact players coming to the team. Huge gaping holes on the team AND keeping Donaldson.
I can so see this season unfolding with the BJ’s well under .500 all season, Josh is either moved at the deadline for much much much less than he would net right now, or walks as a FA at the end of the season.
Isn’t that what realistic fans expected though? It’s what I’ve expected all along. Lip service from Shatkins saying they will check in on the stars to make the fans happy, and then signing Granderson and saying at least they tried. I like Granderson yes, as a piece to be added to a contender to put them over the top. Not as a piece expected to bring the team into contention.
What would they have to do to make people like y’all happy? Sign JD Martinez to a huge deal that looks worse than Tulo’s? Trade future impact big leaguers in their minor league system? What’s your expectation? Take 40 cents on the dollar for Donaldson and trade him for Jedd Gyorko lol?
Make me happy? How about commitment from the BJ’s.
Commit to now or commit to the future.
Make me happy? How about not screwing up the Donaldson situation.
Right now I would bet you big money the BJ’s totally blow it with him getting dealt in a buyers market in July or walking away as a FA.
What makes me happy? smart signings, not some over the hill guy that makes us neither contenders or helps us rebuild.
I don’t know how old you are, but in the late 90’s through to recent years this team muddled around, neither committing to a rebuild nor committing to contending. It was doing nonsense moves like it did this offseason, and what does that give you? Mediocre teams with no future.
It took 14 years of Shapiro for cleveland to become what they are and Shapiro’s mess had to be cleaned up after he left by the current regime, [bourne, swisher etc.]
It mihgt be 14 years under Shapiro/Atkins unless they change their thinking or other Gm types are brought in to run the show.
Hopefully Granderson can tear it up in a platoon and be shipped for a decent prospect at the deadline. Affordable contract. No lose situation for the Jays unless he breaks his leg or doesn’t hit at all. Good club house guy.
An impact to the team is if Sanchez is able to make 30 starts in a season. That fixes a lot of competitive issues.
Minnesota missed the boat here. They’re trying to build for a run at it this year and could have used his veteran presence. Toronto did well. Now they should add John Jay to the outfield corps.
Younger and more athletic – that was the goal – so WTF?
Can’t hit for average worth a damn – makes no sense – better off giving a young guy a shot
The saddest part of it is that Granderson DOES make this team younger, faster, and more athletic…
That’s just not true
I guess it’s true if you are only comparing him to Morales and Smoak. He is a defensive upgrade over Bautista though.
Morales, Smoak, Tulo, Martin. Almost half the starting lineup for the team.
Nope Tulo and Martin were faster in the 60 meter than Grandy.
In 2007? Or 2017?
Catchers and infielders need to be able to run 180 feet in a straight line.
The Jays are in a good spot. The majority of the older players are in their last year. With the market down, they could go after higher end players and offer them 1 year contracts for that last hurrah. If the team falters, they can unload them mid season and acquire more players to bolster some of the high quality replacements they already have in their system (Guerrero, Bichette, etc…) The rebuild is imminent nonetheless.
I was hoping Curtis Granderson would finish his career in Detroit.
Why though. He’ll be flipped in July.
“We need to have guys on base for Josh Donaldson and Troy and Justin Smoak. We need to have guys that can steal a base. And we need, as importantly, I think, it doesn’t get enough attention, we need to play better defence.”
– Ross Atkins, October 2017
Now tell me how this offseason and this signing specifically addresses any of these issues.
Who is available for trade in the positions they need or is on the market who is willing to take a one or two year contract?
I mean… It does say he played great defence in RF last season and his OBP. Was in the .330’s for the mets and against righties. Those are two positives I would say and they do address some of those issues.
Checks Grandersons numbers v RHP*
Checks his BsR scores*
Yup, he can help.
Signing Grandy, trading for Diaz doesn’t solve that problem. Atkins needs to be fired now. He is blowing smoke to the fans and not backing up his words.
It is sad what the Jays have become under Shapiro and Atkins.
“Some of the things I see posted on this comments section really set off the old BULLSH*T detector…”
He’s a solid platoon corner OF/DH who can fill in at CF in an emergency, and who is considered to be a great clubhouse guy. Solid signing for a one year deal. I wouldn’t get too crazy over his LA numbers, you are talking about a small sample size and a streaky hitter.
(Dick) Scott (Mets Coach) calls Granderson “the most professional teammate I’ve ever been around.”
Reliever Jerry Blevins, who has pitched for three teams in 11 big league seasons, says simply: “There’s not a better personality to have in a clubhouse.”