The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty Jake Petricka, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (via Twitter). He’ll have the opportunity to earn a $1.3MM base salary with $500K in incentives if he can crack the MLB roster.
Petricka, 29, is a former second-rounder who has delivered good results at times in the majors. Between 2013 and 2015, he posted a 3.24 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 over 144 1/3 innings. Despite the middling strikeout and walk figures, Petricka allowed only five home runs in that span. With a mid-nineties sinker, he has traditionally delivered big groundball rates (61.5% career).
Unfortunately, injuries and performance lapses arose more recently. A hip procedure cost Petrickamost of 2016. And he managed only 25 2/3 innings last year, allowing twenty earned runs but also posting a 26:6 K/BB ratio. He ultimately underwent a nerve transposition and flexor tendon debridement procedure in October of 2017.
At the time of that surgery, it was estimated Petricka would need to lay off for at least three or four months. The White Sox ended up non-tendering him rather than working out an arbitration salary. (He projected to earn $1.1MM.) With just over four years of MLB service on his clock, Petricka could still be tendered a contract in the future.
Petricka’s current status isn’t fully clear, but in all likelihood he’ll be handled with some care as he works back to full health. Whether or not he’ll have a real shot at earning a MLB pen job in camp, Petricka could well represent an interesting option for the Jays at some point in the coming season.
I like this move. Mid 90’s sinker, produces ground balls. That’s good. Let’s hope he stays healthy and if we need him then he delivers decently
What? No “Wow, the hot stove is really heating up!!” comments yet? Come on guys.
Man the hot stove is really heating up
Thank you
Thought that said Jake Arrieta for a sec.
Yeah Arrieta on a minor league deal ,,, I like it Haha
#metoo
I liked him on the Sox, knowing a reliever coming in that wasn’t going to give up the long ball is a good feeling to have. I was kind of surprised he wasn’t tendered a contract.
Safe contract on a guy with potential upside and a good GB% which plays well in Toronto. Low risk, high reward (if low likelihood). Not groundbreaking but not bad.
Minor league deal, so why not. Get Lincecum on a minor league deal, let’s do it.
Good point, washed up starters that produce ERAs north of 9 are tough to come by
Better be kind cause @vpolite is lurking
9th inning man for when we trade osuna
Why are we trading Osuna and no he will not be the “9th inning guy” or as most people call it Closer.
Why you gotta have so much sass. Jays should trade osuna while his value is so high, “closers” value can fluctuate so rapidly! Case in point is from jays “closer” bj Ryan who suck diddly ucked after a good couple years “closing”. I also being the “closer” also means winning games, something the jays shouldn’t be trying to do this year. Love you lots
Because sass is all people have these days. Many people think they are smarter than everyone else in these forums and love to jump on every little thing instead of having an actual response.
And we are trading Osuna while his value is highest. His salary will increase, and it’s proven that for the most part, 9th inning guys don’t last. You mentioned Ryan. Remember Billy Koch? There’s a longer list of washed up 9th inning guys that turned into nothing than those who turned into Rivera or Hoffman. But sure, let’s hold onto Osuna and let his value drop before our eyes. Or better yet, wait for another TJ for him and watch it disappear into nothingness.
I used “9th inning guy” out of spite. It means the same thing as closer. Doesn’t matter which term is used.
Normally I am all-in for the rebuild because I can see the phoney compete thing this year. But I like Osuna. He has shown nothing but production. Many turn into a koch or ryan but somehow I don’t think Osuna will go bad. I think he is a longterm closer type guy.
He has 3 great pitches so he could be turned into a starter, not that I would say do that. But his stuff is that good.
We gotta have some good players on the Jays play this year, even in a rebuild situation. I would be in favor of keeping Osuna, Pillar, and Stroman and everyone can be on the table for moving somehow.
Now THIS is pod racing
Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn though.
Chicago area native trying to win a job with another organization for the first time. Was a pretty good reliever for the White Sox until injuries took their toll. Good luck, Jake!
Is there really nothing better to spend 2 million bucks on?
They didn’t? Not unless he makes the roster.
They only do if he cracks the roster in which case it’d be 1.3-1.8m on a reliever. Which is perfectly normal. So…..I dunno….good comment?
More of Shapiro and Atkins trying to catch lightning in a bottle without costing them much. I hope Petricka can make it back to the bigs. He was a very good pitcher.
Goes to show us how truly difficult it is to pitch in the major leagues and how few there are that can actually do it well without paying millions.
This is a sign. the Blue Jays are desperate. They tried much the same bargain basement signings last year and it didn’t work then. Remember Latos? Beliveau? Campos? Harrell?House? Lawrence? House? Sparkman? Bolsinger? Valdez? Cole? Not to mention position players: Saltalamacchia? Refsynder? Coghlin?Ohlman? Montero? Lopez Maile?
Every team needs depth but 95% of depth guys that the Jays professional scouting dept came up with in 2017 didn’t belong anywhere near the majors. Let’s hope that they have done a professional scouting reset and improved their MLB level scouting.
You got it brother. And that was just last year. It’s a year after year thing. Mind you, many teams do it but we don’t hear as much about it because we focus on our own teams.
But it’s the usual song and dance from the Blue Jays. I’ve come to expect nothing big. “We aim to compete this year, but we won’t be trying TOOO hard so we will get Granderson, Grichuk, Diaz, and Solarte to make it look like we’re trying without actually spending.”
jimmertee: “They tried much the same bargain basement signings last year and it didn’t work then.”
What do you want? The Jays paid free agents $40MM in 2017 and only Joe Smith worked out. So this year they made three trades for the MLB roster and signed Granderson. Those moves will add more value and be much cheaper than last year’s FA signings. And every team in baseball makes a pile of minor-league FA signings — every team.
#distractedtypingisdangerous
It’s not what I want, it what needs to be done. They need to somehow acquire a #1 and a #3 starter or the year is just a building year again. I called for similar last year and was correct and I have no reason to doubt the samething I am seeing this year.
Given what I see in this rotation and injury laden lineup, I can’t buy into the “compete” false hope kool-aid spewed by the Jays management types.
I am hoping with another year out of the playoffs like I am seeing for this year, that someone will hold Ross Atkins and the professional scouting staff
accountable for their decisions. #scoutseyes
Just cuz you type it, doesn’t make it so! Never been a scout!
Third paragraph has an error on “Petrickamost”, just in case
New closer for the Jays. Osuna can go stink it up in the rotation.
Hot stove is heating up. LOL. And this now makes the Blue Jays contenders. (eyeroll)
Rusty, FanGraphs projects the Jays to be one game behind the Angels, who sit in the second wild card spot. One game! Even though the Angels have Trout and added Ohtani, Cozart, and Kinsler.
Seems impossible, I know, but look at all the teams that are tanking or mediocre. This is going to be one strange season.