The Blue Jays have signed infielder Joe Panik to a minor league contract, reports Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. The deal includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Panik will earn $2.85MM if he cracks the big league roster. Panik is a client of Jet Sports Management.
Panik, 29, is coming off a season in which he saw his six-year tenure with the Giants come to an end, finishing the season with the Mets. He was designated for assignment after posting a meager .627 OPS in 103 games with San Francisco. He fared better in Queens and managed a much more respectable .738 OPS, albeit in just 103 plate appearances. He offers little in the way of power, but consistently ranks among baseball’s best at avoiding strikeouts: for his career, he’s struck out in just 9.4% of his plate appearances. He’s also regarded as a solid defender at second base, though it bears mentioning that the advanced metric Defensive Runs Saved graded him as a net negative in each of the last three seasons.
With his new organization, Panik will have the opportunity to compete with the likes of Brandon Drury, Ruben Tejada, and Breyvic Valera for a roster spot and infield playing time. Cavan Biggio is penciled in as the Opening Day second baseman, but Charlie Montoyo and company could opt for some combination of Panik and Drury at the keystone while shifting Biggio to a more outfield-heavy role.
nothing to see here, let’s move on
You said that last year about Daniel Hudson. Lol
haha nice
Nobody Panik!
Panic at the Disco!
Your puns are giving me a panic attack.
Panik move.
Panik in the streets of London
Panik in the streets of Birmingham
Panic in Detroit
Panic in Needle Park
Really hoped he would be a Ranger this offseason…nice get jays
Hang the shortstop hang the shortstop
good luck to Joe panik. class act with a ton of talent. has to put it back together. but his contact rate will always give him a chance to succeed. hope he makes the te and bounces back.
Agreed. He has good plate discipline with nearly as many walks as strikeouts lifetime.
He did have a really nice showing with the Mets last season. Even though it definitely was a small sample size, it is still something Panik can build off of, and hopefully he will be able to turn it around in TOR.
Idk exactly how many chances he will get to earn some real playing time, but hopefully he will play well enough in ST to earn a shot..
Best Joe name for the Jays since they traded Joe Biagini to the Astros.
Depends if you count Joey Bats.
Greatest Joe up there is Joe Carter.
Would have been a good pickup for the Padres. He can’t be a worse hitter than Profar. But, he wasn’t drafter by Preller and never played in the Rangers system, so they’d never sign him..
good depth option
Good minor league signing.
Rather have him on the team then Drury
Maybe another Eric Sogard type of pick up.Retreads thrive in laid back Jaysland.
Solid minor league signing for them — he has the raw skill/talent to be an everyday 2B as he has shown in the past. If he can make some adjustments and get things turned around he could provide the Jays with a solid INF option being Biggio — worst case scenario he’s a very low cost depth option in case of injury — solid signing and wish him the best of luck going forward… seems like a solid all around guy so hope he can regain some of his prior success.
Great kid hardly ever strikes out. Hoping he can stay healthy. Part of one of the most iconic double plays in World Series history
Other than Brandon Belt, no one recently was hurt more by the hitter unfriendly AT&T/Oracle Park than Panik. While strictly a 2nd in SF, he’d be wise to acclimate himself to 3rd because at this juncture he’s more likely a bench player player vs someone competing for every AB’s even in a platoon role.
He played SS all through the minors and only moved to 2B permanently when he got to the majors. Not sure if he is still a viable option at that position to provide additional value to a team.
Solid pickup.
Thanks, It’s a Jeep Comanche
Panik is a solid baseball player w/ one problem…he can’t hit. He’s just another overvalued ex SF Giant player
How many seasons does he have to hit 275 or better to say he can hit? Not sure you can say I guy can’t hit if he’s struck out less than pretty much ever player since getting to the show. Hard contact has been his issue. But if that’s your biggest problem at the plate, you have quite a bit to work with.
I like this signing. Panik came from a good manager in Bochy and will offer lots to a young infield moving forward. Now get Billy Hamilton to run the bases in those late innings of the bench.
Panik is a good signing for Toronto. Puts the bat on the ball almost every AB. Will be helped by Toronto field and stadium. Thought Yankees might have given him a minor league deal.
Panic in Detroit
Definitely puts the Jays over the top.
Please retire Defensive Runs Saved as a metric.
It was a complete and utter joke.
Now that Statcast publishess Outs Above Average, there is no need to reference a terrible metric with obvious issues.
Can Panik stay healthy. His defense is in decline.
Never Panik.
What’s the likelihood he makes the big league roster? Assuming he performs at his norm? High I suppose
I remember when Giant fans were crowing about how great Panik was. Silly goofs.
Wow it’s almost as if he had multiple above average seasons including an all star appearance.
Wow it’s almost as if players skill levels decline as time passes, sometimes more quickly than others. Amazazing
They do that with everyone. I heard Giant fans excited about Chris Shaw and Steven Duggan. Its hilarious.
I’ve always like Panik. Classic guy and could be a good influence for the young guys on the Jay’s.
The Jays are in dire need of another everyday left handed hitter in the lineup and if Panik shows in spring training he can handle second regularly, the starting job is probably his. Since the Blue Jays had no luck in acquiring a CF capable outfielder this off-season, this will push Cavan Biggio into on the job training in center. Biggio can’t possibly be any worse than Teoscar Hernandez or Derek Fisher were last year,
This guy is the perfect example striking while the iron is hot. He got an all star nod because he played well at the right time. Also shows how stupid fan voting is.
“Panik will have the opportunity to compete with the likes of Brandon Drury, Ruben Tejada, and Breyvic Valera for a roster spot and infield playing time.”
His most important daily role will be to polish off the food spread b4 VladJr gets at it.