The Blue Jays have re-signed right-hander A.J. Cole to a minor league contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Cole will earn a $1MM salary if he makes their roster and could rake in another $200K in incentives. His deal includes a May 15 opt-out date, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
Cole spent last season as a member of the Blue Jays, with whom he turned in a 3.09 ERA in 23 1/3 innings, but the team non-tendered him in lieu of bringing him back on a projected $800K to $1.1MM salary. Shiny ERA aside, Cole didn’t post especially impressive strikeout/walk stats, as the 29-year-old finished with a 21.1 percent K rate against a 9.5 percent BB rate. Cole did, however, have a terrific season by Statcast’s standards. For instance, the .239 expected weighted on-base average he yielded ranked in the league’s 95th percentile.
If Cole does reach the majors again in 2021, it’ll be his seventh straight year appearing in the bigs. The former National, Yankee and Indian owns a 4.65 ERA with a 23 percent strikeout rate and a 9.3 percent walk rate in 197 1/3 innings.
The Blue Jays signed someone? Is this an alternate reality? I thought they only talked to everyone. Wow.
This puts then over the top now. Whose next? J say they should talk to the Big Sexy.
I never understood why they let him go in the 1st place. He was expected to get 800k in arbitration. He will make more this way. But i guess its a minor league deal compared to guaranteed deal
Yep, he was out of minor league options
They can also choose to release him without paying him in a full guarantee.
Getting him on a minors deal also saves the Jays a 40-man roster spot, if I’m not mistaken.
Exactly. That was the reason. Sign him before the Rule 5 draft, you might lose, say, Ty Tice. Minor deal now, and you can get him on the 40-man should an injury occur in camp / early season.
Cut Fisher. Problem solved.
Toys flying out of pram because…..wait for it…..the Blue jays successfully took someone off the 40 man, opened up a spot and signed a minor league deal instead, Sure toys flying out of pram material.
ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz. Typical Ross Atkins dumpster dive. That’ll be the marquee move of the offseason
This is a good pick up. He will see the Majors for sure this season.
Not for sure, and that’s why they prefer a minor league deal. There’s maybe a 10% chance he gets hurt, 15% chance that his performance craters so clearly in the spring that they don’t want him.
Boooooom! Look the f@$# out Padres
The other thing is the small sample size that gave this guy his numbers. I watched every game and every inning of Jays baseball. At least 3 of 9 BB he threw should have been called Ks. He got bad umpire calls of super small sample size. Change those calls around, his numbers are even more solid.
All this for a guy who should make the team. Taking him off the 40-man just to get Palacios on instead. More illogical roster moves.
What’s illogical about keeping 2 assets instead of 1? Now he can join your 40-man once someone is off it due to injury and with luck, you can juggle the roster to keep him for much of the season.
The correct answer is Palacios is not an asset. Thanks for playing. Maybe next time look at the scenario at-hand; no need to dink with a player who can help you over very few dollars just to have a 26-year old AA player with mediocre at-best numbers in the minors.
Assets. You have a sense of humour or you can’t read the room.
Does this mean they’re out on Bauer?
They always were.
I definitely agree with this… Rogers is a massive corporation. Corporations are all about profit and nothing else, with the way 2021 has unfolded so far… Rogers will be considering the financial risks and I’m quite certain the odds are not in their favour to make much or any profit this year.. Which means they won’t be spending money= No big name free agents…. Maybe next year! (fingers crossed)
P.S. I sincerely hope I’m wrong
You are not wrong. Bargains is how Rogers has operated their baseball team since 2000 and they haven’t ever deployed the win by any means approach we have seen from Boston and NYY. Most for the least. That is why they hired Ricciardi (Oakland), Anthopoulos (Montreal) and Shapiro (Cleveland).
Hey maybe Aj cole can be a starter since they let the 2 best pitchers go in shoe and walker atleast shoe pitched better than RYU in the playoffs when are we signing walker or shoemaker even big maple glass could pitch 5 innings every 5 days
The Jays still need two starters, one elite and one very good, a very good CFer with a bat and a very good 3b. That a lot of holes to fill. Anything short of this list, the Jays are not winning anything and it is another Shapiro/Atkins “building” year.
Although Rogers will make money..
Rogers is still making money. But this miss on Lindor is fine. The next few weeks will be interesting.
jimmer, would you give bauer 1 year and 40?
Interesting move to try to give Bauer 1 and 40. I’m not sure he would take it. Rumor has it he is looking for a gigantic payday and term.
That kind of 1/40 move sounds something like AA would do.
“Trevor Bauer is looking for the bag in free agency. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner wants a five- or six-year contract with an average annual value between $36 million and $40 million, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. A deal in that range would likely total around $200 million in guaranteed money.”
I’d give Bauer at least two years. But I’m comfortable with 6 years/$200-mil. Make a statement.
2 year 69m
with a 4.20m buyout option
Anyone recall his 69 days of giving campaign?