The Toronto Blue Jays officially signed a contract with Cuban pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (26).
The Toronto club announced on the morning of the 9th local time that it had agreed to a five-year, $32 million (42.656 billion won) contract with Rodriguez.
Rodriguez appeared in 56 games for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Professional Baseball League in 2022, recording an ERA of 1.15 and WHIP of 0.92.
Based on this performance, he won the Central League's Best Setup Man Award that year.
Over three years at Chunichi, he appeared in 79 games, recording 10 wins, 10 losses, and an ERA of 3.03.
Before advancing to Japan, he appeared in 91 games (72 starts) over 6 seasons in Cuba's domestic league, recording an ERA of 3.30.
He participated as a representative of Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and refused to return to his team, Chunichi, with the goal of advancing to the United States after the tournament.
As a result, he spent the 2023 season without a team. Junichi became free by terminating his contract in October and eventually signed with a major league team.
He is a starting resource, but since he took a year off, it seems unreasonable for him to take over as a starting player right away.
The Blue Jays also seemed to be aware of this and set open expectations.
General Manager Ross Atkins said in a press release, “Yariel is a player who will bring a variety of weapons. He has impressive athleticism and the ability to force swings and misses. “He will add starting talent to our pitching staff and will have the opportunity to impact the major league team in a variety of roles.”
Considering the use of the expression 'various roles', it seems likely that he will start as a bullpen pitcher at the beginning of the season and increase his innings pitched later. There is also a possibility that he will start the season in Triple A in order to adapt to American baseball.
The reported contract size is 5 years and $32 million, but it includes other terms. According to 'The Athletic', the final year of his contract is subject to an annual salary of $6 million as a player option. If he declines the player option, the club can exercise the team option ($10 million annual salary).
If a player refuses to exercise his player option to enter the free agent market, a clause is included that allows the club to retain him at a higher price.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays designated utility player Otto Lopez for assignment to make room for him on the 40-man roster.
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