Blue Jays sign star Cuban pitcher to contract: report

The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be bolstering their pitching staff.

According to Cuban baseball insider Francys Romero, the Jays and 26-year-old right-hander Yariel Rodriguez are in agreement on a contract.

Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodríguez (26) and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a contract, per sources.

Rodríguez is expected to do the physical in the coming days in Toronto.

He is represented by WME agency and Edgar Mercedes from Born to Play. pic.twitter.com/o1Wddu2Nit

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 17, 2024

Romero added that Rodriguez is expected to do a physical in Toronto in the coming days.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on January 16 that the Blue Jays remained front-runners for Rodriguez, as had been earlier reported.

“The Jays are optimistic they will land Rodríguez, according to a source briefed on their pursuits. But hurdles evidently remain in his immigration, preventing the Jays from completing a deal,” Rosenthal wrote in a newsletter on Tuesday.

He has worked as both a starter and a reliever over the course of his career, giving Toronto some possible options for how to slot him into their lineup.

Toronto currently features a pitching staff that features four spots occupied by returning starters in Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, and Jose Berrios, with Alek Manoah looking to re-enter the team’s rotation should spring training go well.

Rodriguez made his name known more broadly across the baseball world at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he starred for his home country of Cuba, putting up a 2.45 ERA in 7.2 innings. He actually sat out the entirety of the 2023 season after the tournament while showcasing his talent in workouts to MLB clubs. He last played club baseball in 2022 for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan.

In his last full season with the Dragons, Rodriguez put up a 6-2 record to go along with a  1.15 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 54.2 innings across 56 appearances.

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