The Blue Jays are close to completing a two-year deal with pitcher Marco Estrada, according to multiple reports.
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The two-year deal marks the first big payday for Estrada, who set career highs in wins, ERA and innings pitched in 2015, going 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA over 181 innings.
While there was certainly interest on the open market in Estrada as a mid-tier starter, the qualifying offer and threat of losing a draft pick may have made him a tough sell to interested teams. In three playoff starts against Texas and Kansas City, Estrada went 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA.
The news came just hours before the 5:00 PM EST deadline where Estrada had to accept or decline the club’s qualifying offer worth $15.8 million which was sent out to him last week.
For the Blue Jays, they will lock in another starter for 2016 and 2017 while spreading the cost over two seasons.
Estrada was traded to Toronto by the Milwaukee Brewers for designated hitter/first baseman Adam Lind on November 1, 2014.
Estrada’s final start of the year was among his strongest. With left-hander David Price likely headed elsewhere in free agency, the re-signing of Estrada became that much more important.
LaCava said adding more starting pitching will be his priority as the offseason develops.
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The newly appointed Blue Jays general manager said that with the Estrada deal done Toronto has a five-man rotation in place consisting of Estrada, Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey, and possibly Drew Hutchison, Aaron Sanchez or Roberto Osuna but that the team would continue to explore other options.
