The Toronto Blue Jays have traded outfielder Curtis Granderson to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor-league outfielder Demi Orimoloye.
Granderson signed a one-year, $5-million contract with the Blue Jays prior to the season. In 103 games with Toronto, he hit .243/.340/.429.
A 15-year veteran - and three-time All-Star - Granderson joins a Brewers team trying to keep up with the pace in a crowded National League playoff race.
He also gets another crack at finally winning an elusive World Series championship. Granderson has twice made it to the World Series, first in 2006 with the Detroit Tigers and again in 2015 with the New York Mets. Both times his club came up short.
Granderson will likely serve as a reserve, left-handed bat in Milwaukee's crowded outfield. Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich are firmly entrenched as the team's starters, while Ryan Braun and Eric Thames have each spent time in the outfield. Whatever his role, Granderson says he's game.
"It's going to be a good thing, having a lot of options and a lot of weapons, especially in September. It gives you a lot of flexibility," Granderson told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
"I'm not there to disrupt stuff," he added. "... I've always looked at myself as a little piece of the puzzle that just fits in. You tell me where to go and how you need me, and I'll try to adapt accordingly."
This deal capped off a busy day for the Brewers, who also acquired pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Xavier Cedeno in trades with the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox.
Orimoloye, 21, was originally selected by the Brewers in the fourth round of the 2015 amateur draft. Over 125 games in the minors this season, he hit .247/.322/.391 with 12 home runs and 22 stolen bases. A native of Lagos, Nigeria, he moved to Canada and played his high school baseball near Ottawa, Ontario.
