Blue Jays lock up Grichuk to 5-year extension worth reported $52M

The Toronto Blue Jays signed outfielder Randal Grichuk to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The $52-million pact buys out three of the 27-year-old's free-agent seasons, sources told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Grichuk was set to earn $5 million in 2019, but the new contract reportedly bumps his pay to $7 million this year and includes a $5-million signing bonus. He will make $12 million in 2020 and then $9.33 million in each of the following three seasons. The contract doesn't contain any club options or player opt-outs.

After a loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night, Grichuk said he thinks the Blue Jays have a bright future.

“I love the city, I like the direction the team is going. I see the vision, I see a lot of young, talented players that can be very impactful," he said to Davidi. "They have a vision and I want to be a part of it."

Earlier in the day, general manager Ross Atkins described how he pitched the deal to Rogers ownership.

“It really is much easier when you think about a commitment this big to recommend it to our ownership when you know the commitment from a professionalism standpoint," Atkins told Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.

This marks the biggest deal given out by the club since Mark Shapiro became president of the team in 2015, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

The former first-rounder hit 25 home runs with an .803 OPS during his first season with Toronto after being traded from the St. Louis Cardinals in January 2018.

The extension announcement comes the same day the team traded Kevin Pillar to the San Francisco Giants for infielder Alen Hanson and a pair of right-handed pitchers in Derek Law and Juan De Paula. Following the move, the club also called up outfielder Anthony Alford from Triple-A.

With Pillar now in California, the Blue Jays have four outfielders - Grichuk, Alford, Billy McKinney, and Teoscar Hernandez - on the 25-man roster.