Blue Jays sign Shoemaker to 1-year, $3.5M deal
The Toronto Blue Jays signed right-hander Matt Shoemaker to a one-year, $3.5-million contract, the team announced Friday.
Shoemaker can earn another $1 million through performance bonuses in the deal, a source told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
Shoemaker has only pitched in 21 games over the last two seasons due to injury issues. He was limited to 14 appearances in 2017 after he suffered a small hematoma and skull fracture - which required surgery - when he was struck in the head by a line drive in September 2016.
He made just seven starts in 2018 - six of them in September - after suffering a forearm injury on Opening Day.
Health permitting, Shoemaker will likely slot into the middle of the Blue Jays' staff, where he'll provide innings as a veteran arm in what's likely to be a relatively young starting rotation.
The 32-year-old, who had spent his entire six-year career with the Los Angeles Angels, was non-tendered by the team in November. He has a career 40-32 record with a 3.93 ERA (99 ERA+), 3.93 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, and 490 strikeouts over 545 innings.
Shoemaker will once again be arbitration eligible next winter, meaning he'll remain under the Blue Jays' control for the 2020 season.