In an offseason that already saw the Toronto Blue Jays acquire one starting pitcher, the team is reportedly now looking at free-agent starter Michael Pineda as another upgrade to the rotation.
According to The Sports Network’s Scott Mitchell, Toronto checked in on the 6-foot-7 righty and could view him as an option in a market deep with starting pitchers.
While Pineda is coming off a 60-game PED suspension and recorded a 4.01 ERA, he also showed the upside of a front-line starter with the Minnesota Twins. Across his last 117 innings in Minnesota, he recorded a 9.08 K/9, 1.69 BB/9 and a 3.46 ERA.
Set to enter his age-31 season, Pineda comes with some concerns over durability and the suspension. However, his demonstrated upside and the chance for a short-term, incentive-based deal makes him an appealing option to clubs that don’t want to spend on the marquee pitchers available.