Blue Jays sign Chatwood

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly signed right-hander Tyler Chatwood to a one-year contract.

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly signed right-hander Tyler Chatwood to a one-year contract.

January 19, 2021

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

The Toronto Blue Jays and free-agent right-hander Tyler Chatwood have agreed to terms on a one-year pact for the 2021 campaign, per industry sources.

The deal is pending a physical, but it comes with a base salary of $3M, and could net the veteran hurler an additional $2.5M in performance-based bonuses.

Chatwood, 31, has appeared in parts of nine MLB seasons and owns a cumulative ERA of 4.40 with 622 strikeouts against 441 walks across 846 2/3 innings dating back to his rookie season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. Of his 197 appearances in the Show, 143 have come as a starter.

The 5-foot-11 product of Redlands, Calif., relies on a five-pitch mix that includes a sinker cutter and four-seam fastball, along with a curve and a seldom-used changeup. The spin rate on both his four-seam and curve rank in the 96th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

Projected for a long-relief role in the Blue Jays' bullpen, the veteran righty will also serve as rotation reinforcement alongside a stable of promising young arms that includes Ryan Borucki, Anthony Kay, Sean Reid-Foley, T.J. Zeuch, and Thomas Hatch.

-Follow Andrew Hendriks on Twitter (@77hendriks)