It looks like the Blue Jays are adding another piece to their infield puzzle.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported on Thursday night that the Blue Jays are nearing a contract with free-agent infielder Eduardo Escobar. The team announced the following morning that Escobar had inked a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Escobar made his debut in the Majors with the Chicago White Sox in 2011 and was traded to the Minnesota Twins the following season. After spending parts of seven seasons with Minnesota as a utility player, Escobar broke out offensively following a trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He finished off the 2018 season in Arizona with a .722 OPS in 54 games and then slashed a .269/.320/.511 line and set a career-high with 35 home runs in his first full season with the Diamondbacks in 2019. Escobar took a step back offensively during the shortened 2020 season but made the first All-Star appearance of his career in 2021.
After that season, Escobar reached free agency for the first time in his career and inked a two-year, $20 million contract with the New York Mets. Escobar hit 20 home runs and posted a .726 OPS in his first year with the club in 2022 but struggled in 2023, as he managed just four home runs and a .695 OPS with the Mets across 40 games before being traded to the L.A. Angels. Things got worse for Escbar in L.A., as he hit just two home runs in 59 games and posted a .563 OPS.
Much like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, one of Toronto’s other free-agent additions this winter, Escobar has played all around the diamond during his career. He’s played 6,379 innings at third in his big-league career, 2,552 at short, and 1,016 at second. With the Mets and Angels in 2023, Escobar played third, second, and first base, shortstop, and even had multiple pitching appearances.
It’s reasonable to assume that Escobar could crack Toronto’s Opening Day roster if he has a strong showing during Grapefruit League play, but he has an uphill climb to beat out other names for a bench tole considering he isn’t on the team’s 40-man roster. There’s no such thing as a bad minor-league deal, and Escobar will give the Blue Jays a veteran option with some upside that they can have available in Triple-A Buffalo if needed.
This article was originally published on Feb. 15 at 11:00 PM ET and was updated with new information on Feb. 16 at 10:00 AM ET.
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