The Blue Jays added a much needed starting pitcher on Friday when they signed former Los Angeles Angel hurler Matt Shoemaker. Shoemaker has struggled with forearm injuries over the last couple of seasons, which allowed the Blue Jays to get him on a bargain rate of 3.5 million with a chance to earn another one million in performance incentives.
Shoemaker is a solid gamble for the Blue Jays, especially when you consider the low cost and the fact that the club will be rebuilding in 2019. That said, he doesn’t provide much of a guarantee because of his injury history, as he made only seven starts last season and 14 the year before.