Blue Jays sign Clay Buchholz, who was actually really good in 2018

The Blue Jays are slamming that depth button. A few hours ago, it was announced they signed Bud Norris to a minor-league deal, which was met with a little bit of confusion given his, uh, history. Now it’s being reported that the Jays are in agreement with former Red Sock Clay Buchholz on a deal.

Buchholz kinda fell off the grid after his time in Boston but he resurfaced last year with an excellent showing in Arizona. He had a poor season for the Red Sox in 2016, so they decided to cut ties, then Buchholz signed with Philadelphia, where he would miss virtually all of the season due to a partial tear in his right flexor tendon.

Buchholz then inked a minor-league deal with the Diamondbacks and went on to have a very impressive comeback season. He made 16 starts, posting a sparking 2.01 ERA while striking out 7.4 and walking 2.0 batters per nine. His season was ended prematurely due to injury and the Diamondbacks opted not to bring him back for another season.

We know Buchholz best for his days as a starter in Boston. He pitched there between 2007 and 2016, making two All-Star appearances and winning the World Series in 2013.

Buchholz gives Toronto another starting rotation option if they decide Clayton Richard sucks ass or Ryan Borucki needs some more seasoning in Triple-A. With pitchers, adding depth is never a bad thing, and given Buchholz excellent showing in 2018, this is a great risk to take. Hopefully he doesn’t bully rookies!