The Toronto Blue Jays have signed outfielder Randal Grichuk to a five-year, $52-million extension, keeping the player under contract through 2023.

As mentioned above, the deal covers three of the 27-year-old’s free agency years, as he was set to hit the open market after the 2020 season.

This deal cements Grichuk as one of the key members of the Jays core, as they slowly transition to a younger squad. It comes on the heels of the Pillar trade, a hugely symbolic transaction.

Grichuk was acquired by the Jays in January 2018 from the St. Louis Cardinals, sending prospect Conner Greene and Dominic Leone the other way.

Since he arrived in Toronto, he has had his ups and downs, but the second half of last season is where he truly showed his capabilities. Coming back from a poor start to post a .803 OPS and hit 25 home runs, Grichuk has some serious ability at the plate.

He was slotted to earn $5-million this season, but the new contract has bumped that salary to $7-million with an added $5-million signing bonus. He’ll earn $12-million in salary during the 2020 season and from 2021-23 will have a salary of $9.33-million.

There are no club options or payouts included in the deal.