Despite being just two days away from the start of Spring Training games, the Toronto Blue Jays continued making additions to their organization, reportedly signing left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough to a minor league deal (pending a physical) with an invite to Spring Training.

Yarbrough is a familiar face to the Blue Jays, as the 33-year-old spent the final two months of last season after being dealt from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Blue Jays for centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier and cash. Yarbrough pitched in twelve games (31.1 IP) for the Blue Jays, holding a fabulous 2.01 ERA, 0.798 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, and 0.6 HR/9. He didn’t make any starts for the Blue Jays but pitched as a bulk reliever in the majority of his outings, a role he became increasingly familiar with since his years with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yarbrough’s pitch mix features a curveball, sinker, four-seam fastball, cutter, and changeup, with the curve consistently producing a 30+% whiff rate in each of his seven big league seasons. He isn’t known for his high velocity; his fastball averaged  86.5 miles per hour last season. Instead, he excels at limiting hard contact, ranking at the 99th percentile in Hard-Hit percentage and the 97th percentile in Average Exit Velocity last year per Baseball Savant.  Furthermore, Yarbrough has ranked at least in the top 6% of MLB pitchers in those two categories since he entered the league in 2018.

While it is a minor league contract, it’d be more than plausible to see Yarbrough with the major league club this season. Although not officially announced, the starting rotation appears about set with Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, and Bowden Francis, and it is widely believed that Yariel Rodríguez will be relegated to the bullpen. Given Rodríguez does go to the bullpen, his specific role may depend on whether Yarbrough is also with the team or not, as both could be used in long relief.

Of course, that’s all speculation for now. Yarbrough finding success with the Blue Jays at the backend of last season kickstarted the idea of returning as a logical move, and Ross Atkins and co. obviously felt the same way.

Yarbrough was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 4th round of the MLB Draft in 2014. He was traded to the Rays in January of 2017 with Mallex Smith and a prospect from the Mariners in exchange for Drew Smyly, who never pitched a game for Seattle after undergoing Tommy John surgery later that year.

After spending five years with Tampa Bay, Yarbrough had stints with the Royals and Dodgers before his aforementioned trade to Toronto. In total, he owns a 53-40 record, 4.21 ERA, and 1.18 WHIP through his seven big league seasons.

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