The Blue Jays signed left handed relief pitcher Darren Oliver to a one year deal with an option for a second year. We’re pending a physical so the financial terms haven’t been disclosed yet. Oliver just turned 41 but he had a solid season for the Rangers the last two years when they’ve made the World Series.
He had 44 strikeouts and 11 walks in 51 innings. He doesn’t have a big platoon split either so while he’s not death on lefties, he’s also good against right handed hitters so he’s a guy you can throw out there for a full inning rather then using him as a true LOOGY. One concern is his workload has come down the past few years. He threw 51 innings and that was the fewest frames since 1995.
Still, this is a solid pickup and he should help out the pen. He’ll most likely be used as the team’s set up man along with Casey Janssen.
