National Post (National Edition)
Buchholz armed and ready for Jays rotation
Good partial season with D-backs in ’18 led back to AL East
He’s 34 years old and some of his most electric stuff might be behind him, but Clay Buchholz isn’t even remotely intimidated about returning to face the batting beasts of the American League East.
It was in Boston in the notalways-pitcher-friendly park that the veteran right-hander was a two-time all-star with the Red Sox, a team he also collected a couple World Series rings with.
The newest Blue Jays reclamation arm joined the team on Tuesday, got settled in his locker and had a throwing session while dodging rain drops at Dunedin Stadium.
And despite a lengthy off-season wait to get a deal, Buchholz is ready to get down to business and battle for a starting spot in the Jays rotation.
“I’m not scared to pitch in Fenway,” Buchholz said inside the Jays clubhouse, where he introduced himself to a number of his teammates. “I’m not scared to pitch in Yankee Stadium. There’s some guys, especially younger dudes, it’s a different animal pitching in those ball parks.
“Having done that before, I feel pretty comfortable with the direction we’re going.”
On a one-year deal for $3 million US, the risk is minimal for the Jays, especially if the crafty veteran can follow up on an impressive career renaissance last season in Arizona. To make room for the new acquisition, the Jays designated outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. for assignment.
After starting the 2018 campaign with the Diamondbacks’ triple-a team in Reno, Buchholz was promoted and laid down a 7-2 record from 16 starts with a frugal 2.01 ERA. The Texas native shut down his season in mid September due to arm fatigue, but said he is healthy and feeling strong.
Jays general manager Ross Atkins signed Buchholz to add depth but expects him to be in the rotation once he gets up to form.
“Having him as a starter will be our focus,” Atkins acknowledged. “If that means it’s a little bit later in the season, we’ll adjust.”
The addition of Buchholz cer- tainly creates what is shaping up as an interesting three-way battle for two spots in the rotation. Assuming Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Matt Shoemaker hold down the first three spots, Buchholz, Clayton Richard and Ryan Borucki will tussle for the next two.
All but Borucki are coming off seasons with varied injury concerns but at least Atkins has a variation of the pitching depth he made an off-season priority.
Like so many available free agents, it took some time for Buchholz to land a contract.
“It was a little more concerning last (off-season),” Buchholz said, of the winter of 2017 in which he was trying to sell himself off of a twostart season. “This year, I felt like I had pitched well enough to get a job and it was basically a waiting game.
“I’ve told everybody in my family and anybody who asked, the game has changed a lot over the last six, seven years. You have all these young, talented guys coming up who are probably just as good if not better than older guys.”
The key to remain competitive in Buchholtz’s mind is to be crafty in his approach.
“I don’t feel like I’m old, but in the game, 34 is sort of old now,” said Buchholtz, who has an 113 career record and 2.63 ERA at the Rogers Centre. “There were a couple of times in the last two years where I thought it might be over, had a good run.
“But I wasn’t ready to be done playing by any means, so I’m glad we got this figured out over here.”
Fighting for a rotation spot is certainly a more preferable situation for Buchholtz than a year ago when he began the season with the Reno Aces.
“Not being (in the minors) since 2008, it was humbling,” Buchholz said. “But you can’t feel sorry for yourself. I tried to take advantage of it and get better. When I got the call back up, I tried to make the most of it.”
He’ll also be reunited with Jays vice-president of baseball operations Ben Cherington, who was his general manager with the Red Sox and was part of the attraction of signing with Toronto.
“I told him that if this was an opportunity for me, I’d make the most of it and do everything I could to help the team win,” Buchholz said. “We’ve always had a pretty good relationship.”
I WASN’T READY TO BE DONE PLAYING BY ANY MEANS, SO I’M GLAD.