Garcia thrilled to join Jays
Veteran lefty says he has ‘always’ been curious about Toronto
DUNEDIN, Fla. — John Gibbons had an extra spring in his step when he made his way out of the clubhouse at Dunedin Stadium on Friday.
The news that the front office went out and acquired a quality fifth starter in left-hander Jaime Garcia definitely made the Blue Jays’ manager’s day.
“I like it,” Gibbons said. “There had been talk for a couple of weeks about him being the guy. We’re bringing in a good veteran who knows how to pitch and has pitched on some pretty good teams so we’re excited to have him.”
As for the Jays’ rotation, Gibbons sees no reason — other than the injury bug — why their fiveman starting unit shouldn’t be one of the best in baseball. Garcia joins Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and fellow lefty J.A. Happ in the Toronto rotation. Two seasons ago, with much the same group, they were the best rotation in the AL.
“I like it. We’ve always liked it. You look back in the last three years and a couple of those years we’ve been really, really good,” said Gibbons. “The injury bug got us in the rotation last year, and I think that hurt. But I stack us up against anybody.”
The Jays are going to need a solid rotation if they have any chance of making the playoffs in 2018 — even if Sanchez completely gets over his blister issues from last season. The signing of Garcia bumps Joe Biagini down one peg in the rotation order, though the Jays are going to continue to stretch the big right-hander out in camp. It hasn’t been determined yet whether Biagini will pitch regularly as a starter in tripleA Buffalo this season or will head back to the Toronto bullpen. Biagini said again on Friday that he wants to remain a starter, but will happily do anything the team asks him to do.
For his part, Garcia said he is thrilled to be a Blue Jay.
“The Blue Jays have always been a place I was curious about. I always liked going into Toronto. I heard great things about the organization. Great things about the coaching staff and the players throughout the years. And it’s always been a place I like going, watching the guys, the way they do things.”
The Jays signed Garcia, who is 67-55 with a 3.69 ERA lifetime, to a one-year contract worth $8 million with a club option for the 2019 season at $10 million with a $2-million buyout. He had some great years with the Cardinals, helping them reach the post-season three times (and once with the New York Yankees) but he will also be pitching for his fifth major-league team in the past 18 months. He spent 2017 with the Braves, Twins and Yankees after spending his first eight seasons in St. Louis. He was 5-10 with a 4.41 ERA in 27 starts last year.
“It was definitely something different. I had to adapt,” said Garcia, of the moving. “But that’s part of the job. I think that’s one of the biggest things that I’ve been able to learn at this point of my career, I can literally adapt to any situation that is out of my control. And that was the case last year. Hopefully that’s not going to be the case this year; I’ll be a Toronto Blue Jay until the end of my career.”
The 31-year-old has been plagued with shoulder problems in 2013 and 2014, but said he is completely healthy now. He averaged a career-high 91.3 m.p.h. with his fastball in 2017.
Perhaps no one in the Jays’ clubhouse is happier with Garcia’s signing than fellow Mexican Roberto Osuna, who was walking around the Bobby Mattick Training Complex with a big smile on his face. Garcia said he’s looking forward to working alongside Osuna and the club’s other Mexican-born starter, Marco Estrada, though he said he doesn’t know how much he can teach Osuna, other than perhaps being a mentor.
“Obviously he’s extremely talented,” Garcia said of the 23-year-old Osuna.
“He’s one of the best young pitchers in the game. He’s a great kid, he likes to work. He wants to learn, he wants to get better, so that’s what I’m here for. I’m going to be there for him, I’m going to be there for all of the guys. I’m looking forward to just being a good teammate and showing up and more just leading by example.”