Jays notes: Grilli traded to Rangers for minor-leaguer
3 Less than a week after Jason Grilli was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays, the 40-year-old reliever has found a new home with the Texas Rangers. Grilli was traded Sunday, along with cash considerations, for 22-year-old outfielder Eduard Pinto.
Grilli, who joined the Jays last May, couldn’t find the fine late-inning form he showed to help the Jays secure a wild-card spot last season, allowing nine home runs in 202⁄ inning in 2017.
Pinto, a left-handed hitter, boasted a .311 average with Down East, the Rangers’ Class-A affiliate. He has four home runs and 18 RBIs in 46 games this season, his sixth as a professional after being signed as a non-drafted free agent.
Since Grilli’s departure, the Jays have recalled right-handers Glenn Sparkman, a Rule 5 signing just back from a long-term thumb injury, and Lucas Harrell from Triple-A Buffalo.
MORE NEW FACES: Major League Baseball’s first day of its international signing period on Sunday meant a flurry of action for the Blue Jays.
Toronto, which was unable to sign any players for more than $300,000 last year after falling into the maximum penalty by inking Vladimir Guerrero to a $3.9 million deal in 2015, announced the signing of teenage shortstops Miguel Heraldo and Leonardo Jiminez, of the Dominican Republic and Panama respectively, on Sunday.
Heraldo and Jiminez are two of seven young players who enter into signing agreement with Toronto on the day, according to Baseball America, who reported preliminary deals between the Jays and Brazilian right hander Eric Pardinho, Venezuelan righty Alejandro Hiraldo and shortstop Jose Riva and Dominican Republic outfielder Alberto Rodriguez and shortstop Rainer Diaz.
Pardinho is the top prospect of the bunch, ranked fifth on MLB Pipeline’s list of top international prospects.