MLB: Jays to add veteran free agent Granderson to outfield

The Blue Jays, desperately needing to upgrade their outfield offensively and defensively, have reportedly agreed to a deal with 36-year-old Curtis Granderson.

The deal, believed to be for one year and $5 million, was reported by Sportsnet, which given Rogers ownership is almost like an official press release.

Granderson split his time in 2017 between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .212, with a .323 on-base percentage, 26 home runs and 64 RBI. He debuted with Detroit in 2004, becoming a bigleague regular two years later, when the Tigers went to the World Series, eventually losing to St. Louis. He has hit .252 with 319 homers and 865 RBIs over 14 seasons.

With the departure of Jose Bautista through free agency and a current four-man outfield of Kevin Pillar, Steve Pearce, Teoscar Hernandez and Ezequial Carrera, the Jays have been looking to improve. Granderson won’t make them an immediate contender, but he will provide an upgrade and there is little risk in a one-year deal.

Early in his career, Granderson spoke of former Jays centre-fielder Vernon Wells as a role model, He even felt heat from the Tigers’ fan base after he warned Wells about some tricky spots in the Comerica Park outfield. He is now at the point in his career where he has become a mentor to young players.

Granderson had been mentioned as a possible acquisition by the Blue Jays at the last two trade deadlines. He is a left-handed hitter and, with Pillar a fixture in centre field, would play most of his time with the Jays in the corner outfield spots.

JAYS EXTENDING NETTING: The Jays became the latest Major League Baseball team to announce plans to extend the protective netting at their home stadium Monday.

New netting will be extended to the outfield end of each dugout at Rogers Centre. Existing netting behind home plate will be replaced and increased in height by about three metres, the team said in a statement.

“It’s something we’ve been working on through the off-season,” said Andrew Miller, the Blue Jays’ executive vice-president of business operations. “It’ll be installed in midto-late February in time for Opening Day on March 29. It’s something we’re always thinking about — the safety of our fans.”