Jays’ hunger closed the deal
Whether he closes or not, pitcher is excited to see what young Jays can do
New reliever Yates says team’s young talent was a draw for him,
The Blue Jays caught Kirby Yates’ eye before negotiations even began.
Excitement surrounding the young team and the trajectory that Yates envisioned for the Jays attracted the high-leverage reliever, who signed a oneyear deal worth $5.5 million (U.S.) this week.
“They’re so young, they’re so hungry and naive and raw and all of those good things that you want in that young talent,” the 33-year-old right-hander said Friday.
The rebuild the Jays weathered before emerging last year as a playoff team reminded the 2019 MLB saves king of the San Diego Padres he left behind.
The Padres finished fourth in the National League West with a 71-91 record in 2017, the year Yates arrived after he was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels. The Jays weren’t much better: 76-86 and fourth in the American League East.
Both teams got worse before they got better, but the emergence of young shortstops Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres and Bo Bichette of the Jays contributed to winning records and playoff appearances in 2020.
Yates says he considered resigning in San Diego, but the Jays made an aggressive pitch.
“I know that the Blue Jays clubhouse is hungry,” Yates said.
“They were going there to win a championship before I ever showed up ... I’m just going to be a part of this. I’m not trying to change any kind of culture. I think that’s the attraction, that I think they’re well on their way regardless if I’m there or not.”
Yates also arrives hungry to prove he can still be one of the best out of the bullpen.
The seven-year veteran pitched just 4 1⁄3 innings in 2020, with an ERA of 12.46, before season-ending surgery in August to deal with bone chips in his right elbow. He’s a reclamation project the Jays are willing to take on in large part because of his success in the two previous seasons: a combined 1.67 ERA over 1232⁄3 innings while notching 53 saves (41 in 2019) and 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yates said he finished rehabbing two weeks ago and plans to ramp up his bullpens — he has thrown six to date — over the next few weeks. At his healthy best, he attacks hitters with a nasty split-finger fastball and misses a lot of bats.
Where exactly he will slot into the bullpen remains to be seen. Despite his closer pedigree, he might have to compete with Jordan Romano for save chances. He knows he needs to prove he’s healthy and back on his game before laying a claim to any late-inning role.
“If I’m pitching the eighth inning and there’s somebody better for the ninth inning, that’s totally fine,” Yates said. “If I’m locked in and doing my stuff, that means that guy in the ninth inning is going to be pretty good and that’s all you want in the ninth inning.”
That Yates was brought in at all marks a change in philosophy by general manager Ross Atkins.
Over the past few years, the Jays had cobbled together bullpens primarily with youngsters and journeymen. Bringing in a guy such as Yates to compete with Romano would not have been a priority, particularly at that price. But Atkins said earlier this off-season that they were considering making a bigger investment in the bullpen. Yates is proof.
When an emerging team starts to add veterans to the mix, it signals that the time has come to compete for a championship. That’s what Yates saw in the Jays this off-season, and he’s happy to be along for the ride.
“To be able to help make that push is really neat for me,” he said.