Jays notes: Garcia willing to serve as mentor
DUNEDIN, FLA.— On his first day as the Blue Jays’ expected fifth starter, left-hander Jaime Garcia was unable to throw off the mound in the bullpen with his teammates because his new spikes had not arrived yet. He joins a rotation he now sees as elite.
“I think it’s one of the best in baseball,” Garcia said. “It’s extremely talented. You’ve got anywhere from some of the best young pitchers in the game to a couple of guys that have been around like myself.”
Jays closer Roberto Osuna was excited by the signing of Garcia. He tweeted out in the morning about three Mexican-born pitchers on the team. Marco Estrada is the other.
The 31-year-old Garcia, entering his 10th big-league season, is willing to serve as a mentor for the 23-year-old Osuna, if that’s what is necessary.
“He’s one of the best young pitchers in the game. He likes to work. He wants to get better,” Garcia said. “If there’s anything that he can learn from me, that’s what I’m here for.”
BULLPEN JOE? The Garcia signing has muddied the waters for 27-yearold right-hander Joe Biagini, who bounced between the bullpen and the rotation last year. He went 2-12 with a 5.73 ERA in 18 starts, 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 26 relief appearances.
Biagini could return to the relief role at which he excelled in 2016 (3.06 ERA over 67 2/3 innings) or he could be sent to Triple-A Buffalo to hone his skills as a starter in case of injury. And, yes, he has a preference.
“Having had some success at this level the last couple of years definitely helps me stay a little bit more relaxed,” Biagini said. “I think I’ll always prefer starting, but I will also say that pitching for this team and trying to help this team win in any capacity would trump the starting thing.” DOLLARS & SENSE: Garcia’s signing gives the Jays a five-man rotation that will earn $45.2 million in 2018. That’s a relative bargain these days. The Red Sox starting unit comes in at $74.4 million, with the top two earners (David Price, $30M, and Rick Porcello, $21M) making more than Toronto’s five starters combined.
The Jays’ breakdown: J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada at $13M each, Garcia at $10M, Marcus Stroman at $6.5M, and Aaron Sanchez at $2.7M.
The Yankees, amazingly, come in at around $40 million, thanks to the presence of youngsters Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery, who have not reached arbitration eligibility. Richard Griffin