
The Toronto Blue Jays signed right-handers Spencer Turnbull and José Ureña to big-league contracts on Saturday, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Those veterans will attempt to stabilize a pitching staff stricken by injury and underperformance.
Turnbull, 32, has not pitched in organized baseball this season after a prolonged stay in free agency. Last year, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, he amassed a 2.65 ERA (156 ERA+) and a 2.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 54 innings split between the rotation and bullpen. Turnbull’s success could be credited in part to the coining of a new sweeper, a pitch he introduced last season and that subsequently posted a 30.8% whiff rate and .145 batting average against.
Ureña, 33, had appeared in one big-league game this year with the New York Mets. He’s made more than 230 appearances in The Show, including 33 last year with the Texas Rangers. Ureña compiled a 3.80 ERA (103 ERA+) and a 1.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 109 innings pitched.
The Blue Jays are currently without starters Max Scherzer (thumb inflammation) and Alek Manoah (internal brace surgery), as well as relievers Nick Sandlin (strained lat) and Erik Swanson (elbow discomfort). Furthermore, Toronto has seen the likes of Bowden Francis, Easton Lucas, and Yariel Rodríguez struggle to date, spurring the need for reinforcements. (To wit, the Blue Jays called upon veteran lefty Eric Lauer in a bulk role earlier this week, marking his first big-league appearance since Sept. 2023.)
The Blue Jays have not yet announced the signings of Turnbull and Ureña, nor have they announced corresponding roster moves to add those two to their 26- and 40-player rosters. (Their 40-player roster is currently full.) Toronto general manager Ross Atkins had hinted on Friday that the Blue Jays were nearing external additions. “We have a couple of things in the works there that are more on the depth front,” he told reporters. “You know, via free agency.”
The Blue Jays entered Saturday with a 16-16 record on the young season despite a minus-30 run differential. Toronto’s run differential is among the worst in the American League, ranking ahead of only the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles. Oftentimes, run differential is a better gauge of how a team has performed across smaller samples than an actual won-lost record.
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