Blue Jays, Liriano reunite on Minors deal

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays have brought back a familiar face in left-hander Francisco Liriano, the club announced Wednesday.

Liriano, 37, has signed a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training.

In 2016, Liriano was traded from the Pirates to the Blue Jays along with prospects Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez in exchange for Drew Hutchison, which bolstered the Blue Jays’ pitching staff heading down the stretch. The deal was an immediate success, as Liriano posted a 2.92 ERA over 49 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays, then earned the win over the Orioles in the American League Wild Card Game with 1 2/3 clean innings.

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Liriano didn’t carry that success over into 2017, but he was still the gift that kept on giving. After opening the year with a 5.88 ERA over 18 starts, the Blue Jays flipped him to the Astros for Norichika Aoki and a talented-but-inconsistent young outfielder named Teoscar Hernández.

A few years later, Hernández is coming off a breakout season with a Silver Slugger Award and Liriano is back for another shot.

Liriano is a veteran of 14 Major League seasons, and while he’s had his ups and downs, the lefty has always been a tantalizing talent who’s dominated at times. More recently, he’s switched to a relief role, where he excelled with the Pirates in 2019. That season, Liriano made all 69 appearances out of the bullpen and posted a 3.47 ERA. Walks can be an issue at times, but when his slider is working from the left side, it’s an excellent pitch.

In 2020, Liriano signed a Minor League deal with the Phillies but didn’t make an appearance, later being released in July. It’s likely he’s given a similar opportunity this spring, to come out of the bullpen, and on a roster that could use some left-handed options, it’s a sensible fit for a veteran looking to compete for a role.

In 2019 with the Pirates, Liriano held left-handed hitters to a .194 average with a .659 OPS. He’s always enjoyed success when it’s a left-on-left situation, and although the three-batter minimum limits the option to have him as a lefty specialist, he’s faced more right-handers in his career than anyone on this roster and the splits aren’t significantly lopsided.

The Blue Jays’ bullpen is a deep group already with more additions possible as Spring Training approaching. Kirby Yates and Tyler Chatwood headline the offseason additions, while 2020 holdovers Ryan Borucki, Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis will play key roles. The club also has a deep group of young starters who could be used in flexible roles, so there will be no shortage of options.

On the current 40-man roster, Borucki, Hyun Jin Ryu, Anthony Kay, Steven Matz and Robbie Ray represent the five left-handers to go alongside 17 right-handers.