The Toronto Blue Jays have added to their pitching staff, signing a pair of pitchers on Saturday.
Toronto had a question mark for their fifth starter due to the injury to Max Scherzer, as well as a need for a long man in the bullpen. On May 3, the Blue Jays signed Spencer Turnbull and José Ureña to Major League Baseball contracts.
The signings come one day after Atkins hinted at the team exploring external options for the fifth starter and pitching depth.
“We also need to consider external alternatives, and we have a couple of things in the works there that are more on the depth front via free agency,” Atkins said.
Turnbull has been a free agent all offseason, and he recently threw in front of scouts. The right-hander pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies last season. He went 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA in 17 appearances, including 7 starts.
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Ureña, meanwhile, elected free agency after being DFA’d by the New York Mets. The right-hander appeared in one game this season, going 3 innings, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits. He has a 4.80 ERA in his MLB career, which stretched 233 games, including 152 games.
Turnbull and Ureña can compete for the Blue Jays’ fifth starter, while the other will be a long man out of the bullpen.
The Blue Jays are 16-16 and in third place in the AL East while being three games back of the New York Yankees.
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