Toronto Blue Jays announced that they have signed free agent right handed pitcher Adrian Moreta.
The move showed up in the club's transaction log , with Moreta joining on a minor league contract.
Moreta is listed as a right-handed pitcher, and the first thing that jumps out is the frame.
MLB has him at 6-foot and 222 pounds, which is already a grown-man build for a player who's still just getting started.
He also arrives with a blank stat page, and that's not a knock.
On MLB's player profile, there are no Minor League numbers yet, which is exactly what you expect from a fresh international addition.
Adrian Moreta adds Toronto Blue Jays pitching upside
Toronto's international strategy has leaned into volume lately, and a recent transaction scroll makes that obvious.
When you sign a bunch of teenagers at once, you're basically admitting you want more lottery tickets than your rivals.
The real impact is organizational, not immediate. Pitching depth disappears fast over a season, and having extra right-handers developing behind the scenes is how you avoid overpaying for the seventh starter in July.
There's also a roster-building angle that fans sometimes miss.
If even one international arm becomes a usable big leaguer, it frees payroll for the lineup or for that midseason bullpen strike every contender eventually needs.
My take is this is a smart kind of boring, the best compliment I can give a developmental signing.
Ross Atkins has clearly taken matters into his own hands to make sure that the Blue Jays farm system continues to improve after a difficult couple of seasons in the early 2020's.
Do you like the Toronto Blue Jays signing Adrian Moreta as an international free agent pitcher?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Bo Bichette takes aim at the Rogers Centre in recent comments
