Veteran southpaw specialist Randy Choate has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays.
Choate is 40 years and has always been strictly used for one or two left-handed batters at a time, but if Toronto is willing to devote a roster spot to a pitcher who might only throw 25-30 innings all season he’s death on lefties.
Last season Choate appeared in 71 games and logged just 27.1 innings for the Cardinals. He’s spent 15 seasons in the majors, but has topped 40 innings just three times and has never thrown more than 51 innings. So why do teams keep wanting Choate in their bullpen? Because he’s held lefties to a .195 batting average for his career.
