The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to sign Guelph, Ont., native Scott Diamond to a minor league deal Tuesday, an industry source told Sportsnet. The deal will include an invitation to big league spring training.
Diamond, 29, has experience in parts of three MLB seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The left-hander spent 2015 with the Rays’ triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.71 ERA in 150.1 innings. He became a minor league free agent after the season ended.
Diamond debuted for the 2011 Twins and he was a fixture in their starting rotation by 2012, when he posted a 3.54 ERA in 173 innings. He struggled in 2013, however, allowing a 5.43 ERA in 24 starts.
Diamond limits walks effectively (career walk rate of 2.3 BB/9) and generates plenty of ground balls (50 per cent ground ball rate), but threw 89 mph at the MLB level and generates relatively few strikeouts (4.5 K/9).
The Blue Jays’ projected starting rotation consists of Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey, Marco Estrada, Drew Hutchison and Jesse Chavez. Adding Diamond provides the Blue Jays with depth beyond that starting five and an experienced option for a triple-A rotation that recently lost Scott Copeland and Andrew Albers to minor league free agency.
The Blue Jays have been busy adding depth of late, signing first baseman Casey Kotchman, shortstop Jiovanni Mier, second baseman David Adams and catcher Humberto Quintero to minor league deals.
