The Toronto Blue Jays claimed left-hander Juan Oramas from the San Diego Padres Friday.
The 24-year-old native of Mexico has played in the Padres’ system for eight seasons, posting a 3.40 ERA in 158 games. He has 671 strikeouts and 231 walks in 638.2 career innings at the minor league level since debuting as a 17-year-old in 2007. Oramas, who has experience as a starter and reliever, has spent parts of three seasons at triple-A.
While the Blue Jays have been seeking relief depth all winter, they were presumably drawn to Oramas as a depth contributor rather than a centrepiece. After all, the left-hander has yet to make his MLB debut. GM Alex Anthopoulos has said he’s prioritizing trades as he looks to bolster a bullpen that posted a 4.09 ERA in 2014.
Toronto added another left-hander Friday, signing Canadian Andrew Albers to a minor league deal.
The Blue Jays now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.