TORONTO – Brett Cecil‘s Toronto Blue Jays career all-but-officially came to an end Saturday, when the veteran left-hander agreed to sign a four-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, according to an industry source.
The deal, which is pending a physical, could be completed as soon as Sunday and would pay Cecil $30.5 million from 2017-2020. That price tag reflects the demand for quality left-handed pitching — Cecil’s the top free agent southpaw beyond Aroldis Chapman — and suggests teams are confident Cecil’s strong finish can be sustained.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, lose a reliever who joined the organization in 2007 and contributed to the big league staff since 2009. Cecil moved to the bullpen full-time in 2013, and has since posted a 2.90 ERA with 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
After a slow start to the 2016 season, the 30-year-old posted a 1.74 ERA over his final 30 regular-season appearances, striking out 30 hitters in 20.2 innings during that span. He added late-season success to that with six scoreless playoff appearances.
Aaron Loup, Chad Girodo and Matt Dermody give the Blue Jays internal options from the left side, but GM Ross Atkins figures to explore a free agent market for lefties that includes the likes of Boone Logan, Mike Dunn and Jerry Blevins.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports first reported the signing.