Blue Jays acquire left-hander Clayton Richard from Padres

clayton-richard

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard works against a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game. (Orlando Ramirez/AP)

The Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring veteran left-hander Clayton Richard and cash considerations from the San Diego Padres for outfielder Connor Panas.

Richard, 35, was designated for assignment earlier this month after a season in which he started 27 games and posted a 5.33 ERA. He’ll earn $3 million in 2019, the final year of his contract.

Panas, 25, hit .232/.296/.359 including nine home runs 39 RBI and four stolen bases in 105 games in double-A last season.

To make room for Richard on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays have designated right-handed pitcher Oliver Drake for assignment.

The Blue Jays recently added Matt Shoemaker to a projected rotation that also includes Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Ryan Borucki. While Richard has started for most of his ten-year big-league career, he also has experience in the bullpen, giving Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo some flexibility.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.