Blue Jays Sign Roberto Hernandez & Three Others To Minor League Deals

The Blue Jays have signed pitchers Roberto Hernandez, Scott Copeland, Pat McCoy, and Bobby Doran to minor league deals. This quartet of pitchers will join Brad Penny and Wade Leblanc as Toronto's recent minor league signings. On the position player side of things, the Blue Jays added depth to its outfield claiming Junior Lake off waivers just hours ago. 

Hernandez, 35, appeared in 20 games for the Houston Astros last season posting a 4.36 earned run average. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, Hernandez will earn a $1.25 million base salary if he makes the major league team, with $750k in possible incentives. This signals a change in philosophy from the previous regime, as Alex Anthopoulos seemed to avoid this type of compensation. The ground ball specialist was an all star for Mark Shapiro's Cleveland Indians in 2010, and was formerly known as Fausto Carmona.

Copeland, 28, returns to the Blue Jays after making 5 appearances in the majors last season. He started 21 games for the Buffalo Bisons in 2015, posting a 2.95 ERA and 3.92 FIP. Bobby Doran, 26, is also a right-handed pitcher that often pitches to contact. He last pitched for an MLB affiliate in 2014, posting a 5.43 ERA and 4.97 FIP across 30 games.

The lone southpaw of the group is the 27 year old Pat McCoy. He was a member of the Baltimore Orioles organization last season, boasting a 3.97 ERA and 3.65 FIP in both AA and AAA. According to minor league central, McCoy has been rather effective against left-handed hitters during his career with a 2.97 FIP against lefties.