Phil Coke signed to bolster Blue Jays bullpen depth

Buffalo fans will see another pitcher who had, at least at one point, pitched decently in the major leagues added to their staff alongside Felix Doubront, Randy Wolf, and Jeff Francis. According to SB Nation's very own Chris Cotillo, the Blue Jays have inked Phil Coke to a minor league contract and that the lefty has been assigned to the triple-A Bisons. He provides the Jays with some depth should something falter with their left handed relievers.

As Cotillo mentioned, Coke likely has opt-out dates in his contract to allow him to elect free agency should he not be on a major league roster like many veterans signing minor league contracts. For example, it is known that Wolf can opt out of his contract with the Jays on Monday, June 1. Perhaps the two moves are linked and that Wolf is either going to be added to the big league roster or has already decided to opt out.

Coke was briefly a starter but is now strictly a relief pitcher. In 16 games for the Cubs this season, the 32-year-old recorded a 6.30 ERA and 1.7 WHIP, but he did strike out nine in ten innings. The Cubs signed Coke during spring training but ended up releasing him last week, and will be responsible for paying him his $2.25 million salary for this season unless he gets called up by another club.