Blue Jays sign Franklin Morales

On the eve of the start of the 2016 season, the Jays signed lefty reliever Franklin Morales.Morales gets a 1-year, $2 million (plus incentives, that aren't listed in the press release) non-guaranteed contract.  Morales was released by the Brewers a couple of days ago.

Morales is 30, he's played 9 years in the MLB. In 300 games, 253 out of the pen, he has a 4.52 ERA. In 486 innings, he's allowed 480 hits, 221 walks with 383 strikeouts.

Last year, playing for the Royals, he had a 3.18 ERA in 62.1 innings, allowing 58 hits, 14 walks with 41 strikeouts. He held lefties to a .210/.288/.326 batting line. Career lefties have a .613 OPS against him. It looks like he could fill the 'second lefty in the pen' role. He pitched 4 innings, with no earned runs, 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts, this spring for the Brewers.

The LOOGY role is built for him, he really shouldn't be facing right-handed batters. Please Gibby, remember this.

To make room for him, Ryan Tepera got optioned to Buffalo. Poor guy, gets cut less than 24 hours before the opening game of the season. I do feel bad for him. I didn't like the idea of him being a fake lefty out of the pen, but losing a major league salary this close to the season seems almost unfair. But that's baseball.