Blue Jays Sign Jose Tabata To Minor League Deal

The Blue Jays have signed outfielder Jose Tabata to a minor league deal reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Tabata, 28, played over 500 career games with the Pittsburgh Pirates and will be looking to make a comeback attempt. While he owns a career batting average of .275, he does not bring much to the plate in terms of power.

Tabata spent 30 games with the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, before heading to the Mexican League to finish his season. He hit just .244/.340/.333 for Oklahoma City, but did show strong plate discipline in his limited stretch.

He's limited to left field due to average speed and a weak throwing arm, and I'd expect him to be regular position player for Buffalo this season. He did not possess huge splits at the major league level, as he hit .272 against lefties, and .276 against righties.

Tabata will need to hit for a high average in AAA if he wants to return to the majors anytime soon, but he does tend to make a lot of contact. This comes just one day after the signing of Jake Elmore, so the Bisons are starting to fill out their roster. Ultimately, i'll be surprised if he plays for the Blue Jays in 2017.

Tabata receives an invite to big league spring training.