Blue Jays Sign Shortstop Eric Stamets to Minor League Deal
With the lockout preventing any major league signings, the Blue Jays continue to bolster their minor league depth, as Toronto signed shortstop Eric Stamets to a minor league deal, his agency announced Friday.
Stamets, 30, played 15 games in the big leagues in 2019, where he recorded just two hits in 41 at-bats but played respectable defense at shortstop worth one out above average in 37 attempts. The right-handed-hitter slashed .245/.310/.363 in 803 minor league games, most recently with the Rockies Triple A affiliate in 2021.
The defense-first shortstop recorded his first major league hit on April 6, 2019, against the Blue Jays, rapping a double off Toronto starter Thomas Pannone.
The Blue Jays have Bo Bichette as their incumbent shortstop, meaning Stamets figures to fit somewhere down Toronto’s depth infield chart, which includes names like Kevin Smith, Otto Lopez, and Gosuke Katoh.
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas