Toronto Blue Jays Sign Mat Latos to Minor League Deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed right-hander Mat Latos to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Latos’ deal carries a $1.5 million base salary if he makes the Toronto Blue Jays roster, and the 29-year-old could earn up to $500,000 worth of incentives if he can reach a few milestones that are based around a mix of starting and relief work, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.

Ideally, Latos will add depth to both the Blue Jays’ rotation and bullpen, but that’s contingent on him making the team, which, based on his performance last season, isn’t a given. He opened last season with the Chicago White Sox and was red-hot to start, posting a 0.74 ERA through his first 24 1/3 innings of work. It was all downhill from there, though. The right-hander would struggle mightily over his next six starts, posting a 7.25 ERA to go along with 19 strikeouts and 18 walks. His horrific play eventually led to his release in mid-June.

More from Tip of the Tower

• Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
• Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
• Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
• Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
• Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith

From there, Latos joined the Washington Nationals for a brief stint. However, he wasn’t much better in Washington either, posting a 6.52 ERA to go along with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 9 2/3 innings pitched. Overall, he finished last season with a 4.89 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.4 HR/9 and a 5.32 FIP over 70 innings. Not an impressive stat line by any means.

Latos hasn’t been the same pitcher since undergoing knee surgery during Spring Training with the Cincinnati Reds three years ago. His velocity has dropped about two miles following surgery and his HR/9 and BB/9 rate has increased each season, too. Latos was never an overpowering pitcher, but his command allowed him to attack hitters in a crafty manner, which was evident by the 8.2 K/9 rate he averaged from 2010-14.

If Latos can somehow reinvent himself with the Blue Jays as a starter, he would be a huge coup to a rotation that led the American League in ERA last season. However, it’s more likely that he will settle into a bullpen spot — if he makes the team — and act as a multi-inning reliever who is essentially a swingman. Latos will need to improve his swing and miss rate, which was only 6.9 percent last season, if he’s going to have success as a reliever.

Next: Why Platoons Do Not Make Sense for Blue Jays

A lot has to go right for Latos to be a major contributor to the Blue Jays this season, but perhaps pitching coach Pete Walker can alter something to help him have success, or at the very least become a serviceable relief pitcher.