Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Kirby Yates is the likely closer to open the 2021 season, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. According to Feinsand, Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker described the situation as "it's his job to lose," although Feinsand also adds that it is contingent on Yates being healthy and ready to go. Yates only recently made his spring debut, as he has allowed two hits while striking out two in two innings of work following his appearance on Saturday afternoon. He ...

Toronto Blue Jays veteran reliever Kirby Yates made his first spring appearance against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. He allowed a couple of hits in his one shutout inning but needed just nine pitches to retire the side. Yates' fastball normally sits around 93-94 mph and he was mostly 92-93 mph on Thursday despite a long layoff. He threw just 4.1 innings and allowed six runs in 2020 due to an elbow injury (bone chips) that required surgery. In 2019, the 33-year-old reliever posted a 1.19 ERA ...

The Toronto Blue Jays made a trio of free-agent signings over the last week. The big news of course was outfielder George Springer signing a six-year deal with Toronto (for more on that check out Frank Ammirante's analysis of Springer's fantasy impact in 2021). But the other big acquisition for the Blue Jays was landing former Padres closer Kirby Yates on a one-year deal.After leading the majors with 41 saves in 2019, Yates made only six appearances last year before undergoing season-ending ...

The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with right-hander Kirby Yates on Tuesday, according to a source. The deal includes $4.5 million in performance bonuses for appearances and awards. The Blue Jays also added right-hander Tyler Chatwood on a one-year deal on Monday, and he's expected to work out of the bullpen. Yates was elite in 2019 with the Padres, posting a 1.19 ERA with 41 saves while striking out 15 hitters per nine innings. But he underwent surgery to remove bone ...

Relief pitcher Kirby Yates and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed on a contract that should slot the former Padre into the closer role for a team that needed bullpen help. Toronto saw six different players record a save last season with saves leader, Anthony Bass, leaving in free agency. Enter Yates, who was one of the most dominant relievers in the game before missing most of 2020. The right-hander allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings last season before undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his ...

The Toronto Blue Jays are targeting free-agent relief pitcher Kirby Yates, according to a source. Yates is in Florida on Tuesday to meet with the team, and it comes a day after Toronto added right-hander Tyler Chatwood to their bullpen on a one-year deal. Yates had an excellent 1.19 ERA with 41 saves while striking out 15 hitters per nine innings with the Padres in 2019, but he allowed six runs in just 4 1/3 innings before having surgery to fix bone chips in his right elbow in 2020. He also had ...

The San Diego Padres were one of a dozen teams interested in free-agent relief pitcher Kirby Yates, but he's now in the final stages of considering offers from five teams, and a source says that the Padres are not one of them. San Diego would have to substantially increase their offer for him to reconsider, and that's not expected to happen. The former All-Star closer has something to prove in 2021 after an elbow injury that needed season-ending surgery limited him to six outings. Yates is a ...

The San Diego Padres are still looking to bolster their bullpen after pulling off blockbuster trades this week for left-hander Blake Snell and right-hander Yu Darvish, and the club could re-sign relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow), who missed most of the 2020 season with bone chips in his right elbow, according to sources. Yates was the team's closer prior to the 2020 campaign and had a 1.67 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP and a 13.9 K/9 while recording 53 saves in 57 chances in 2018 and 2019. The ...

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Kirby Yates saw a specialist for his injured elbow Monday and he got back word that he has been recommended to have surgery that would take six weeks to recover from, effectively ending his season. Emilio Pagan is the likeliest candidate to see the vast majority of save chances in Yates absence, although Drew Pomeranz looms as a candidate as well. At this stage, owners can expect not to have Yates in the equation as the timetable wouldnt seem to fit him ...

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Kirby Yates has officially been placed on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. He was removed from Fridays game with the ailment, with the team recalling right-hander David Bednar to take his spot on the roster. With Yates out of the mix, Emilio Pagan is the primary candidate to take over closers duties, giving him a short-term boost in season-long appeal. The stint on the IL will hopefully allow Yates to reclaim his form after ...