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The Blue Jays continued their pursuit of moving towards serious playoff contention on Tuesday by signing free agent Marcus Semien to bolster their infield.
Once again showing they mean business, the Jays reached agreement with the veteran shortstop, who most recently held that position with the Oakland Athletics. A source told the Toronto Sun that the one-year deal is worth $18 million US, pending a physical.
Semien is one season removed from the best campaign of his career when he hit .285 with 33 home runs and finished third in 2019 American League MVP voting. Presumably that offensive flash was attractive enough for the Jays to overlook a regression in 2020 when Semien got off to a tardy start and never recovered, batting just .223.
The 30-year-old has spent most of his career at shortstop, which will make for some interesting decisions for manager Charlie Montoyo. The likelihood in Toronto, however, is that Semien — who the team feels will be a plus-defender — is to play at second and shift Cavan Biggio to third base.
