Post by Josh on Jan 23, 2007 21:30:22 GMT -5
TORONTO -- There will be another arm in the mix for Toronto's rotation. On Tuesday, the Blue Jays reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract with free-agent starter Tomo Ohka, according to general manager J.P. Ricciardi.
Ricciardi wouldn't discuss financial terms, because the deal is pending a physical that will likely take place later this week. Ohka is currently in Japan and is scheduled to fly to Tampa to undergo the exam.
On Monday, Ohka's agent, Jim Masteralexis, and the 30-year-old pitcher decided to abandon all two-year offers that were on the table in favor of signing a one-year contract with a more competitive club. The Pirates, Nationals and Blue Jays each reportedly had made two-year offers.
"At this point, we think that the two-year deals that we've had -- although we appreciated them -- they really, in the second year, wouldn't have given Ohka the same value as if he were available on the free-agent market," Masteralexis said.
"We've made a decision to take less money to pitch for a more competitive club, which would give Tomo a good offense," he added. "He's never had good run support throughout his entire career. [Ohka wants] to pitch on a competitive club, pitch well for one year and then go back into the free-agent market."
Ohka will get that chance with the Blue Jays, who had one of the best offenses in baseball in 2006 and placed second in the American League East. Toronto will once again boast a strong lineup, which now has slugger Frank Thomas as its designated hitter.
Ohka went 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA last season with Milwaukee, but injuries limited him to just 18 starts. A partial tear in his right rotator cuff kept Ohka on the disabled list from May 3-July 17, but the injury wasn't sever enough to require surgery. He also suffered a hamstring strain late in the year.
Toronto has been looking for a starter to help replace the 181 2/3 innings that Ted Lilly, who signed with the Cubs in December, gave the Jays last season. Prior to last year, Ohka logged at least 180 innings in three of the previous four seasons, and more than 190 innings twice.
"He's always pitched well. He's got a good arm," Ricciardi said. "He's a guy that controls the ball and controls the strike zone. Obviously, if he's healthy, he can help us. We're looking for a guy like that -- another guy to put in the mix."
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Ohka, who made $4.53 million last year, is 48-57 with a 4.04 ERA over eight seasons spent with the Red Sox, Expos/Nationals and the Brewers. His best season came in 2002, when he went 13-8 with a 3.18 ERA in 32 games for Montreal. Ohka won 11 games in 2005 and 10 in '03.
The top of Toronto's rotation is led by 2003 AL Cy Young Award-winner Roy Halladay and right-hander A.J. Burnett. The Jays also have left-hander Gustavo Chacin and recently-signed righty John Thomson, who also struggled with shoulder problems last year, in line for starting jobs.
Ohka would round out Toronto's rotation, but Toronto will want to make sure he and Thomson are over their past injuries during Spring Training. If health does become an issue, Shaun Marcum, Josh Towers, Casey Janssen and Dustin McGowan are considered the leading candidates for a starting job with the Jays.
Ricciardi wouldn't discuss financial terms, because the deal is pending a physical that will likely take place later this week. Ohka is currently in Japan and is scheduled to fly to Tampa to undergo the exam.
On Monday, Ohka's agent, Jim Masteralexis, and the 30-year-old pitcher decided to abandon all two-year offers that were on the table in favor of signing a one-year contract with a more competitive club. The Pirates, Nationals and Blue Jays each reportedly had made two-year offers.
"At this point, we think that the two-year deals that we've had -- although we appreciated them -- they really, in the second year, wouldn't have given Ohka the same value as if he were available on the free-agent market," Masteralexis said.
"We've made a decision to take less money to pitch for a more competitive club, which would give Tomo a good offense," he added. "He's never had good run support throughout his entire career. [Ohka wants] to pitch on a competitive club, pitch well for one year and then go back into the free-agent market."
Ohka will get that chance with the Blue Jays, who had one of the best offenses in baseball in 2006 and placed second in the American League East. Toronto will once again boast a strong lineup, which now has slugger Frank Thomas as its designated hitter.
Ohka went 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA last season with Milwaukee, but injuries limited him to just 18 starts. A partial tear in his right rotator cuff kept Ohka on the disabled list from May 3-July 17, but the injury wasn't sever enough to require surgery. He also suffered a hamstring strain late in the year.
Toronto has been looking for a starter to help replace the 181 2/3 innings that Ted Lilly, who signed with the Cubs in December, gave the Jays last season. Prior to last year, Ohka logged at least 180 innings in three of the previous four seasons, and more than 190 innings twice.
"He's always pitched well. He's got a good arm," Ricciardi said. "He's a guy that controls the ball and controls the strike zone. Obviously, if he's healthy, he can help us. We're looking for a guy like that -- another guy to put in the mix."
Complete coverage >
Ohka, who made $4.53 million last year, is 48-57 with a 4.04 ERA over eight seasons spent with the Red Sox, Expos/Nationals and the Brewers. His best season came in 2002, when he went 13-8 with a 3.18 ERA in 32 games for Montreal. Ohka won 11 games in 2005 and 10 in '03.
The top of Toronto's rotation is led by 2003 AL Cy Young Award-winner Roy Halladay and right-hander A.J. Burnett. The Jays also have left-hander Gustavo Chacin and recently-signed righty John Thomson, who also struggled with shoulder problems last year, in line for starting jobs.
Ohka would round out Toronto's rotation, but Toronto will want to make sure he and Thomson are over their past injuries during Spring Training. If health does become an issue, Shaun Marcum, Josh Towers, Casey Janssen and Dustin McGowan are considered the leading candidates for a starting job with the Jays.
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