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Free-agent left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano announced his retirement on Monday after 21 seasons in Major League Baseball, according to his agent, Mike Maulini. Liriano spent most of his playing days pitching for the Minnesota Twins (seven years) and Pittsburgh Pirates (five years). The southpaw was an All-Star just once, and it came in his first full season with Minnesota in 2006. Liriano had his best seasons in his first four years with Pittsburgh, when he had under a 3.50 ERA in each of the team's playoff-bound campaigns from 2013-15. He won his first and only World Series ring as a reliever for the Houston Astros in 2017. Liriano finished his impressive career with a 4.15 ERA in 419 games (300 starts) and recorded 1,815 career strikeouts in 1,813 2/3 innings pitched for six different teams.
The Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Kevin Gausman agreed to a five-year, $110 million deal on Sunday night, according to sources familiar with the deal. Gausman accepted a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants last year and set career-highs in innings (192), ERA (2.81), WHIP (1.04), strikeouts (227) and wins above replacement (5.2) in 2021 while earning his first All-Star nod. He used his splitter/four-seamer combination 88% of the time and had 219 of his K's with those two pitches. The 30-year-old's splitter generated 138 K's last season. With the Rays potentially losing Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, Gausman is a nice prize for the top of the rotation heading into 2022. It'll be hard for him to replicate his success next season in the tough American League East, though.
Free-agent right-hander Kevin Gausman is expected to sign a contract in the next two or three days, according to sources, and it's increasingly likely that he'll land a five-year deal. Gausman turns 31 in January and finished sixth in the National League Cy Young voting after posting a career-best 14-6 record with a 2.81 ERA in 192 innings while striking out 227 batters in 2021. The Toronto Blue Jays are one finalist for Gausman's services as he nears his decision. The Giants would likely be interested in bringing him back after his career year, but it's unclear if they'd be willing to go five years for him. Along with the Jays and Giants, the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners have all been linked to the right-hander. With no draft-pick compensation attached to him, the 30-year-old is even more attractive on the open market.
The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal with right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia on Saturday. The deal includes a club option for the 2023 season. Garcia has a high-spin fastball and will provide the Blue Jays with a nice middle-innings reliever. The 31-year-old spent part of last season as the closer for the Miami Marlins and had a 3.47 ERA with 15 saves before he was traded to the Houston Astros. Garcia wasn't as good there, sporting a 5.48 ERA down the stretch and allowing seven runs in five innings in the postseason before tossing four scoreless innings in the World Series. Toronto is coming off a 91-71 season in 2021 in which they just missed the postseason. Jordan Romano should enter 2022 as the Jays closer, but bullpen roles might be flexible.
The Toronto Blue Jays are signing right-handed starter Jose Berrios to a seven-year, $131 million contract extension on Tuesday, pending a physical, according to a source. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Berrios has an opt-out clause after Year 5 and 7 of the extension, and the deal has escalators that can take it up $10 million and an eight-team no-trade list. The 27-year-old was acquired from the Twins at this year's trade deadline. Berrios went 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA over 32 starts with the Twins and Jays in 2021, striking out a career-high 204 hitters in 192 innings while also setting a career-high with a 4.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Since 2017, he has made 133 starts, including 32 in each of the last three seasons, minus the shortened campaign in 2020. Berrios is a solid fantasy arm, but staying in a hitter-friendly environment and the tough American League East long term could be dicey.