The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly traded longtime first baseman/designated hitter Adam Lind to the Milwaukee Brewers. In exchange, the Jays are set to receive starting pitcher Marco Estrada.
As per Andrew Walker at Sportsnet 590 The Fan:
MLB Insider Chris Cotillo confirmed the deal, tweeting:
The Blue Jays seemingly set up this deal when the team exercised its $7.5 million contract option with Lind for next season. Earlier in the week, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star noted that Adam Lind was likely on his way out of Toronto after the waiver-wire acquisition of Justin Smoak from the Seattle Mariners.
Lind had a solid season as a platoon specialist for the Blue Jays, finishing the year with a .321 batting average, six home runs and 40 runs batted in. He took on a role as a righty-masher, with 281 of his 318 plate appearances coming against right-handed pitchers.
In Estrada, the Blue Jays receive a right-handed pitcher who has been a valuable arm in the starting rotation for the Brewers. The 31-year-old pitched 150 innings last season, posting a 4.88 FIP, a 2.89 K/BB ratio, a 1.20 WHIP and a .235 batting average against.
Estrada did allow 1.73 homers per nine innings last season, which could prove to be a troubling statistic in the homer-friendly Rogers Centre. Nonetheless, this veteran arm with starting experience adds depth to a Blue Jays rotation that relied heavily on aging arms like Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey last season.
All stats via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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