The Toronto Blue Jays have signed an intriguing left-handed pitcher out of Taiwan.
MLB free agency is open, and the International Free Agent signing period is set to end in mid-December, or December 2nd if there is a lockout. So, Toronto is finishing up the last of their class to add some intriguing prospects to the fold.
The Blue Jays are coming off a disappointing season as they failed to make the playoffs.
Toronto Blue Jays Sign Cheng-Hao Wu
The Blue Jays still have some international bonus pool money left, and they are making sure they spend it all.
On Saturday, X user @NWints30, who is great at tracking international free agent signings, reported that Toronto signed Cheng-Hao Wu out of Taiwan.
“BREAKING: Blue Jays add another pitcher from Taiwan – LHP Cheng-Hao Wu (吳丞顥) – tops 93 and has a couple different breaking ball shapes. ~200K bonus, good late signing here,” the X user wrote.
Signing for $200k at this stage of the International Signing Period does mean Toronto thought highly of him. The left-hander hits 93 mph with his fastball and also throws a sinker, slider, and changeup, which is something to build on.
The left-handed pitcher is 19 years old and is the second Taiwanese pitcher the team has signed recently. Toronto signed right-handed pitcher Cai-Chen Long in early October.
Toronto Wants to be Active This Offseason
The Blue Jays had a disappointing season as they failed to make the playoffs a year after reaching the World Series.
It was a frustrating season for the Blue Jays and general manager Ross Atkins believes the team will learn from this.
“Baseball just punches you in the face — even when you’re really good — pretty regularly,” Atkins said. “So I don’t think our players came in with some level of complacency and needed any humility. But they’re going to learn just like they learned from winning.”
Toronto does need some pitching help and also should look to sign an impact bat or two, as the Blue Jays’ offense was a major issue.
Toronto Blue Jays Sign Intriguing Left-Handed Pitcher Out of Taiwan