Update: Ervin Santana is still deciding on which offer to take between the Blue Jays and Baltimore, who both have 1-year deals worth approximately $14 million on the table. There does however appear to be some differences in the performance bonuses offered.
Source: Ervin Santana has not set a deadline to make a decision and is prepared to wait “days” before signing with a club. @FOXSports1
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 8, 2014
All of this could be attempting to encourage the two clubs to up their offers, or to entice a third team to become involved as well.
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Our earlier article.
It appears that the Toronto Blue Jays have finally found a free-agent starting pitcher. There are reports that the team is set to fill a major hole by signing Ervin Santana to a one-year contract worth $14 million. The deal is not quite official but appears to be very close. The Baltimore Orioles are reported to be the other team involved in trying to land Santana.
Sources: Ervin Santana has reached an agreement on a $14 million one-year contract with the Blue Jays
— Dionisio Soldevila (@dSoldevila) March 8, 2014
Source close to Ervin Santana talks says Blue Jays do not have an agreement in place with him at this moment. But they are working on it.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 8, 2014
Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportives is reporting that the deal is agreed and Santana is giving other teams until 5:00 pm to see if they will up their offers before signing with Toronto.
Si para las 5 pm ET no hay una mejor oferta, Ervin Santana será miembro de #BlueJays… @dSoldevila 1ro reportó que están cerca
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) March 8, 2014
The deal will end a saga for the 31-year-old free agent right-hander. Interest has been tempered by the fact that the Royals offered him a one-year $14.1 million qualifying offer at the opening of free-agency. As a result any team signing Santana must give compensation. For the Blue Jays who have two protected first round picks, the pick will be a second rounder (along with the accompanying rookie signing cap space). The Orioles have already given a first round pick in the signing of Ubaldo Jimenez and a second round pick in the signing of Nelson Cruz. If they do a deal with Santana, they will give up their third rounder.
The reported deal comes just one day after Santana switched agents.
Santana, 31, posted a 3.24 ERA and 161/51 K/BB ratio over 211 innings last season. Limited run support kept him to a 9-10 record with the Royals.
The Blue Jays would like to add him to a rotation that features R.A. Dickey, Brendan Morrow, and Mark Buehrle. Meanwhile Marcus Stroman, Drew Hutchison, Todd Redmond, Kyle Drabek, and favorite J.A. Happ are expected to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation.
The Orioles would like to add him to a rotation that would include Ubaldo Jiminez, Chris Tillman, Bud Norris, and Wei-Yin Chen.
Santana was widely seen as the best free agent pitcher remaining on the market.
The move means that Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales are the only big name player on the market at all. Drew, the Red Sox shortstop last season has indicated he is willing to move to second base if a team would like him to play there. Morales is seen as a first base/designated hitter option for a team looking for power.
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