2012 Looks Good for the Toronto Blue Jays with New Setup Man Francisco Cordero

The Toronto Blue Jays recently signed free agent Francisco Cordero to a one-year $4.5 million contract, according to MLB.com.

This is good news for the Blue Jays roster.

As an experienced MLB veteran, Cordero will enter his 14th season in the major leagues in 2012.

Darin Mastroianni, a former member of the Double-A NH Fisher Cats, was designated for assignment and will likely be sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The move cleared the way to make room on the 40-man roster for the veteran Cordero.

Last season with the Reds, Cordero was the full-time closer.

His role will change though for the Blue Jays as he will be the setup man for Sergio Santos coming out of the bullpen.

CoCo (as he is known as throughout the majors) had a strong 2011 season with Cincinnati, piling up 37 saves in 43 opportunities, along with a 2.45 ERA.

With over 13 seasons pitching in both the AL and the NL, he had a win-loss record of 44-45, 765 strikeouts, 327 saves and a 3.17 ERA.

Although his velocity has dropped off a bit to about 94 MPH, he has compensated well by adding extra pitches to his arsenal as he has gotten older.

While pitching for the Reds in 2010, Cordero had 40 saves and reached the postseason for the first time in his career.

The next year notched his 300th career save on June 1, 2011, making him the first player in Reds history to record 300 saves.

The Jays have acquired a solid pitcher in CoCo, and while it will take some time to settle into his new role as a setup man, he is still a very solid pick-up for the team and a great, experienced option coming out of the pen for this upcoming season of 2012.