Joe Smith to Sign with Blue Jays: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Toronto Blue Jays came to terms Sunday with journeyman relief pitcher Joe Smith on a one-year major league contract, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

"Precise terms of the contract are unknown and the club has not confirmed the deal. Toronto will need to make a corresponding move in order to accommodate Smith on its 40-man roster," MLB.com's Matt Kelly noted.

Smith has quietly been one of the most reliable relievers in baseball over the past decade. The 32-year-old Ohio native has accumulated a 2.93 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 639 career appearances dating back to 2007.

The Wright State product is coming off a year split between the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs in which he posted a 3.46 ERA. He was particularly effective after getting dealt to the North Siders in August, finishing with a 2.51 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

Giving up homers is one problem that crept up during his time in Chicago, though. He allowed four in just 16 games with the Cubs. His previous career high for an entire season was five.

Smith discussed the issue with Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com a couple of weeks after the trade.

"I haven't had that problem in my career," he said. "Sometimes this game is crazy, and it doesn't go the way you want it to go. I've had people roll over that ball hundreds of times. Now I have people hit it over the wall in not good situations to do that. I'm not worried. Just aggravating. When you come to a new team you want to do well. Obviously you want to do well right off the bat, show what you can do. It hasn't gone that way."

While he managed to pitch well during a majority of his outings with the Cubs, including an 0.93 ERA in September, it wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the postseason roster.

Still, those few poor appearances with the Cubs didn't devalue his stock heading into the offseason thanks to his strong track record.

Nabbing Smith is a nice pickup for the Blue Jays. His highest season ERA after 10 years in the majors is just 3.83 ERA. So although he might not have the upside of some other available relievers, his downside is reasonable—he's always solid.

His exact role probably won't be known until after the offseason dust settles, and perhaps even closer to Opening Day. But he's handled just about every spot in the bullpen from closer to the middle innings, and that versatility is valuable.

Smith's signing probably won't attract a ton of praise, given the high-end depth in the reliever market, but it's a nice under-the-radar deal that will help solidify the pen.