Toronto Blue Jays: OF Scott Podsednik Inks Minor League Deal With the Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced today the signing of 34 year old OF Scott Podsednik to a minor league contract, with an invitation to attend Major League spring training.

Last season for the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers, Podsednik hit .297 with six HRs, 51 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 134 games played.

Over his 10-year career, Podsednik has a .279 average with a .340 OBP and 301 stolen bases.

Podsednik is primarily a left fielder by trade and typically bats at the top of the order.

The signing is a great one for the Jays, who could use the OF depth. Since it is just a minor league contract, the possible rewards greatly outweigh the risks for the Jays.

Podsednik has always been a solid and consistent player with some minor flaws.

His career .279 average is not all that great for a leadoff-type hitter. He is right around a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio, which is very bad for a leadoff-type hitter.

His age may be an issue for some. However, for his age he has been very durable playing in 134 games last season.

This move makes total sense for the Jays, who need speed and OF depth on their roster. Outside of Rajai Davis, there is no speed on the Jays roster.

There is also a lot of uncertainty with the Jays about who will play what position (Is Adam Lind going to DH? Or play 1B? Where will Jose Bautista play?), so it will be nice to have an established OF on the roster as a reliable option.

The Jays cannot lose with this signing: If he does not pan out then there really is no loss financially or a loss of a roster spot; if he plays like he is capable of playing, then the Jays could come away with a major bargain.