Blue Jays fortify pitching depth with two free agent signings…

When Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins hinted on Friday that the team was exploring depth options in free agency, fans might have shrugged.

After all, talk is cheap during roster season. But less than 24 hours later, Toronto delivered—signing not one, but two arms to bolster their pitching staff.

Like a late-night infomercial that suddenly gets interesting, the Jays pulled a double feature on Saturday with the additions of right-handers Spencer Turnbull and Jose Urena, both on MLB deals pending physicals.

Jose Urena, Mets
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The news broke via MLB insider Jon Heyman, with reports also credited to Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Turnbull: A Quiet Gem Before Injury
Spencer Turnbull isn’t the kind of name that lights up marquees, but he quietly impressed with the Phillies in 2024.

Working in a hybrid swingman role, he logged 54.1 innings across 17 appearances—seven of them starts—with a stellar 2.65 ERA. He was the kind of pitcher you don’t notice until your team’s bullpen is melting down and you wish you had a Turnbull type waiting in the wings.

Spencer Turnbull, Phillies, Padres
Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Unfortunately, his season ended in June due to a lat strain. The good news? He’s healthy again, and the Jays are hoping he can pick up right where he left off—serving as a dependable bridge between starters and the late-inning guys.

Urena: The Well-Traveled Arm
Then there’s Jose Urena, a familiar name to anyone who’s paid attention to MLB transactions over the past few years.

He’s the journeyman pitcher who’s seen more organizations than a traveling salesman—seven, to be exact. His most recent stop was with the New York Mets, where he was called up just long enough to give up five runs in three innings… and earn a save in the process. Baseball, right?

He was designated for assignment the next day, but the Blue Jays saw something they liked—perhaps his ability to soak up innings without flinching. With a career ERA of 4.80, Urena isn’t coming in to challenge for a rotation spot, but he could provide value as a long man, especially when games get messy or extra innings loom.

A Low-Risk Roll of the Dice
The Jays didn’t break the bank or swing for the fences with these moves. But in a long season where arms wear down and depth can be the difference between treading water and a wild card berth, Turnbull and Urena offer insurance—and maybe a little upside.

No parades for this one, but no complaints either.

Jays Lose On A Ninth Inning Grand Slam..

Guardians 5 Blue Jays 3

It was great to see Bo Bichette get his first homer of the season, leading off the game. Maybe he can make a regular thing of it? Bo had an interesting day. He took his sixth walk of the season. He also reached base on a dropped third strike but was picked off first base soon after.

We’d score another run in the third. Anthony Santander started the inning with a double. George Springer singled him to third. An out later, Addison Barger walked to load the bases. And Nathan Lukes walked to bring in the run. But a Tyler Heinemann strikeout and Andrés Giménez popped out.

Our third run scored in the fifth. Ernie Clement hit a pinch-hit double. Myles Straw also pinch-hit and hit a fly to the center to allow Clement to take third. And Tyler Heineman hit a sac fly to center, just deep enough to score Clement.

We should have scored more. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams gave up seven hits and five walks in just four innings. That should have added up to more than his two earned. Williams struck out nine Jays.

We had eight hits and five walks.. Santander and Springer had two each. The only Jays starters not to reach base were Daulton Varsho and Tyler Heinemann (who drove in a run),

Kevin Gausman put to rest all the worry that came out of him throwing 50+ pitches in an inning in his last start. He went six innings, allowing one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts. He was as good as we’ve seen him in any start as a Blue Jays. Just unhittable.

Mason Fluharty pitched a quick seventh, with a strikeout. He’s been terrific since being called up.

Chad Green gave up a leadoff homer in the eighth, but struck out the side afterward.

Yimi Garcia, who hadn’t given up a run this season, gave up a hit, a pair of walks, and a two-out grand slam by Daniel Schneemann. He had two strikeouts. Yimi’s been used a lot lately, but they had to go with him tonight, with Jeff Hoffman throwing many pitches yesterday. I hope he can get a couple of days off now. He threw 32 pitches.

I wanted to comment on Vlad’s play here:

It was a rather spectacular play by Vlad. But if he let it go past, and went to first, Andres Gimenez had an easy play. Vlad did make a great throw to Gausman, but Gausman’s foot seemed to slide across the bag. Thankfully, Gausman was fine.

Maybe Vlad didn’t realize that Gimenez would have had an easy play, but he likely should have.

Vlad made a nice play in the seventh, picking up a grounder a fair distance from first, and then beating Carlos Santana to the bag.

Jays of the Day: Gausman (.312 WPA), Lukes (.108) and Springer (.097).

Other Award: Garcia (-848), Varsho (-.149) and Heineman (-.095).

Tomorrow we have Tanner Bibee (2-2, 4.36) vs. Bowden Francis (2-3, 4.40).

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