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Report: Blue Jays agree to 1-year, $5M deal with Granderson

Richard Mackson / USA TODAY Sports

Jose Bautista out, Curtis Granderson in.

The Toronto Blue Jays added a veteran presence to the outfield by reaching an agreement with Granderson on a one-year, $5-million deal, sources confirmed, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The deal, which includes playing-time incentives, is pending a physical.

Midway through last year, Granderson publicly pondered retirement, telling Howie Kussoy of the New York Post he'd "made peace" with stepping away from the game.

"I'm going to enjoy this season. If an opportunity presents itself for me to play, that’s great. If not, I've had a great run and I enjoyed it," Granderson said at the time.

The 36-year-old gives the right-handed-dominant Blue Jays lineup a much-needed power bat from the left side. For his career, Granderson has been most effective against right-handed pitching (.263/.355/.499) and since 2006, the veteran has averaged 26 home runs per season, with a combined 116 OPS+ and 116 wRC+. He's also capable of playing all three outfield spots but is most likely to platoon with Teoscar Hernandez and Steve Pearce, who, in particular, is best suited against left-handed pitching.

The 14-year outfielder split time with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Outside of his power numbers, Granderson struggled offensively, particularly down the stretch, hitting .183/.315/.425 in the second half. He finished hitting .212/.323/.452 with 105 wRC+ and 2.1 WAR.

Granderson earned $15 million last season in the final year of the four-year, $60-million contract he signed with the Mets in 2013.

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