Blue Jays sign lefty reliever Choate to minor-league deal

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Randy Choate throws during the seventh inning in Game 2 of the National League baseball championship series. (Charlie Niebergall/AP)

With Aaron Loup on the shelf with an elbow injury, the Toronto Blue Jays have opted to bolster their stable of left-handed relievers.

The Blue Jays announced Friday that the team has signed well-travelled southpaw Randy Choate to a minor-league deal.

Choate has played for six franchises over his 15-year career, most recently serving as a LOOGY (left-handed one-out guy) for the St. Louis Cardinals over the last three seasons. Last year, he posted a 1-0 record and 3.95 ERA across 71 appearances that spanned only 27.1 innings.

The 40-year-old is one of the purest matchup southpaws in the game, used almost exclusively to get a single left-handed batter. In 2015, 80 per cent of the hitters he faced were left-handed, and he hasn’t faced more right-handers than lefties since 2003.

Despite maxing out in the mid-80s with his fastball, Choate’s funky delivery frustrates same-handed opponents, who’ve hit just .193/.274/.274 against him in his career.

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There is some concern that Choate’s game has fallen off in recent years as his velocity has dropped down to 83.7 mph in 2015 and left-handers touched him to the tune of a .259/.333/.361 line.

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