Blue Jays invite five free agents to camp on minor-league deals

Tejada hit .261 with 23 doubles, three homers and 28 RBIs with the New York Mets last year.(Jeff Roberson/AP)

The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to minor league deals with free-agent infielders, Ruben Tejada, Caleb Joseph, Joe Panik and Patrick Cantwell along with reliever Ryan Dull.

All the players have received an invite to spring training which begins with pitchers and catchers reporting to the Blue Jays camp in Dunedin, Fla., on Feb. 13. The first full workout day is scheduled for Feb. 17.

Joseph, 33, slashed .211/.250/.263 with zero home runs and three RBIs in 41 plate appearances with Arizona in 2019. He was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks in December, making him a free agent.

Panik split last season between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets. The 29-year-old hit five home runs and 39 RBIs in 142 games last year and slashed .244/.315/.336.

Dull, 30, played one game with the Blue Jays last season, pitching 1.1 innings with an ERA of 6.75. He also pitched 12.2 innings earning a 12.79 ERA, 15 strikeouts and a 2.53 WHIP with the New York Yankees and seven games with the Oakland Athletics during the 2019 season.

Tejada, 30, has spent seven of his nine MLB seasons with the New York Mets, slashing a career .250/.324/.317. He had only nine major-league at-bats last season, playing most of the year in triple-A.

Cantwell signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays last season and played most of it in triple-A Buffalo. The 29-year-old slashed .217/.324/.257 in 22 games in 2019.

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