TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays made another free-agent splash Tuesday by reaching an agreement with infielder Marcus Semien on an $18-million, one-year deal that is pending a physical, according to an industry source.
Semien, 30, has primarily been a shortstop during his eight seasons in the major-leagues, the past six with the Oakland Athletics, but he’s expected to slide over to second base with the Blue Jays.
His addition provides protection in the event Bo Bichette is injured, and raises the possibility Cavan Biggio and maybe Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will get the bulk of reps at third base.
If Semien resembles the player he was for the Athletics in 2019, when he produced a 7.6 WAR as calculated by FanGraphs, his impact will be substantial. His numbers dipped sharply during the small-sample size pandemic campaign – when he batted .223/.305/.374 – but he was still worth 1.2 wins.
