Semien completes $18M deal with big-spending Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) — Infielder Marcus Semien and the Toronto Blue Jays completed their $18 million, one-year contract on Saturday.

The 30-year-old had agreed to the deal Tuesday, subject to a successful physical.

He joins a Blue Jays team that has been one of baseball's few big spenders during the pandemic. Toronto previously added All-Star outfielder George Springer for $150 million over six seasons and right-handers Kirby Yates ($5.5 million) and Tyler Chatwood ($3 million). The Blue Jays re-signed left-hander Robbie Ray for $8 million.

Semien hit .223 with seven homers, 23 RBIs and .679 OPS in 53 games last season, his sixth with Oakland. He earned $4,814,815 in prorated pay from a $13 million salary.

Semien finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019, when he hit 33 homers with 92 RBIs with an .892 OPS.

Toronto went 32-28 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing third in the AL East behind Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees and qualifying for the expanded postseason despite behind forced to play home games in Buffalo, New York, due to Canadian government restrictions on travel. The Blue Jays were swept in two games by the AL champion Rays in a first-round series.

They have an emerging young core and are adding major contracts while younger players such as Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. relatively low salaries because they remain shy of eligibility for arbitration.

It is not clear where the Blue Jays will play home games when the 2021 season starts.

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