The Toronto Blue Jays increased their outfield depth on Thursday by acquiring outfielder Bradley Zimmer from the Cleveland Guardians. According to Rogers Sportsnet, the Blue Jays traded righthanded pitcher Anthony Castro to the Guardians in return.
Zimmer played the last five seasons with Cleveland. In 99 games, 348 plate appearances and 299 at bats in 2021, he batted .227 with eight home runs and 35 runs batted in. Zimmer also scored 44 runs and had 68 hits, nine doubles, one triple, 15 stolen bases, 30 walks, 103 total bases, four sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .325, and a slugging percentage of .344.
Zimmer’s best game of the season came on July 18 in a 4-2 Cleveland win over the Oakland Athletics. He had a season-high three hits including one home run and two singles. Zimmer also had a stolen base and three runs batted in.
Castro struggled for the Blue Jays, in a bullpen that was clearly the team’s weakness. In fact, the bullpen woes the Blue Jays had were the primary reason why the franchise missed the playoffs in 2021. In 25 games, Castro had a record of one win and two losses for an earned run average of 4.74. Toronto meanwhile will have their 2022 regular season opener on Friday when they host the Texas Rangers.
