Blue Jays sign Colt Hynes to minor league deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed left-handed relief pitcher Colt Hynes to a minor league contract. The 30-year old appeared in five MLB games in 2015

Add another minor league depth arm to the list, as the Blue Jays have reunited with lefty Colt Hynes. In his brief major league stint with Toronto last season, Hynes allowed eight hits and two earned runs over 3.0 innings pitched.

In all likelihood, this deal includes an invitation to spring training like the many Toronto has completed over the past two months. Expect Hynes to to compete for a prominent role in the triple-A Buffalo Bisons bullpen, though at this point, even that picture has an encouraging amount of competition.

That level is where Hynes spent the majority of his 2015 season after pitching briefly for the double-A New Hampshire FisherCats, and he enjoyed a similar level of success with both clubs.

In 46.2 cumulative innings pitched over 46 minor league appearances, Hynes earned a 3.47 ERA with 3.5 walks and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Hynes throws your traditional arsenal of a fastball, changeup, and a slider that he uses fairly often from the left side with a unique arm slot. His fastball typically tops out around 90 miles-per-hour with his changeup crossing the plate 8-10 MPH slower.

With several lefties already projected to land on the Buffalo roster and the offseason still underway, a modest logjam could develop at that level. Which, if you’re the Toronto Blue Jays, could be a nice problem to have.