Blue Jays: 5 LH relief pitchers to consider

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Antonio Bastardo   (30)
2015: 57.1 IP, 2.98 ERA

The Domincan born Bastardo has a a good shot at a multi-year deal in a very thin reliever’s market this offseason, and is likely to sit near the top of any lefty list. After being traded from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh this past December, he continued to pitch well and posted his third ERA under 3.00 in the past five seasons.

While he’s more than capable of handling full innings and consecutive right-handed bats, his career numbers against left-handed hitters are even more impressive. Bastardo holds lefties to a line of .178 / .277 / .319.

Walks have been an issue for Bastardo in the past, but his career 4.3 BB/9 is balanced out well by his career K/9 of 11.0. He’s also done very well to keep the ball in the yard, recording a HR/9 of 0.6 or lower in each of his past three seasons.

Bastardo works primarily with a fastball and slider combination, and grades out similarly to 2015 Liam Hendriks in the sense of having a plus slider with a plus-plus fastball. He maxes out around 93 MPH on the radar gun, and has been known to mix in the odd changeup. While Bastardo may not be the cheapest option on the market, he’ll be one of the best.

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