Toronto Blue Jays sign outfielder Michael Bourn

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed veteran outfielder Michael Bourn to a minor-league contract, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal.

Bourn recently played under Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins as a member of the Cleveland Indians. Along with two all-star appearances, Bourn won Gold Gloves in both 2009 and 2010 with the Houston Astros.

From 2009 to 2012, Bourn was one of the most consistently valuable outfielders in all of baseball. He posted fWARs of 4.8, 4.4, 3.8, and 6.2 in those seasons before signing with Cleveland.

A career .266 hitter, Bourn hit .238 last season between the Indians and Braves with a .592 OPS. One of his most dominant tools has always been his speed. In the three seasons between 2009 and 2011, Bourn stole an incredible 174 bases.

This is a very nice piece of veteran depth for the Blue Jays to be adding, and despite his declining skills over the past couple of seasons, there’s no such thing as a bad minor league deal. It does, however, create a welcome crowding of talent at the triple-A level in the outfield. Some injuries, however, give him an immediate spot to make an impact.

Darrell Ceciliani is currently on the 7-day disabled list and Dalton Pompey is out of action once again, leaving Junior Lake and Domonic Brown as the outfield starters.

Bourn is stronger when facing right-handed pitching, and has given the Blue Jays fits in the past. In 100 plate appearances against Toronto, Bourn has hit .322.