Blue Jays claim Neil Ramirez off waivers from Giants

Another arm will be coming North of the border. The Toronto Blue Jays seem to have issues allowing runs of late. Welcome to the Neil Ramirez experiment.

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed right-handed relief pitcher Neil Ramirez off waivers from the San Francisco Giants per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

San Francisco had recently designated him for an assignment on April 30.

Ramirez (0-0 13.06 ERA 1.935 WHIP) had signed a minor league deal with the Giants over the winter and made their bullpen for Opening Day. The soon to be 28-year old had very tough tenure with the Giants. He allowed 15 runs on 16 hits in 10.3 innings. However, he struck out 18 batters so far this season and has allowed two home runs.

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Ramirez was drafted 44th overall in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft by the Texas Rangers.

Since entering the majors in 2014 with the Chicago Cubs, Ramirez has an overall record of 4-3 with a 4.21 ERA in 96 relief appearances. In 92 innings of work, he’s allowed 13 home runs on 79 hits, 45 walks, 110 strikeouts, and three saves.

Through two seasons with the Cubs, he struck out 78 and threw had 31 walks. Ramirez was a proven pitcher who spent parts of last season with the Cubs, Brewers, and Twins. He finished the season with a 6.14 ERA in Minnesota.

The Blue Jays will have to hope for the best when it comes to Ramirez, who has struggled with injuries in recent years but he’s been impressive from time-to-time. He will likely come in to pitch at the rare time since the bullpen has enough depth already.

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It’s likely Toronto will have to make a move for Ramirez on the 40-man roster. He is excellent when it comes to strikeouts with a fastball that reaches 93-94 MPH. However, he will need to show more control in his pitches in order to help out this bullpen.