Blue Jays: Ryan Goins signs MiLB deal in Kansas City

Former Blue Jay infielder, and fan favourite Ryan Goins has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals, including an invite to spring training.

The Ryan Goins era is officially over in Toronto, as the infielder has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals, according to mlbtraderumors.com. They also cite a Jerry Crasnick tweet that says Goins will earn one million as a base salary, assuming he makes the major league roster, and it will also include incentives that could fetch him an additional $825,000.

When the Blue Jays decided not to tender the 29 year old a contract, it was basically a foregone conclusion that he wouldn’t be returning in 2018. The front office stated that they wouldn’t rule it out, but after bringing in Aledmys Diaz and Yangervis Solarte in separate trades, there was no place on the roster for the slick-fielding utility man.

My colleagues and I often couldn’t help but chuckle at the way the fan base was divided on Goins, and in some ways it’s probably best for him to have a fresh start elsewhere, and with another franchise. Among the Toronto faithful, one half of the fan base adored him and borderline demanded to see him not only re-signed, but also in the lineup on a regular basis. On the other hand, there is a contingent of fans that were happy to see him finally on the way out.

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The reality is somewhere in between, as Goins represented the blue collar type of player who worked his way to the big leagues, rather than on raw talent alone. He would routinely wow the crowd at the Rogers Centre with defensive plays, but then follow that up with a strikeout or a weak pop up the following half-inning. For all his offensive heroics last year (the man did hit .330 with runners in scoring position, after all), he’s just never been able to perform at a serviceable level with the bat, at least not for an extended length of time.

With the Blue Jays employing Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis as their starting infielders, the need for quality reserves to cover for potential injury is great, as Goins saw in 2017 when he played in 143 games. The Blue Jays decided that they wanted an upgrade over their five year veteran, as well as Darwin Barney, who was the other utility man who was called upon on a regular basis last year.

Whether you were a fan of Goins or not, I hope we can all agree to wish him well in Kansas City and hopefully he’ll be able to make the Opening Day roster. With question marks throughout the Royals’ lineup due to free agency ravaging their roster, he may be able to work his way into a spot, and hopefully some regular playing time as well. At the very least, he’s got a contract in hand for this season, which is something a great deal of free agents can’t say at this point, even if it is just a minor league deal.

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