The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent infielder Joe Panik, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). The Jet Sports client will be invited to Major League Spring Training and would earn $1.85MM with another $400K available via incentives if he makes the roster.
It’s the second straight minor league pact with Toronto for Panik, who ultimately did crack the 2020 roster and appear in 41 games for the Jays. The longtime Giants infielder tallied 141 trips to the plate with Toronto, batting at a .225/.340/.300 clip with a homer, six doubles and a gaudy 14.2 percent walk rate.
Panik hasn’t hit for much average since his first two years in the Majors, but he’s settled in as a quality defender with a solid walk rate and one of the game’s lower strikeout rates. Dating back to the 2016 season, Panik carries a .255/.324/.366 slash in addition to a 2016 Gold Glove Award for his work at second base. He’s played second base almost exclusively in his MLB career, but Panik was a college shortstop who also saw time at third base with the Blue Jays in 2020.
If he’s able to make their roster a second time, Panik could bounce around the infield as a utility piece. Santiago Espinal is his primary competition on the 40-man roster for that role, though the Jays will also have Richard Urena in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Best World Series double play I’ve ever seen by this kid and Crawford.
Just wait until he flips it to Bo in the World Series this year.
Didn’t realize he had aspirations to be an announcer
Best World Series double play ever !! ⚾️⚾️
@Balk, it was truly a magnificent double play. Remember how it was reviewed, the tension while the review took forever…..a game and play “for the ages.” I hope Panik makes the roster. He deserves to keep playing in the show.
Dependable utility player and won’t hurt team.
giantsphane12…it was priceless, saved the game imo. Also remember the bottom of the 9th where Blanco botched the play in center. That was intense! Lol
Good depth signing. Won’t move the win the WS championship this year meter though.
Deep goo.
EDIT: This was funnier before you fixed the typo.
good signing but where is the signing of a starter so we do have a better chance at the playoffs
Dumbertree, even if they do win a world series, i can’t wait to hear your critique of how weak springer’s wrists look hoisting the trophy and how that’s just the next step in sHaPKinS’ plan to move the jays to Cleveland.
Panik move after Tampa signed McHugh.
Didn’t even know Toronto was interested in him
would you take a chance and bring back sanchez
Is this a picture of him dropping a ball?
Haha good catch on that!
I noticed that as well.
I’d still rather they bring in a left handed hitter on a major league contract for the bench, or at least a bit of a higher ceiling one like Miller, but glad to have him back. He seems like he’s good for the young players.
Panik might be washed up good depth signing, although he could provide average defense and offense production if he’s right at this stage in his career.
Panik? He’s a good player except he has one particular flaw…….He Can’t Hit. Lol
Yeah, he can’t hit anymore, but he will be an average player if he’s right.
Not for power or for long stretches but if a fill-in/reserve puts up the numbers he did last Sept/ Oct, almost every team in the League would be helped by a player like that.
Let’s all relax and not panik here…. no need to be hyped up on a cup of joe over this move…
Nice!!
Was it?
Back in the day I thought Panik would be the next Pedroia. Was praying the Yanks would get him back then. Hoping he carves out a niche as a utility player going forward always liked him.
I thought the same when he came up with that great sf team.
@Rowdy’s Telles- what you think is complete non-sense. Everyone knows that. Smh Lots of luck winning the AL East with your horrible starting pitching.
That’s a good signing and Joe Panik was good last year in a utility role. He’s not an everyday player anymore but he should give them an experienced guy who knows how to win plus he can mentor young guys, like a John McDonald kind of player. I am all for this.
But is Panik… at the disco?
Oof
It’s all good, I get that reaction to my comments a lot.
Good Buffalo signing. Someone gets hurt he’ll be ready. Better than Urena. Can’t out-field or outplay Espinal and should not beat him out for a major league job.
He will not be in Buffalo – he is MLB or you’ll see him somewhere else in Spring.
That’s nice Bruce. Kinda alluded to the fact that he should not beat Espinal for the job, hence the Buffalo comment. No loss for the Jays if he does not report to AAA.
I grasped your comment. I remember last year in his contract the Jays had until a certain date in spring where they would give him the heads up if he was making the roster or not – so in the case he did not he could go to spring somewhere else. May be the same this year too…
Bad signing. I think it’s time to start to Panik in Dunedin or Buffalo or whatever the hell the Bluebirds are playing in 2021. Either way a likely playoff team or wild card team, but not much better then that without an ace like Luis Castillo. Delusional no. But most BlueJays fans are if they think their winning the AL East with no pitching.
How is signing a player that is an above average fielder, draws walks, and makes contact often for a minor league contract a bad signing?
They’re still in the marketing for a pitcher, signing Panik was not their answer to the lack of pitching
@bad bruce- got to sign Odorizzi AND Paxton. Forget about Arrieta. Pitching should be the Jays top priority right now. Not signing back up players to minor league contracts.
Lol relax. Pitching is the priority. But that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to try and make the team better. Depth is what you need. They will sign at least 1 more pitcher as well as trade for one
@Mucho- they really need 2 starting pitchers instead of 1 to be able to get in the playoffs this season. What prospects are you giving up for Luis Castillo?
Yanks4 – probably no prospects, otherwise they would have done it. More likely a signing of one of the remaining 3 arms.
Jays will need to outhit their problems. Real fans remember the 2000 Jays, 2003 Jays, 2006 Jays, 2009 Jays…teams needing pitching and did not get it. Best case scenario is the Jays hit their way to a WC spot come July, trade for a starter. But it won’t be enough. They are praying Ray, Matz and Pearson breakout.
Starting pitching is defiantly a problem. I hope we sign 2 starting pitchers. But we have the third best farm system in all of baseball. They have the kids to make a trade if a top end starter becomes available for trade. This team is young and growing together. You don’t have to make every move in the offseason. You can always continue to improve
Slow your roll on the pimping of Joe Panik there Brucey. You are making him out to be a major league caliber starter.
I keep hoping the Tigers will sign him. I’m a huge Bowie fan… and Panik in Detroit is too good to miss…
T. Rex and Bowie. Good combo. I like it. I might throw Lou Reed in that mix. Either way, good choices.
Completely with you on the Lou Reed!
Ouch, making his pic a botched turn. Rough. Look where the ball is; no way he does anything but drop it.