When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets last offseason, he was supposed to provide a veteran presence and postseason experience for a team looking to get over the hump and win the World Series for the first time since 1988.
The move didn’t exactly go as planned though, as Granderson struggled in his time in Los Angeles and wound up not making the 25-man roster for the World Series. In 36 regular-season games with the Dodgers, Granderson hit .161/.288/.366 with seven home runs and 12 RBIs.
In six postseason games, he recorded just one hit in 15 at-bats, striking out eight times. With Granderson reaching free agency this offseason, a reunion with the Dodgers was hardly expected.
Beyond the struggles at the plate, Los Angeles boasts depth throughout the outfield in Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, Kiké Hernandez and Alex Verdugo.
The 36-year-old nonetheless intends to continue playing this season, and it appears it will be north of the border as according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Granderson is signing a one-year, $5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays:
Free-agent outfielder Curtis Granderson in agreement with #BlueJays on one-year, $5M contract, sources tell The Athletic. Deal also includes incentives and is pending a physical.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 16, 2018
Despite his struggles with the Dodgers, Granderson may still have some left in the tank. In 147 overall games between the Mets and Dodgers last season, he hit .212/.323/.452 with 26 home runs and 64 RBIs.
The Blue Jays are hoping that the three-time All-Star can get back to producing at the level he did in New York while providing the presence in their locker room that the Dodgers were looking for when they acquired him.
