The Cardinals made their second offseason deal with Toronto by shipping outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was going to be a reserve this season, to the Blue Jays on Friday for setup reliever Dominic Leone and another righthander, Class AA pitcher Conner Greene.
Grichuk, 26, played four seasons with the Cardinals after coming over in a November 2013 trade from the Los Angeles Angels that sent David Freese and Fernando Salas to the Angels.
Last season, Grichuk, who will join shortstop Aledmys Diaz as Cardinals having been dealt to Toronto, hit .238 with 22 homers and 59 runs batted in. He had 66 homers and a .249 average for his four seasons with the club and will make $2.6 million this season.
Leone, also 26, was 3-0 with a 2.56 earned run average and 11 holds in 65 games, striking out 81 in 70 1.3 innings. Perhaps more importantly, he stranded 42 of 54 inherited runners (78 per cent), ranking fourth among American League relievers.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder held righthanded batters to a .211 mark and lefthanders to .183.
Also having appeared with Seattle and Arizona from 2014-16, Leone has a career mark of 11-8 with a 3.48 ERA.
Greene, 22, was 5-10 with a 5.29 ERA for New Hampshire in 26 games (25 starts) and fanned 92 batters in 132.2 inning pitched, earning selection to the Class AA Eastern League All-Star team. The 6-3, 185-pounder was ranked as the fifth best prospect in the Toronto organization last year.
Both Leone and Greene will be added to the Cardinals’ major league roster, which stands at the maximum of 40.
• CAREER STATS: Randal Grichuk
• CAREER STATS: Dominic Leone
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