Report: Blue Jays, Belisario agree to minor league deal

Less than 24 hours after general manager Alex Anthopoulos suggested his team isn't in the market for Jonathan Papelbon, the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly invited a different veteran to compete for innings out of the bullpen in 2015.

The Blue Jays agreed Thursday to a minor league deal with Ronald Belisario that will pay the right-hander $1.7 million should he make the major league roster, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.

Belisario, who elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox in November, struggled mightily last season, crafting a career-worst 5.56 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP over 62 relief appearances. The 32-year-old also managed a career-worst 16.1 percent strikeout rate and yielded an .817 OPS to left-handed hitters. However, Belisario continued to induce ground balls at an extremely high rate.

Despite his shaky performance in 2014, Belisario would likely compete with right-handers Steve Delabar and Marco Estrada for late-inning opportunities with the Blue Jays following the departures of Casey Janssen, Sergio Santos and Dustin McGowan.