The TORONTO BLUE JAYS have agreed to terms with the following free agents on Minor League contracts with invites to 2020 Major League Spring Training:
- RHP PHILLIPPE AUMONT
- 2B ANDY BURNS
- RHP A.J. COLE
- OF PATRICK KIVLEHAN
- RHP JUSTIN MILLER
AUMONT, 30, spent last season with the Ottawa Champions of the independent Can-Am League. There the native of Gatineau, QC, made 18 starts and finished with an 8-4 record and a 2.65 ERA, while also recording six complete games and 145 strikeouts over 118.2 innings of work. Aumont played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2012-15 and compiled a 1-6 record and a 6.80 ERA over 46 Major League appearances. The 6-7, 240 lb. righty has also played in the minors for the Blue Jays, White Sox and Tigers organizations. He most recently pitched in the WBSC Premier 12 Tournament in November and helped Canada’s Senior National Team to a 3-0 win over Cuba with eight shutout innings.
BURNS, 29, slashed .275/.364/.470 with 17 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs, and 63 RBI across 118 games for Triple-A Buffalo last season. He was selected by Toronto in the 11th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft and played 10 games for the Blue Jays in 2016. The right-handed hitter has played seven seasons in the Minor Leagues and two in the Korean Baseball Organization, combining for a .777 OPS across 1,022 total games.
COLE, 27, posted a 3.81 ERA while making 25 appearances for the Cleveland Indians last season. The 6-5, 238 lb. right-handed pitcher struck out 30 batters and issued eight walks in 26.0 innings of work before being placed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement from August 10 through the end of the season. The Winter Springs, FL, native has also played for the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees over the course of his five-year career, going 11-10 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP along the way.
KIVLEHAN, 29, played 90 games for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons last season, slashing .247/.336/.534 with 13 doubles, three triples, and 25 home runs. The Nyack, NY, native also played for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians and the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2019 and finished the year with an .871 OPS across 125 games. The 6-2, 223 lb. right-handed batter has played in eight Minor League seasons, accumulating a .280 average, 169 doubles, 26 triples, 134 home runs, and 522 RBI over 799 contests. The fourth-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft has played three seasons in the Major Leagues for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks, and has combined to hit .208 with five doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs in 132 games.
MILLER, 32, posted a 4.02 ERA across 15.2 innings pitched for the Washington Nationals last season. He also landed on the injured list twice and made 19 Minor League appearances. The 6-3, 215lb. righty has spent five seasons in the Major Leagues, having also pitched for the Detroit Tigers and Colorado Rockies compiling a 4.43 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, 54 walks and 159 strikeouts over 156.1 innings.
Player Profile:
Phillipe Aumont
https://www.mlb.com/player/phillippe-aumont-518418
Andy Burns
https://www.mlb.com/player/andy-burns-542992
A.J. Cole
https://www.mlb.com/player/a-j-cole-595918
Patrick Kivlehan
https://www.mlb.com/player/patrick-kivlehan-623182
Justin Miller
The view from left field 