56.06 Montreal bolsters rotation with free agent signing

[Bob Breum]

After weeks and weeks of negotiations, Montreal finally reeled in 35-year-old free agent starting pitcher Guy Shroyer with a two-year deal worth $3 million. Shroyer's agent was not a fan of the back-loaded deal nor its team option for a third year, but his client was eager to report, and all parties recognized that year one of the pact had to allow the Blazers to squeeze under the league salary cap.

Guy Shroyer
Never short of words, Shroyer joked with the assembled media that he was looking forward to the team's AARP meetings. At 35, he is the old man of the rotation, but younger than most of the team's hitters.

It has been eight years since Shroyer's last appearance in the big leagues. During four seasons with Rockville, he started 53 games and appeared in 67 others, posting a 25-14 record and a 3.88 ERA (109 ERA+). Montreal scouts believe that Shroyer is a better pitcher now than he was then, with greatly enhanced movement on his pitches. He's a fastball/slider pitcher, with an above average changeup. Hitters have a hard time squaring up his pitches, rarely hitting home runs when he's on the mound. He generates lots of ground balls, and Blazers' infielders should turn many double plays behind him.

UPDATE: In his first appearance in the BBA since 2048, Shroyer started for Montreal at Phoenix on Monday, hurling 7 innings of shutout ball and earning his first W in a Blazers uniform. It was the team's fourth shutout of the young season, twice as many as any other team in the Johnson League.