Toronto Blue Jays' starting pitcher Marco Estrada stands on the mound in Toronto on Oct. 21, 2015. Estrada and the Blue Jays have agreed to a two-year deal worth $26 million.Nathan Denette
Pitcher Marco Estrada and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a two-year deal worth US$26 million.
Estrada was issued a qualifying offer by the Blue Jays, which would have been $15.8 million for a one-year term.
He had until Friday to either accept or reject the qualifying offer before becoming a free agent.
The 32-year-old Estrada appeared in 34 games, including a career-high 28 starts, for the Blue Jays this past season and posted career bests in earned-run average (3.13), wins (13), strikeouts (131), innings pitched (181.0) and WHIP (1.04).
His .203 opponents' average led the American League, while ranking fourth in Major League Baseball. The native of Sonora, Mexico limited the opposition to a .183 average following the All-Star break, ranking first in MLB.
In three post-season starts in 2015 he posted a 2-1 record with a 2.33 ERA, the lowest ERA among all starters this post-season.