Blue Jays pitcher Carlos Villanueva wants to be a starter next season, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.
Villanueva, who is set to be a free-agent at the end of the year, didn’t rule out a return to the Blue Jays, but said he would prefer to be a starting pitcher in an ideal world. If the Blue Jays are unable to re-sign Villanueva before the end of the year, he admitted that he would likely test the market.
Davidi pointed out that many of the players coveted by Jays’ general manager Alex Anthopoulos often receive extensions before they hit the open market. He mentioned Edwin Encarnacion, Jeff Mathis, Jose Bautista and Brandon Morrow as some examples. If both sides can't come to an agreement in the next couple of weeks, there's a good chance Villanueva will be with a different team next year.
Though Villanueva came up through the Brewers’ organization as a starter, he’s never thrown more than 114.1 innings in the majors. He’s also been more effective in the bullpen throughout his career. As a reliever, Villanueva has a 3.76 ERA and averages over a strikeout per inning. As a starter, he has a 4.59 ERA and isn’t able to strikeout hitters at the same rate.
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