Cardinals trade Randal Grichuk to Blue Jays

The Cardinals traded outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Blue Jays for pitchers Dominic Leone and Conner Greene, according to a club announcement.

Grichuk is the second outfielder to join the Jays in less than a week, as Toronto agreed to terms with Curtis Granderson on a one-year deal Monday night. That pair will join Teoscar Hernandez, Steve Pearce and Ezequiel Carrera as corner outfield options alongside center-fielder Kevin Pillar.

Grichuk is the fourth positional addition for the Jays this winter, joining Granderson and infielders Aledmys Diaz and Yangervis Solarte. The 26-year-old Grichuk is under control for three more seasons, projecting to become a free agent after 2020.

Grichuk has been inconsistent in parts of four seasons for the Cards, posting a career .249/.297/.488 line with 66 homers in 404 games. He hit .238/.285/.473 with 22 homers in 122 games in 2017 while seeing time at all three outfield positions and spending time in the minors for the second season in a row.

St. Louis has now made three major trades involving outfielders this winter, shipping Stephen Piscotty to the Athletics and acquiring All-Star Marcell Ozuna from Miami. The Cards entered the winter with a surplus and now project to have Ozuna, Dexter Fowler and Tommy Pham as its starting outfield.

Leone, 26, worked to a 2.56 ERA and 2.94 FIP in 70.1 innings as a stalwart in the Jays’ bullpen this season. The former Mariner and Diamondback owns a 3.48 ERA in parts of four major-league seasons and will join Luke Gregerson, Tyler Lyons, Matt Bowman and Brett Cecil in the Cardinals bullpen.

Greene, 22, was Toronto’s seventh-round pick in the 2013 draft and was ranked by MLB.com as the club’s 11th-best prospect. He struggled to a 5.29 ERA in 132.2 innings as a starter at Double-A this season, causing some to believe he could be slated for a bullpen role at higher levels.