Blue Jays sign Escobar, 3 pitchers

TORONTO, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Shortstop Yunel Escobar signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday, the Toronto Star reported.

The newspaper said Escobar, acquired from Atlanta last July in the Alex Gonzalez trade, avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $2.9 million deal.

Escobar, 28, hit .275 with a .340 on-base percentage and 32 runs scored in 60 games with Toronto.

He has a .289 career batting average with 33 homers and 199 RBI in 506 games.

The Jays also have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with pitchers Shawn Camp, Casey Janssen and Jesse Litsch.

Camp, 35, was 4-3 with a 2.99 earned run average and two saves in 70 appearances last season. He will be paid $2.25 million in 2011.

Janssen, 29, was 5-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 56 relief appearances in 2010. He will earn $1.1 million this coming season.

Litsch went 1-5 with a 5.79 ERA in nine starts last year before a labral tear in his hip required season-ending surgery. He will be paid $830,000.