Blue Jays sign 3 pitchers, 2 infielders to minors

TORONTO (AP) The Toronto Blue Jays have signed pitchers Claudio Vargas, Richard Thompson and Juan Perez and infielders Eugenio Velez and Luis Jimenez to minor-league contracts with invitations to spring training.

Vargas spent last season with triple-A Nashville. He went 7-1 with a 3.69 earned-run average.

Thompson played for the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland in 2012, going 0-1 with a 15.43 ERA in three games.

Perez appeared in 10 games out of the bullpen for Milwaukee, finishing 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA.

Velez played for triple-A Memphis, hitting .280 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs in 136 games. Jimenez made his major-league debut for the Mariners last season, going 1 for 17 in seven games.

Updated December 11, 2012