At long last, Steve Pearce is a Toronto Blue Jay.

A player the club almost acquired off waivers from Baltimore in 2014, Pearce signed a two-year, $12.5-million contract with the Jays on Monday morning. The Jays have confirmed the deal first reported by ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Of more pressing concern to Blue Jays’ fans: Pearce’s signing is another indication the front office, in particular president and CEO Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, has decided to move on from Edwin Encarnacion.

Pearce is the epitome of a lefty masher, a suddenly popular term in baseball circles used to describe a right-handed hitter who performs well against left-handed pitching, especially when placed in contrast to his numbers against right-handed pitching.

What this means is Pearce is of best use to Toronto in a platoon situation. He can start against left-handed opponents, and will give manager John Gibbons flexibility off the bench as a right-handed bat to pinch-hit against the American League’s toughest left-handed bullpen arms.

In 95 plate appearances against lefties in 2016 with Tampa Bay and Baltimore, Pearce hit seven home runs and posted an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.028.

Pearce can play multiple positions, including first base, second base and the corner outfield spots, but he’s only a piece of the puzzle. If the Jays can make a corresponding move to acquire a left-handed bat, particularly for the outfield, that would help. Could Shapiro and Atkins circle back to the Mets’ Jay Bruce or even Curtis Granderson?

Pearce also can’t be the end of the pursuit of the first base position. He’s got the potential to give you the offence you want from that position against left-handed starters, but does that mean Justin Smoak gets the nod when the opposition throws a righty, which happens far more often? Smoak making 100 or more starts at first base is suboptimal.

Kendrys Morales may get some time in the field, but he inarguably profiles best as a designated hitter.

Pearce is a good value play for the Blue Jays, useful in multiple ways. Still, the Jays have plenty of work to do to fill the roster.