Melbourne Aces pitcher Travis Blackley has signed a contract with Major League Baseball club San Francisco Giants.

The left-hander, who just missed out on the Australian Baseball League title after the Aces went down 2-1 in the finals series against Perth on Sunday weekend, has been hoping to forge a career in the United States for some time.

Blackley has spent time with the Giants before, making two appearances in the majors with the club in 2007, and has also been on the books of the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics and New York Mets since first signing for the Mariners in 2000.

The Melbourne product spent 2011 pitching for the Kia Tigers in Korea before heading Down Under to team up with the Aces.

Blackley is expected to start out with the Giants’ minor league feeder club the Fresno Grizzlies, a club he won 10 games for during his 2007 stint with San Francisco.