The Toronto Blue Jays have traded Eric Lauer and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Following social media reports that Lauer had signed with the Dodgers, it was announced by the Blue Jays that it was actually a trade that sent Lauer to Los Angeles. According to the Blue Jays, they traded Lauer plus cash considerations to the Dodgers for either a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The team made the announcement official on Sunday during their game against the Detroit Tigers.
Blue Jays Cut Eric Lauer Last Week
It was one week ago that the Blue Jays DFA’d Lauer. They cut him after he had a terrible start to the season that saw him go 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA and a -0.5 bWAR. At the time, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that it was a decision the team needed to make to go in a different direction for both the player and the team, as it clearly wasn’t working out for Lauer in Toronto.
After signing with the Blue Jays last year on a minor-league contract, Lauer turned in a fine season for the Jays, going 9-2 with a sparkling 2.18 ERA and 2.2 bWAR. Not only was he a good pitcher for the Jays during the regular season, but he also turned it up a notch in the postseason. So it was overall an excellent season for Lauer last year, and the team couldn’t have been happier with the results, given he was essentially signed off the street.
But this year was a different story as he performed poorly for the team. He also complained that Schneider wanted to use an opener for him in some of his starts, and he was also unhappy that the team’s front office made disparaging comments about him during salary arbitration. Ultimately, it was better for the player and team that he was traded to the Dodgers.
Blue Jays Get Something in Return For Player They Cut
For the Blue Jays, the fact that they got something for Lauer is a big win since he was already cut from the roster. When a player is DFA’d from a team’s roster, they generally get up to a week to look around the league and see if anyone is interested in making a small trade for them. In this case, the Dodgers needed some pitching depth, so they took a shot at getting Lauer. Plus, the Blue Jays are sending them cash, meaning they will likely pay down the remainder of his one-year, $4.4 million contract that expires at the end of this season.
In return, the Blue Jays will get a lottery ticket, acquiring either cash back in return or a player to be named later, meaning the Dodgers will send them a low-end prospect at a later time. Usually, these PTBNL-type trades don’t amount to much, but there have been times these players occasionally turn into something good, which the Blue Jays are obviously hoping is the case here.
Blue Jays Trade Eric Lauer to Los Angeles Dodgers