The Blue Jays agreed to a minor league cope with left-hander Eric Lauer, experiences Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The CAA consumer can be in main league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet provides that if Lauer makes the large league roster, he would earn a $2.2MM base wage with extra incentives based mostly on innings pitched and video games began.
Lauer, 29, was a first-round decide by the Padres in 2016 and has had strong seasons each in San Diego and significantly in Milwaukee. The Brewers acquired Lauer and Luis Urias within the 2019 commerce sending Trent Grisham and Zach Davies to the Padres. Within the first two seasons of his profession, Lauer logged a 4.40 ERA in 261 2/3 innings with the Padres. He was hit arduous in his 2020 debut for Milwaukee however seemed to be on the cusp of a full-fledged breakout with the Brewers in 2021-22.
In 2021, Lauer added a slider to his repertoire halfway via the season and went on an absolute tear to shut out the yr. Over his last 80 2/3 frames, he pitched to a glowing 2.23 ERA with a 23.6% strikeout price and eight.4% stroll price. He got here roaring out of the gates with a 2.38 ERA, 27.7% strikeout price and seven.2% stroll price in his first 10 begins of the 2022 marketing campaign as effectively. Lauer hit a tough patch early in the summertime and had some uneven outcomes main as much as a season-ending placement on the injured listing attributable to elbow irritation in September however nonetheless ended the yr with a strong 3.69 ERA in 158 2/3 innings.
Damage issues persevered for Lauer in 2023. He misplaced greater than two miles per hour off his fastball early within the season, posted a 5.48 ERA via late Could and wound up on the injured listing for the majority of the season attributable to a shoulder impingement. Lauer cut up the 2024 season between the Triple-A associates for the Pirates and Astros earlier than heading abroad to pitch for the Korea Baseball Group’s Kia Tigers down the stretch. He was hit arduous in any respect three stops, with an ERA approaching or in extra of 5.00 as a member of every workforce.
It’s been a couple of years since Lauer seemed to be solidifying himself as a high-quality massive league starter. He’s handled elbow and shoulder accidents alongside the best way and has but to regain his type. Nonetheless, on a no-risk non-roster deal, there’s little hurt in having a look at a former first-rounder who had some authentic massive league success previous to a run of poor well being. If the Jays can get him again on observe, Lauer has 4.111 years of huge league service, that means he’d be controllable for a number of seasons.
