The Blue Jays agreed to a minor league deal with left-hander Eric Lauer, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The CAA client will be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet adds that if Lauer makes the big league roster, he would earn a $2.2MM base salary with additional incentives based on innings pitched and games started.
Lauer, 29, was a first-round pick by the Padres in 2016 and has had solid seasons both in San Diego and particularly in Milwaukee. The Brewers acquired Lauer and Luis Urias in the 2019 trade sending Trent Grisham and Zach Davies to the Padres. In the first two seasons of his career, Lauer logged a 4.40 ERA in 261 2/3 innings with the Padres. He was hit hard in his 2020 debut for Milwaukee but looked 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 midway through the season and went on an absolute tear to close out the year. Over his final 80 2/3 frames, he pitched to a sparkling 2.23 ERA with a 23.6% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. He came roaring out of the gates with a 2.38 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate in his first 10 starts of the 2022 campaign as well. Lauer hit a rough patch early in the summer and had some uneven results leading up to a season-ending placement on the injured list due to elbow inflammation in September but still ended the year with a solid 3.69 ERA in 158 2/3 innings.
Injury problems persisted for Lauer in 2023. He lost more than two miles per hour off his fastball early in the season, posted a 5.48 ERA through late May and wound up on the injured list for the bulk of the season due to a shoulder impingement. Lauer split the 2024 season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Pirates and Astros before heading overseas to pitch for the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kia Tigers down the stretch. He was hit hard at all three stops, with an ERA approaching or in excess of 5.00 as a member of each team.
It’s been a few years since Lauer looked to be solidifying himself as a high-quality big league starter. He’s dealt with elbow and shoulder injuries along the way and has yet to regain his form. However, on a no-risk non-roster deal, there’s little harm in taking a look at a former first-rounder who had some legitimate big league success prior to a run of poor health. If the Jays can get him back on track, Lauer has 4.111 years of big league service, meaning he’d be controllable for multiple seasons.