Right-hander Casey Lawrence might not be a free agent for long. The 37-year-old elected free agency after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment on Wednesday. However, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports that the Blue Jays are “engaged” with Lawrence about a potential reunion. Nicholson-Smith adds that the veteran swing-man is also “believed to be” drawing interest from other clubs.
Lawrence has been a popular recurring character on MLBTR’s front page over the past month. He opened the season in the Mariners organization, pitching 10 innings over three separate stints with the big league club. The first two times the Mariners DFA’d him, he passed through waivers and elected free agency, only to sign new minor league contracts with the team shortly thereafter. The third time, however, the Blue Jays swept in and claimed him off waivers. He would appear in one game for the Jays, giving up three runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings, before they, too, cut ties.
Across parts of five MLB seasons, Lawrence has thrown a total of 136 2/3 innings with a 6.59 ERA and a 4.60 SIERA. He has not pitched more than 15 big league games or 30 big league innings in a season since his rookie campaign eight years ago. While he has continued to work as a starter in the minors, he has not started an MLB contest since April 2017.
Lawrence’s 4.97 ERA in 2025 might somehow be overselling his performance so far, considering seven of the 14 runs he has given up have been unearned. What’s more, he has struck out just five of the 60 batters he has faced. The 87.6-mph average velocity on his sinker makes it one of the slowest (and most hittable) primary fastballs in the game. Nonetheless, he is a low-cost option who is ramped up and ready to throw major league innings for any team that might need them. Evidently, that has been enough for him to draw repeated interest from Seattle and Toronto, and potentially some other teams as well.