Blue Jays latest DFA gives Guardians golden chance to add to pitching depth 

The Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays are no strangers to doing business with each other. One look at the Blue Jays’ roster turns up plenty of guys who once made Progressive Field their home. 

But now the Guardians have a chance to return the favor thanks to Toronto’s recent decision to designate Eric Lauer for assignment. 

While the move seemed like a necessity given he’s struggled this season and clashed with the team over his role, he’s just one year removed from posting a 3.18 ERA for a Jays team that won the AL pennant.

The Guardians would be a great landing spot for Eric Lauer 

The Guardians got a first-hand look at Lauer last June when he allowed one run across 5 1/3 innings in a Blue Jays’ win at Progressive Field. 

That outing was part of a strong run of play for him out of the rotation in the Blue Jays’ depleted starting rotation, but he shifted back to the bullpen in the second half of the season after Toronto acquired Shane Bieber and the rest of their rotation got healthy. 

His flexibility ended up coming back to bite him in the offseason after he and the Blue Jays disagreed about what he should make in arbitration. He filed at $5.75 million and the Blue Jays filed at $4.4 million, with the Blue Jays winning. 

That set the tone for a suboptimal 2025 season where he complained about pitching behind an opener and never seemed to find a rhythm. 

Lauer posted a 6.69 ERA through eight starts (part of which could be attributed to an early season illness) before being DFA’d on Monday.

His peripheral stats aren’t much better, as he ranks in the 14th percentile or worse in strikeout rate, expected batting average and ground ball rate. 

He’s likely to go unclaimed on waivers since any team that claims him will owe him a prorated amount of that $4.4 million salary. But he should be at the top of the Guardians’ radar once inevitably clears waivers and is free to sign with every team. 

Lauer’s not perfect by any means, but he’d be a great option for the Guardians to stash in the minor leagues for some much-needed starting pitching depth. 

Logan Allen and Pedro Avila  are the top-two options in Triple-A, but neither of them have set the world on fire (4.46 ERA and 7.67 ERA, respectively). 

Not only would Lauer be an immediate upgrade over both of them, but he’d be able to work on building himself back up with the team that he grew up rooting for in nearby Grafton. 

Part of the reason for the Guardians’ success in recent years is because they’ve made moves on the margins. Adding Lauer would fit into that trend.

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