The Toronto Blue Jays are in the market for both bullpen and rotation help this winter. After signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, the Blue Jays' biggest need resides in the bullpen.
A few days after the MLB Winter Meetings, the Blue Jays made a move to bolster their pitching staff in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Blue Jays are trading just one prospect to the Tigers for a 27-year-old pitcher. While Tarik Skubal is the subject of trade talks, Toronto is landing a righty reliever instead of the lefty ace.
Blue Jays acquire Tigers' 27-year-old reliever in trade
"Blue Jays acquiring RHP Chase Lee from Tigers for a minor leaguer, sources tell me and @WillSammon," Rosenthal reported on Friday.
The Blue Jays are adding Chase Lee, a right-handed reliever who is under club control through the 2030 season. Lee made a few appearances in the Major Leagues this past season.
Across 32 games this past season for the Tigers, Lee posted a 4.10 ERA with a 4-1 record, 36 strikeouts, and seven home runs allowed in 37.1 innings pitched. His 1.098 WHIP is a solid number, but his home run struggles make Lee a tricky reliever to trust.
But if he can cut down his home run total in 2026 for the Blue Jays, then Lee could be an intriguing trade pickup for Toronto.
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While Lee isn't the Tigers pitcher that Blue Jays fans would've loved to acquire, the trade for Lee cost just Johan Simon, a 24-year-old lefty who posted a 3.42 ERA in Double-A this past season.
Lee is a cheap addition, and should give the Blue Jays some depth in the bullpen, all at the cost of a player not inside the team's top prospects.
The Blue Jays need bullpen help, and Lee, who is 27 years old and under club control for a while, is a cheap option to add some extra depth.
Lee could factor into the Blue Jays' bullpen in 2026, but they also have the option to keep him in the minor leagues if they don't have a clear spot.
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