Blue Jays Release Eric Lauer, Dodgers Add Depth With Trade
blue jays release eric lauer, and the Dodgers moved quickly to trade for him as they search for rotation depth. The left-hander enters a staff that has been thinned by injuries since May, giving Los Angeles another arm it can use right away.
Lauer’s Dodgers arrival
Lauer spent part of his first afternoon as a Dodger in left field at the ballpark where he made his major league debut eight seasons ago. He described the move on Tuesday as a “fresh start,” and the timing put him in the middle of a staff that needs innings now.
He already sat down with Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior during the onboarding process. That relationship goes back to Lauer’s time in the San Diego Padres system, when Prior was his minor league pitching coordinator, and Lauer said, “I’m not 22 anymore, but I think he still has a good grasp on what makes me good and what can make me better.”
Dodgers rotation strain
Los Angeles has been operating with a reduced starting group since the calendar flipped to May. Tyler Glasnow has been out with back spasms, Blake Snell lasted just one start before needing elbow surgery, and River Ryan is still being slow played as he builds up after missing most of the last two seasons with Tommy John surgery.
That leaves the Dodgers trying to manage workloads for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani while they fill innings elsewhere. Brandon Gomes said, “We’ve had our guys take a look and we’ll sit down and talk through some stuff, see how much we can do on the fly,” which points to a staff still being sorted out on the move.
Lauer’s recent numbers show why the Dodgers are taking a close look. He posted a 6.69 ERA in his first eight appearances this season, but he had a 3.18 ERA last season while moving between the rotation and bullpen in Toronto, and his velocity slipped from 91.7 mph in 2025 to 90.4 mph this year.
Next turn for Lauer
Dave Roberts said Lauer will be available out of the bullpen as early as Wednesday, and he is penciled in to make his first start for the Dodgers next Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. The assignment gives Los Angeles another option for immediate coverage while it waits for its rotation to stabilize.
Lauer also carried one clear memory from Toronto into his new stop: after the Blue Jays used him following an opener on April 17, he said, “I hate it.”
