Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays Swing Minor Trade on Thursday

After being designated for assignment earlier this week, left-hander Brandon Eisert has been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Brandon Eisert (60) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre in 2024. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

After designating him for assignment earlier this week, the Toronto Blue Jays have officially traded left-hander Brandon Eisert to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.

Eisert had been removed from the 40-man roster in order to make room for the recently signed Anthony Santander.

The Blue Jays made the announcement on social media:

OFFICIAL: We’ve traded LHP Brandon Eisert to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/zzGkR92fCc

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 23, 2025

The 27-year-old Eisert made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in 2024, appearing in three games. He gave up three earned runs in 6.2 innings while striking out two.

WIth the Rays, he'll get an opportunity to serve as additional pitching depth. The Rays are one of the best organizations in baseball when it comes to developing pitching.

In the minors, Eisert is 18-9 lifetime with a 3.76 ERA. He's made 178 appearances, including 10 starts. The Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate) posted a goodbye message to Eisert on social media as well:

Best of luck to the guy who pitched A LOT of (139) games for us

Best of luck with Tampa, Brandon! You'll forever be in the record books in Buffalo

Best of luck to the guy who pitched A LOT of (139) games for us 🫶

Best of luck with Tampa, Brandon! You'll forever be in the record books in Buffalo 🦬 pic.twitter.com/Q1AxGQZKhM

— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) January 23, 2025

The Blue Jays have added relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia to the bullpen this offseason, further negating the need for Eisert.

Toronto is coming off a season in which they went 74-88 and finished last in the American League East. The Rays, on the other hand, went 80-82 and finished fourth. Both teams have bigger goals for the 2025 campaign.

The two teams both report to spring training about three weeks from now. Opening Day is March 27.

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