Blue Jays Unconditionally Release Veteran Pitcher to Pursue Opportunity Abroad

The Toronto Blue Jays have made quite a few roster moves recently, and after a few additions, they now have chosen to unconditionally release one of their arms.

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove outside of the dugout during a game against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays have quite a bit of work to do this winter to put themselves in a prime position to compete again. The starting pitching rotation was one of the biggest concerns due to how many will be hitting the market, and with Shane Bieber opting in to his deal, things have become a little simpler, at least.

With quite a few transactions having been made recently by the Blue Jays, just to add depth or shuffle the roster, they have continued to do so in the last few days as they try to figure out what their 2026 roster will look like.

Their most recent transaction opens up another 40-man roster spot for them, as they now are down to 37 players on it, giving them plenty of room to work with to add more pieces into the fold. Many of those will likely be retained free agents once some of the big signings start up, but until then, they have the chance to analyze things and improve upon a squad that nearly won the World Series as-is.

Which Pitcher Did the Blue Jays Move on From Recently?

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During the early window of November 25, Toronto sent out an announcement that they will be unconditionally releasing starting pitcher Easton Lucas from the roster, which will send him to waivers. While there is no confirmed deal in place for him to head elsewhere as of yet, it has been noted by reporters that the likelihood is that he will be heading to the NPB.

Easton Lucas is heading to the NPB in 2026, according to sources.

The Blue Jays placed 29-year-old left-hander on unconditional release waivers.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 25, 2025

In 2025, he got a decent amount of playing time at the MLB level, opening five games in his six appearances, pitching 24.1 innings, accruing a 6.66 ERA, 1.521 WHIP, 23 strikeouts, 12 walks, five home runs allowed and 9.2 hits allowed per nine innings.

Overall, he was not too bad; the home run count was just what was setting him back a bunch in most metrics. He was quite productive when it came to strikeouts and did have some positive stuff, so if he does head overseas to the NPB, hopefully, he will get a pretty good opportunity to accrue playing time and potentially find his way back to the MLB someday.

The recently turned 29-year-old has shown to be a positive asset, and now will try to build up his stock once again with whichever squad ends up picking him up. A move to relief pitching may end up being a positive long-term for him, but that will ultimately come down to where they believe he is best utilized.

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