New Dodgers Pitcher Appears to Shade Former Blue Jays Team

He seems very happy to be in LA.

May 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer (33) pitches during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers made an under-the-radar trade last month, bringing in left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer from the Toronto Blue Jays to help bolster the starting rotation.

The trade was made to help offset injuries to Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back), giving Los Angeles more depth. The Dodgers have been using a six-man rotation this season, and even with the injuries, they wanted to keep it going.

So far, Lauer has been great for the Dodgers, making two starts and posting an ERA of 2.53 across 10.2 innings of work.

His exit from the Blue Jays was a little controversial, to say the least. And now it seems that Lauer has thrown some shade at how his former team approached his pitching.

“Whatever you can line up what you think and feel with what the coaches or anybody [in the organization] thinks and feels, it’s going to be as easy as it can be,” Lauer said to the Orange County Register. “Everybody’s kind of on the same page instead of fighting ideas with more ideas.”

Lauer didn't directly call out the Blue Jays organization, but he clearly is much happier with how the Dodgers are helping him. While in Toronto, the lefty called out the Blue Jays for their use of openers in games.

Coming over to the Dodgers has done wonders for Lauer this season, as he struggled early on with the Blue Jays. In eight appearances (six starts) for Toronto, Lauer put up an ERA of 6.69, showing a lack of consistency on the mound.

But the Dodgers have been known to help players fine-tune mechanics, getting their seasons or careers back on track. Lauer is another example of this, and now he has turned into a solid pickup for the Dodgers.

“Getting over here was kind of, ‘We just want you to focus on the game and pitching, and then we’ll kind of tell you what we see, what we think,’” Lauer said.

It remains to be seen what type of role Lauer will have with the Dodgers once they get healthy in the starting rotation, but for now, his job is more than secure.

The veteran can be a trustworthy arm late in the season, and teams can never have too much depth within a pitching staff.

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