Among the Blue Jays’ needs this winter, we knew that the bullpen was one of them. Last year, the club was repeatedly sunk by its bullpen, and they wanted to bring in reinforcements.

Obviously, this resulted in the big names on the market being linked to the Jays. But many of them signed elsewhere… and beyond the big names, the club also needed depth.

Because last year, there was a lack of trusted relievers in Toronto. And it showed in the playoffs.

And tonight, the Blue Jays decided to start addressing that problem: the club completed a transaction to get their hands on Chase Lee. We’re talking about a 27-year-old reliever who used to play for the Tigers.

In return, prospect Johan Simon heads to Michigan.

OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired RHP Chase Lee from the Tigers in exchange for LHP Johan Simon.

Welcome to the #BlueJays! pic.twitter.com/r8oYJvUdme

– Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) December 12, 2025

Last year, Lee appeared in 32 MLB games as a rookie, maintaining a 4.10 ERA. We’re talking about a guy who throws the ball unorthodoxly, making life difficult for hitters and allowing him to get strikeouts at bat.

He doesn’t have a big fastball, but he’s got good curveballs. That makes him an interesting project.

Chase Lee (27) is a sweeper dominant right-hand reliever with an extremely funky arm slot who ran high strikeout rates in the minor leagues thanks in large part to his deceptiveness and elite breaking ball.

His sweeper, as mentioned, is his best offering, grading out at 120… pic.twitter.com/o4pckIYSpf

– Damon (@Damon98_) December 12, 2025

It’s also worth remembering that Lee still has two options from the minors, which gives the Jays flexibility. So we shouldn’t rule out a world in which he starts the year in AAA, even though he’ll be fighting for a bullpen spot at club camp.

It’s also worth noting that, with Lee’s arrival, the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster is now complete. Obviously, this won’t stop the club from trying its luck with Kyle Tucker and/or Bo Bichette, but there are some guys who could bail out.

But that’s a problem for later: in Lee, the club has acquired depth to fill one of its needs. Let’s see if it pays off now.

MLB
Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz both chose their new numbers because of their children. The number they wore with the Mets was retired by their respective organizations.

With #20 being retired for Frank Robinson, Pete Alonso will wear #25 with the Orioles because 2025 is the year he and his wife welcomed their first child pic.twitter.com/Ggy14PrSRp

– Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) December 12, 2025

Edwin Diaz told me he chose to wear #3 to represent his three sons. pic.twitter.com/dbYZQaswbg

– Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) December 12, 2025

Narco to follow Edwin Diaz to Los Angeles.

Edwin Díaz confirms that he’s bringing his iconic entrance song with him to Los Angeles! 🎺 https://t.co/NCrUNffnKY pic.twitter.com/uljesemsWx

– MLB (@MLB) December 12, 2025

Elias – “We have arguably the best lineup in MLB.” pic.twitter.com/Zu3retzn8l

– Steve Melewski (@Steveonbaseball) December 12, 2025

This content was created with the help of AI.