For the second straight year, former Alabama pitcher Chase Lee has been traded. But this time, the reliever goes to his new team with 32 games of Major League experience.
On Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Lee from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitcher Johan Simon.
On July 30, 2024, the Texas Rangers traded Lee and pitcher Joseph Montalvo to the Tigers for pitcher Andrew Chafin.
Lee made his MLB debut on April 22 after starting the 2025 season with the Toledo Mud Hens, Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate. The right-hander known as “The Viper” also finished the season with the Mud Hens.
While with the Tigers, Lee made 32 relief appearances with a 4-1 record and 4.10 earned-run average. In 37.1 innings, Lee struck out 36 and yielded 32 hits and nine walks.
Simon is a left-hander reliever who made three stops in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system in 2025. With the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, High-A Vancouver Canadians and Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Simon posted a 3-3 record with a 3.42 ERA and one save in 31 relief appearances. In 71 innings, Simon struck out 79 and yielded 67 hits and 29 walks in 2025.
Lee pitched on AHSAA playoff teams in his final two seasons at McAdory High School in McCalla. To continue playing baseball, Lee joined the club team at Alabama as he started work on his degree in aerospace engineering.
For the club team, Lee posted a 7-0 record with an 0.21 earned-run average, which garnered Rawlings National Club Baseball Association All-American honors and an opportunity to walk on with the Crimson Tide team in 2019.
Over the next three seasons with Alabama, Lee went 9-0 with a 1.87 ERA in 49 relief appearances. He struck out 94 in 82 innings.
The Texas Rangers selected Lee in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.