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Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer could be traded amid a reported dispute over his rotation role.
In his final season before becoming a free agent, Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer wants a spot in the starting rotation — a spot the 30-year-old feels he earned with his 3.77 ERA through 15 starts last year. But according to a report Monday by The Athletic, his determination to start could end up getting Lauer traded instead.
“Often, these sorts of situations work themselves out. The Jays could begin the season with a six-man rotation or another starter could get hurt, opening a clear spot for Lauer,” wrote Athletic Blue Jays correspondent Mitch Bannon. “Especially if the Blue Jays sign another starter (Max Scherzer?), though, this particular difference of opinion may end in a trade.”
Even though the Blue Jays appear to have a surplus of starters — with the free agent signing of Dylan Cease to go with Kevin Gausman, Cody Ponce, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, as well as Shane Bieber, who exercised his option to stay with the Blue Jays but is now out with an injury — they would prefer to retain Lauer as a swingman, after cycling through 15 starting pitchers last season due to injuries and the fluctuating performance of some pitchers, according to Bannon.
“That’s exactly why the Jays seem to value Lauer in a swingman role, pitching in the bullpen until those starts are required,” Bannon wrote.
But Lauer has been open about his dissatisfaction with pitching out of the bullpen, telling MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson, “Being able to lock in mentally and physically as a starter is what’s best for me.”
Manager Sees Lauer as ‘Option’ as Starter
Lauer also expressed some degree of bitterness over being shuttled to the bullpen.
“The whole bouncing back and forth thing last year kind of hurt me in the long run,” he told Matheson. He also told Bannon, “The fact that I ended last year in the bullpen was probably what lost me my (arbitration) case.”
Lauer filed an arbitration claim for $5.75 million. The Blue Jays countered with a $4.4 million offer. But the arbitration case went in the team’s favor.
The Blue Jays are proceeding with Lauer’s preparation for a starting role, according to manager John Schneider. But Schneider added that he sees Lauer as an “option,” rather than a starter with a guaranteed rotation spot.
“To have that option is great, knowing that he can kind of be a little bit flexible,” Schneider said, as quoted by Matheson. “That’s really, really, beneficial.”
Will Blue Jays Trade Lauer?
Lauer is now the No. 6 starter in a five-man rotation, according to Bannon’s report. If the Blue Jays decide to bring back the future Hall of Famer Scherzer, who remains a free agent, Lauer would be pushed to No. 7 — in other words, back to the bullpen.
The return of Bieber, who will now start the season on the 15-day injured list, appears likely to push Lauer’s starting opportunity back even farther.
“If Toronto’s biggest problem is too many starters, that’s not a bad place to be. As spring rolls along, though, the rotation realities may be harder to talk around. A trade may bring a solution,” Bannon wrote. “For now, two things are true: The Blue Jays covet Lauer’s flexibility, and he wants to start. They’re two concepts that may not be able to coexist.”
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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