Eric Lauer was cut loose by the Blue Jays in May. He's a completely different pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers now.
Toronto shipped Lauer to LA on May 17 for cash, just days after designating him for assignment on May 11.
Six starts and 36.1 innings with the Blue Jays produced a 6.69 ERA. That's the kind of number that ends a roster spot fast.
With the Dodgers, it's a different story entirely.
Lauer has made 10 starts and thrown 62 innings for LA, posting a 3.48 ERA. He got the one thing he wanted all along, a real shot in a rotation.
The left-hander made it clear before the season that he wanted starter's innings, betting on himself heading into free agency.
The Dodgers gave him exactly that. So far, he's paying it back every fifth day.
The gap that should sting most in Toronto's front office
Whether Los Angeles brings him back next year is anyone's guess. But this deal already looks lopsided in the Dodgers' favor.
And it stings more given where the Blue Jays sit right now, scrapping for a playoff spot with a rotation that could use exactly this kind of arm.
Over parts of eight big league seasons split between San Diego, Milwaukee, Toronto, and Los Angeles, Lauer has made 143 career starts.
His career ERA sits at 4.20 with 732 strikeouts across 799.2 innings. Not a star line, but a steady one.
If Lauer keeps this up, he's pitching his way toward a real contract extension this winter, somewhere other than Toronto.
The Blue Jays moved on from him for a reason. Whether that reason still holds up is a different question entirely, and one nobody in Toronto really wants to answer right now.
Did the Blue Jays give up on Eric Lauer too soon?
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