Eric Lauer and John Schneider are done in Toronto, with the left-hander now heading to the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays designated him for assignment on May 11, and MLB Trade Rumors reported Sunday that the Dodgers signed him after that DFA process played out.
That matters because it changes the whole angle. The Blue Jays are not getting a return here. They moved on, and the Dodgers stepped in to grab a veteran left-hander they think can still help.
For Toronto, the split was driven by performance. Lauer opened 2026 with a 6.69 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP over 36.1 innings before Schneider and the Blue Jays finally decided they needed a different direction.
That made the end feel abrupt, but not shocking. The Blue Jays had already started moving him around between roles, and the fit never looked fully comfortable once the season started to slip.
The toughest part for Toronto is that Lauer was not some random depth arm last year. He had real value for the Blue Jays in 2025 before this season went sideways, which is why the final break felt heavier than a normal roster trim.
He also was not short on potential landing spots once he hit DFA limbo. Even before this move, outside fits had started to pop up because left-handed pitching depth always gets attention.
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The Dodgers are taking a low-cost shot on a lefty arm
For Los Angeles, this is a classic Dodgers move. They are adding a pitcher with major-league experience, past success, and enough recent track record to believe there is something worth cleaning up.
The report from MLB Trade Rumors says Lauer signed with the Dodgers, citing Katie Woo of The Athletic. That strongly suggests he cleared waivers and reached free agency, or rejected an outright assignment if one was available.
That is the part Toronto fans may not love. The Blue Jays lost a pitcher for nothing, while the Dodgers now get to see whether a change of setting can pull better innings back out of him.
It also says plenty about how the Dodgers view pitching. They rarely ignore arms with even a small rebound case, especially when the cost is this light.
For Schneider and the Blue Jays, though, the decision had already been made. They looked at the results, looked at the roster, and decided the innings were not good enough to keep waiting.
Now Eric Lauer gets a fresh start with the Dodgers. Toronto gets closure on a move it already made last week, but not the trade return some fans may have expected.
Will Eric Lauer pitch better with the Dodgers than he did with the Blue Jays?
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