Austin Voth is a free agent again, and the Toronto Blue Jays might want to think about it, even if the recent numbers make that a tough sell.
The Texas Rangers released the 34-year-old right-hander this week, just weeks after signing him to a minor league deal.
Voth already has Blue Jays history this season, pitching briefly for Toronto before also appearing with the Minnesota Twins.
The results have been rough across the board. Voth has allowed 11 earned runs over just 10 total innings this season, including three home runs allowed and only three strikeouts.
His time in Toronto specifically was ugly. Six earned runs allowed across six innings, with just one strikeout to show for it.
NBC Sports reported Voth requested the move away from Texas, speculating he may be headed back to Japan, where he pitched last season for Chiba Lotte and posted a 3.96 ERA over 125 innings.
That overseas stint is actually the most encouraging line on his recent résumé, a real workload with respectable results in a competitive league.
Why a reunion would carry almost no risk either way
Voth's MLB track record shows real swings. He posted a 3.69 ERA across 68 appearances with Seattle in 2024, his last full body of work in the majors.
For his career, he's 17-20 with a 4.84 ERA and 346 strikeouts over 370.1 innings across eight seasons with four different organizations.
A minor league deal costs Toronto almost nothing, and it gives the organization another veteran arm to stash as pitching depth during a season that's already needed plenty of it.
It's a bit like picking up a spare part for cheap, not because you expect to need it, but because it costs nothing to have it sitting in the garage.
Does Toronto's need for pitching depth outweigh how poorly Voth has actually pitched this season, or is this a case where recent results simply speak for themselves?
For now, Voth is a free agent again, and whether any team, Blue Jays included, takes another flyer on him remains to be seen.
Should the Blue Jays bring back Austin Voth on another minor league deal?
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