Three former Blue Jays pitchers find new homes
Published
Former Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Tim Mayza, Ryan Borucki and Jesse Chavez each signed deals with new clubs as Spring Training nears.
Mayza, a left-handed reliever, signed a major-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Borucki, a righty reliever, also signed with the Pirates on a one-year minor-league deal with an invite to Major League camp in Spring Training.
Chavez, 41, signed with the Texas Rangers on a one-year minor-league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training.
Mayza, 33, spent the first 11 years of his professional baseball career in the Blue Jays organization after being selected in the 12th round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his major-league debut with the Jays in 2017, and was the longest-tenured active player with the team when he was released on July 5 last season.
The Allentown, Penn. native was a top left-handed option of the Jays bullpen from 2021-23, with his best season coming in 2023 when he held an earned-run average of 1.52 over 53.1 inning. He struggled mightily in 2024, holding an ERA of 8.03 before he was released.
Borucki, 30, was a 15th-round draft pick by Toronto in 2012 and debuted for the team in 2018. The starter-turned-reliever pitched parts of five seasons with the Blue Jays before he was traded in 2022 to the Seattle Mariners.
Borucki held an ERA of 2.45 across 38 appearances in 2023 for the Pirates, but struggled in 2024 to a 7.36 ERA in 14 appearances.
Chavez made two stops in his long and storied career with the Jays in 2012 and 2016. He has pitched for nine teams in his 17-year career, with a 4.24 lifetime ERA over 1,134.0 innings with 1,036 strikeouts.