Blue Jays option Lázaro Estrada, grant Connor Seabold his release

Another day, another waive of roster cuts.

This time around, it was just two moves for the Toronto Blue Jays. They optioned Lázaro Estrada while also granting Connor Seabold his release, as he had a clause in his minor league deal.

ROSTER MOVES:

🔹 RHP Lazaro Estrada has been optioned to the Buffalo roster

🔹 Additionally, RHP Connor Seabold has been granted his release and is now a free agent

Estrada was seen as an option in the Blue Jays bullpen because he can pitch multiple innings in an outing. However, the Cuban righty didn’t have a great Spring Training, posting a 4.76 ERA and 6.93 FIP in 11.1 innings pitched over six outings. Estrada also only struck out 8.9% of the batters he faced while posting a great 4.4 BB%.

Seabold, once a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox system, didn’t have a great Spring Training either. Appearing in six games, he finished his Spring Training with a 6.75 ERA and 4.87 FIP in 6.2 innings pitched. That said, he finished with an impressive 39.4 K%, while struggling a bit with his command, posting a 12.1 BB%.

The big question mark heading into Opening Day is who’ll be a part of the bullpen. With injuries to Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and José Berríos, Eric Lauer has been pushed to the rotation, meaning the Jays need some length from a reliever. Estrada was seen to be one of those options, as was Adam Macko, but both pitchers have been optioned.

According to Fangraphs’ depth chart, they have Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher, Tommy Nance, Mason Fluharty, and Angel Bastardo as the projected bullpen. Realistically, both Varland and Bastardo can cover multiple innings, and Bastardo has had a solid Spring Training.

This doesn’t mention Chase Lee either, who pitched 37.1 innings over 32 appearances last season. Through six Spring Training outings, the 27-year-old hasn’t allowed an earned run in six and one-third innings. Spencer Miles, the Blue Jays Rule 5 pick in 2025, is another option.

One other pitcher who could possibly nab the final bullpen spot is Yariel Rodríguez, who spent the past two seasons with the team but was outrighted at the end of the 2025 season. Joe Mantiply doesn’t go multiple innings like Estrada, Macko, or Rodríguez, but he is a left-handed reliever who was an All-Star in 2022.

With Opening Day coming on Friday, it’ll be interesting to see how the Blue Jays decide to build their bullpen to start the season.

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