Blue Jays acquiring RHP Chase Lee from Tigers for a minor leaguer, sources tell me and @WillSammon
Lee was selected in the sixth-round of the 2021 draft and put together a few solid seasons in the minor leagues. That included a 2024 season where he had a 3.27 ERA and 2.75 FIP in 22 innings pitched in Triple-A, with a 32.3 K% and 4.2 BB%.
After the 2024 season, Lee was added to the Tigers’ 40-man roster and made his debut the following season. In total, he pitched 37.1 innings with the Tigers, authoring a 4.10 ERA and 4.53 FIP, along with a 24.3 K% and 6.1 BB%. His worst outing of the season was against the Blue Jays, where he gave up three home runs on Jul. 26.
Anyway, Chase features a sinker and a four-seam fastball that sits in the high 80s, with a sweeper as his other pitch. The sweeper was used 35% of the time in 2025, while also throwing a changeup on the rare occasion. Ironically, Lee doesn’t get a lot of chase, nor whiffs. He is a side-arm pitcher with solid control, though.
Lee is an optionable relief arm who’ll likely be up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues this season. With his addition, the Blue Jays 40-man roster is now full, meaning they’ll need to designate a player for assignment if they are to add any more free agents.
As for Simon, the 24-year-old left-handed pitcher was signed in the 2020 International Free Agency period. He spent his 2025 season between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A, posting a 3.42 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 71 innings pitched, with a 25.1 K% and 9.2 BB%. Simon pitched exclusively in relief last season, with those 71 innings being the most in his career.