Blue Jays Release Veteran Gavin Floyd

Gavin Floyd was brought in last season to be a depth pitcher out of the bullpen, who was also able to make spot starts. But the Jays felt he didn’t fit into the plans anymore and released him this morning.

Gavin Floyd first signed with the Blue Jays on Feb. 6, 2016, as a guy with starting experience who they could utilize out of the bullpen. He also had played with Cleveland, so Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro knew him and how he could be used.

Last season he pitched in 28 games with a 4.06 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 31 innings, all as a reliever. He was resigned to an MiLB deal this offseason on Jan. 6, 2017, after being granted free agency on Nov. 3, 2016.

Ben Nicholson-Smith broke the news on twitter, after hearing the news from Matt Eddy saying:

One speculation of why Floyd was released looks at the depth of pitchers starting in AAA Buffalo. Mat Latos seems to take over the role Floyd had last year, and starters Casey Lawrence, T.J. House, Brett Oberholtzer, and Jarrett Grube fill out the rotation, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. This means there was no room to have Floyd as a starter, and with that being part of his value, there was no need to keep him.

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Floyd also got injured last year after hurting his shoulder. The Jays tried making him a full-time reliever for the first time in his career, and he over-prepared, which led to the injury. He didn’t seem fully ready in spring training.

Aside from starting in AAA, his only other value was in the big leagues as a reliever. He quickly fell behind in the race for the remaining roster spots, and ended up not making the team. Between not making the big leagues, and not having any spot in Buffalo, there was no need to keep Floyd.

The veteran will look to get healthy and find another MLB team to latch on to, likely looking at a lengthy stint in the minor before getting another opportunity. His best opportunity may have been with Shapiro and Atkins, who have been fans of his since his time in Cleveland, so hopefully this isn’t the last we see of the veteran pitcher.

Next: Blue Jays: Why J.A. Happy can have similar success in 2017