Blue Jays claim Oliver Drake from the Tampa Bay Rays

The Blue Jays decided to bring back a familiar face on Monday, claiming Oliver Drake from the Tampa Bay Rays and designating Mark Leiter Jr for assignment to make room on the roster.

We know that the Blue Jays are going to be on the hunt for pitching resources this winter, and they’re already working toward that goal before November has come to a close. In a somewhat minor move, the Blue Jays claimed Oliver Drake from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, bringing back a familiar face to the organization.

If that name sounds familiar it’s because Drake has been a Blue Jay before, appearing in two games for Toronto in 2018. Unfortunately that brief tenure in Toronto didn’t go terribly well for the now 31 year old, as his ERA in 1.2 innings was a pretty rough looking 16.20, allowing three earned runs and four hits in that short audition.

He actually spent time with five different organizations last season, and will hope that the second time is the charm in Toronto. In all he threw 47.2 innings with the Jays, Brewers, Angels, Twins, and the Cleveland Indians. His ERA wasn’t anything to write home about at 5.29, but he did strike out 51 against 17 walks, so there could be some unlocked potential there, even at his older age.

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In order to make room for Drake the Blue Jays decided to designate Mark Leiter Jr. for assignment. It was only a few days ago that I wrote about how the Blue Jays might make room on the 40 man roster and I hadn’t included Leiter as someone who would be moved right away, so that shows what I know. That said, Drake could offer a similar skill set to what the Blue Jays would have gotten out of Leiter as well, so the move makes sense if they like the former’s potential more.

The bullpen situation in Toronto remains in a pretty open competition for the moment, although it’s likely that Ross Atkins will seek to bring in some reinforcements this offseason. They do have a few guys like Ken Giles, Ryan Tepera, Joe Biagini, Tim Mayza, and more that could factor into the equation, but it’s far from a set group, which could work in Drake’s favour.

That said, it’s likely that he’ll be a depth piece for the bullpen at best, and it’s also possible that he could end up being designated for assignment again before the offseason is over. The Blue Jays will have several decisions to make with their 40 man roster this winter, and unfortunately for a guy like Drake, some players are just the type sit on the bubble and move around a lot. Hopefully for his sake, he’s found at least a short term in Toronto this time.