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Blue Jays actually get something from Guardians in DFA'd reliever trade

Something is always better than nothing.
Matthew Sookram
Matthew Sookram

Jays Journal

Toronto Blue Jays v Detroit Tigers / Duane Burleson/GettyImages

Left handed pitching seems to always be a hot commodity in the offseason. Teams never seem to have enough and are always willing to take chances on guys, if they think they can help that specific area of their rotation. Such is the case with the Cleveland Guardians picking up Justin Bruihl from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bruihl was recently designated for assignment by Toronto, but they didn't let him leave the franchise before getting something in return.

Blue Jays actually get something from Guardians in DFA'd reliever trade

That something was cash consideration, the always exciting, endless opportunity return for players that are usually on the edges of the roster. Cash can sometimes be even better than a player, because the team acquiring it can use it in an abundance of ways. The Blue Jays, who are already running an extremely deep payroll have their sights set on adding at least a couple more players before the offseason ends, and those players will certainly cost some cash.

Bruihl became expendable after the Blue Jays signed Tyler Rogers, and traded for Chase Lee this past weekend. Those two moves put their 40-man roster at 41 players and so the subsequent move was made to DFA Bruihl. The southpaw appeared in 15 games for the Blue Jays in 2025, throwing 13.2 innings in the regular season, with a 5.27 ERA. His strikeout numbers were tremendous, with 18 K's in those 13.2 innings, but he also allowed 19 hits and seven walks, leading to a 1.902 WHIP and 4.9 BB/9 rate.

Should Bruihl play with the Guardians at some point in 2026, it will be the fifth big league team he has played for in the last four seasons. He made his MLB debut with the LA Dodgers in 2021 and was a member of their pitching staff up to the 2023 season, before the Colorado Rockies purchased Bruihl. He then had a stint with Pittsburgh in 2024, before signing a minor league deal with Toronto in March of 2025.

Bruihl has a career 4.72 ERA in 94 career games, with two starts. He's pitched 89.2 innings with 69 strikeouts and a 4.46 FIP with a 1.372 WHIP.

Matthew Sookram

Matthew Sookram

Matthew Sookram is the Site Expert at Jays Journal. He's a writer and broadcaster in North Bay, Ontario, Canada and a lifelong Blue Jays fan. Matt has worked in media professionally since 2010 as a play by play commentator for the OHL's North Bay Battalion and various University, College and High School level sports. Matt also writes sports and lifestyle columns with Baytoday.ca. Outside of writing, and broadcasting sports - Matt stays busy by chauffeuring his twins to various practices, games and recitals. In his downtime, he can be found rewatching and quoting "The Office" or reading something by Stephen King.