Blue Jays ink familiar pitcher to minor league deal to bolster rotation depth

The Toronto Blue Jays had 38 pitchers suit up for them at some point during the 2021 season.

That shuffle resulted in some successes like Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano getting the runway to find the All-Star form they'd have later in their careers.

But it also meant that there were plenty of pitchers who had a "blink and you miss it" stay in the Blue Jays' clubhouse.

One of those pitchers was Connor Overton, who threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Blue Jays across two weeks that August before being designated for assignment, where he ultimately was scooped up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Now he's back.

Blue Jays reunite with intriguing reliever on minor league deal

According to the transactions log on his MLB.com player page, Overton inked a minor league contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, where he'll report to Triple-A Buffalo.

Overton, 31, has seen major league time with the Pirates and Reds and has a 4.85 ERA across 59 1/3 innings. His last MLB action came in 2023 when he allowed 14 runs in 11 innings with the Reds.

He spent all of 2024 in the minors with the Reds.

He was in spring training with the mets and allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

While he's not an overpowering pitcher, he's been good in Triple in his career. He has a 3.87 ERA in 116 1/3 Triple-A innings along with a 21.4% strikeout rate and a 5.3% walk rate. He posted a 15.7% strikeout rate in the majors along with a 9.4% walk rate and a 38.7% ground-ball rate.

Overton will now likely slot into Bisons' rotation. The Blue Jays currently have a four-man rotation after they demoted Easton Lucas to Triple-A, and they'll eventually need to add another pitcher at some point.

While they won't need to make a move right away (they have an off-day after their three-game series against the Yankees this weekend), they play six games in a row at home next week, so they'll need to add another pitcher at some point on that homestand.

Jake Bloss is an option to fill that spot since he's already on the 40-man roster, but he has a 7.31 ERA in 16 innings with the Bisons this year.

While only 20 of Overton's 121 minor league appearances have come as a starter, more than half of his MLB appearances have come in the starting rotation.

His best start came in 2022 when he was with the Reds. He threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Pirates.

The Jays' starting pitching has done well to tread water at this point in the season, but they've gotten next to no help from their anemic offense.

While Overton isn't the answer, it's worth taking a flier on his as a depth option. Even if he doesn't end up in the starting rotation, he could still be a valuable option as a swingman.