Blue Jays ink familiar reliever to major league contract

On Friday the Blue Jays’ bullpen depth took a big hit when it was announced that Erik Swanson went down with elbow discomfort that will keep him out for at least Opening Day. 

On Monday, Toronto filled in the gap he left in the bullpen by signing right-handed reliever Dillon Tate to a major league contract. Sportnets’ Arden Zwelling was the first to report the deal.

Tate’s name should be familiar to Blue Jays’ fans, as he made four appearances for Toronto last year after the club claimed him off waivers from the Orioles at the beginning of September.

Toronto non-tendered Tate at the end of the season and he sat around in free agency ahead of Monday’s signing.

Blue Jays reunite with Dillon Tate on major league deal

A longtime Oriole, Tate has a career 4.09 ERA and allowed two earned runs in 3 1/3 innings during his short stint with the Blue Jays. 

His professional baseball journey started with the Rangers when he was the No. 4 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft before he was traded to the Yankees before they flipped him to the Orioles in 2018 in exchange for Zack Britton. 

He pitched in 179 innings for the Orioles from 2019 to ‘22, with his best season coming in 2022 when he had a 3.05 ERA in 73 2/3 innings. He failed to build on that in 2023, however, as he missed the entire season due to a forearm/flexor strain. 

The contract details haven’t been announced yet, but he would have made $1.4 million had the Blue Jays’ initially tendered him a contract during the offseason, so this contract will likely be a little bit less than that. He also has a minor league option remaining, so he brings some flexibility to the table.

What does Dillon Tate’s signing mean for the future of Erik Swanson? 

About two hours before Tate’s signing was reported, the Blue Jays announced that Swanson announced will meet with Dr. Keith Meister to assess the options to treat his his elbow discomfort. 

Any meeting with Meister usually spells doom for a pitcher, as a meeting with him or Dr. Neal ElAttrache usually results in a pitcher having Tommy John surgery. 

Tate’s signing serves as even more reinforcement that Swanson could be out for a significant period of time. 

Tate’s injury might not be the only outside addition the team makes in the bullpen. There are at least two spots available in the bullpen, and relievers Ryan Burr and Tommy Nance are two of the pitchers competing for a spot who don’t have options. 

That said, there are some other intriguing relievers out there who also don't have options, so Toronto may elect to add a player who is cut loose from another team.

But regardless of what happens, it seems clear Tate fits into Toronto’s relief plans in some way for 2025.