Dodgers are getting just enough from Eric Lauer to annoy Blue Jays fans

The Toronto Blue Jays are having a difficult season for a number of reasons. Injuries, underperformance, World Series hangover, etc. Blue Jays fans don't need another reason to add to the ever-growing list.

Unfortunately, Toronto fans are witnessing a former Blue Jay thrive on the opposite coast. Blue Jays fans can appreciate all the positives of Lauer's tenure north of the border last season, but still acknowledge that things went off the rails in 2026. Lauer has since moved onto the Dodgers with sparkling results.

Lauer has pitched to a 2.96 ERA and 0.987 WHIP across his 9 games, 8 of which were starts. His latest gem against the powerful Seattle Mariners included pitching six scoreless innings with one hit and four strikeouts. It's much better than the first half in Canada, during which he posted an ugly an the 6.69 ERA and 1.486 WHIP. He permitted 11 home runs in only 36.1 innings pitched, after giving up 15 the prior year.

This excellence has come at a time when the Dodgers are waiting on the returns of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. Even Shohei Ohtani has not thrown a pitch from the mound since the start of July. Imagine if the Blue Jays could overcome injuries like the Dodgers can!

Lauer has been a godsend for a Dodgers squad that has a double-digit NL West division lead. Truthfully, Lauer won't be the first player to struggle elsewhere before coming over to the Dodgers and finding immediate success. Max Muncy and Evan Phillips were once cut loose by their prior teams before becoming mainstays in the City of Angels.

Lauer's on-field performance isn't the only thing he's doing that seems to annoy Blue Jays fans lately

Lauer seemed to annoy the organization when he publicly complained about his role pitching behind an opener. He sparred with the organization during testy arbitration hearings and not making the season-opening starting rotation.

"You can make it work the best you can. Hopefully, it's not something that we will continue doing, but that's above my pay grade," Lauer said when asked about his role.

His public feuding with the organization shouldn't hurt Toronto's reputation around the league with prospective free agents. If anything, Toronto should still be viewed as a destination with a strong culture players want to join. Even José Berrios publicly complaining about his move to the bullpen last season doesn't seem to have caused too much damage.

At the end of the day, he and the organization probably needed to undergo a healthy breakup. Ironically, Lauer has served as an opener once in a Dodgers uniform. That appearance culminated in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on June 22. The Blue Jays need to find another pitcher like Lauer because those types of pitchers serve valuable roles on a winning team.

The Blue Jays starting rotation has mostly weathered the numerous storms they have encountered during the 2026 regular season. Of course, plenty of work will be needed to patch up a rotation that could lose multiple members between the trade deadline and the start of next season.

Lauer probably wasn't going to be a long-term answer with the Blue Jays. It still doesn't mean that his performance on a model franchise like Los Angeles doesn't hurt.

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