Recently DFA'd Blue Jays lefty officially hits free agency after latest roster shuffle

The Toronto Blue Jays have made some more changes to their lineup, and, after some mixed results to start their season, pulled off a bullpen shuffle that left veteran reliever Richard Lovelady as a roster casualty.

The Blue Jays designated Lovelady for assignment last week after a rough opening week, and Lovelady elected to become a free agent agency, meaning he's officially on the open market.

Recently DFA'd Blue Jays lefty hits free agency after latest shuffle

Lovelady, 29 struggled big time this season. He allowed four earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings, which led to him having an unsightly 21.60 ERA. His slow start led to Toronto cutting him from its big league roster.

While it seemed like there might be a chance that he would choose to stay in Triple-A, he elected to try his hand at free agency after he went unclaimed on waivers.

Lovelady was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2019. He saw major league action with the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Blue Jays.

Last season Lovelady posted a 4.46 ERA in 34.1 innings with 26 strikeouts. He has a career ERA of 5.26 ERA through 101 innings. He was in camp as a Non-Roster Invitee for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays added some solid bullpen depth this offseason and were able to strengthen the unit as a whole, so there's less wiggle room for players on the bubble. The additions of Nick Sandlin, Yimi García and Jeff Hoffman made it even harder to earn a spot.

Lovelady already entered the season on a short least, so a couple of tough games sealed his fate with the Blue Jays. It remains to be seen if another team will give him a chance to prove his worth in MLB this year.