Who is Kevin Gowdy, the newest pitcher to join the Blue Jays?

As one of the five teams across MLB known to have made an initial offer on free agent slugger Juan Soto, the first weeks of the Toronto Blue Jays' offseason have been dominated by the ongoing saga surrounding where the four-time All-Star will sign. Still, the Blue Jays have managed to keep busy amongst the chaos, and on December 3, the team announced on X that they'd signed right-handed pitcher Kevin Gowdy and infielder Michael Stefanic to minor-league deals with invites to spring training in 2025.

Stefanic made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, and during 110 at-bats with the team this year, he slashed .218/.301/.255 with 8 RBI. While fans may have come across Stefanic's name during his three seasons in the majors, reliever Gowdy is yet to make his big-league debut.

So who is the Blue Jays' newest pitcher, and will he make an appearance in MLB this season?

Who is Kevin Gowdy?

Gowdy was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies as the 42nd overall pick (2nd round) of the 2016 MLB Draft. He was assigned to the team's Rookie-level affiliate, the GCL Phillies, for the remainder of 2016, and opened the 2017 season as the No. 8 prospect in Philadelphia's system. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery sidelined Gowdy for the entirety of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Following his extended stint on the injured list, Gowdy made 24 appearances, including 16 starts, for the Phillies' Single-A affiliate in 2019, accumulating a 4.68 ERA in 77 innings of work. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gowdy threw just 61 innings in 2021 before he was traded to the Texas Rangers organization at the trade deadline.

Once with the Rangers, Gowdy was assigned to the Single-A Hickory Crawdads for the remainder of the 2021 season, before being promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders in 2022, where he was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen. He elected free agency at the end of 2022, and signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization before the 2023 season.

Gowdy spent the 2023 season with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, posting a 4.93 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 38.1 innings out of the bullpen. He received a non-roster invite to the Dodgers' spring training in 2024, and was added to their 40-man roster on March 24.

Despite being on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, Gowdy is yet to make his debut in the majors, and was assigned to the team's Triple-A affiliate — recently rebranded as the Oklahoma City Comets — for the 2024 season. In 42 appearances, including 1 start, with the Comets, Gowdy went 2-2 with a 4.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts, closing 4 of his 6 save opportunities. He elected free agency at the end of the season.

Gowdy's career in the minors has clearly been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and with the Blue Jays, the 27-year-old will be looking to prove himself in a new organization. The team has invited Gowdy to spring training in 2025, and while he will almost certainly start the season in Triple-A, it's not out of the question for him to finally be called up to make his MLB debut this year, especially if there's a need for bullpen depth.