Eric Lauer's Blue Jays ending has oddest World Series twist originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Toronto Blue Jays had to get someone better onto their pitching staff than the way Eric Lauer has been going.
But the team he's heading to now is one nobody would've predicted.
Lauer is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. They claimed him off waivers after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment.
Yep, the team that beat the Blue Jays in the World Series last year is snagging the pitcher Toronto didn't even feel could help them right now.
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Lauer has a 6.69 ERA this season, so on paper, he didn't seem that desirable.
The lefty had a 3.18 ERA last season, but that was an outlier from his regular career production, so it wasn't clear that it would continue this season, anyway.
The Dodgers will either be sending cash or a player to be named later to Toronto for Lauer — it's mostly a procedural move to complete the waiver claim after the DFA.
Of all the teams, the Dodgers may not have been the most expected one to get Lauer. They have a deep pitching depth in their organization.
On the flip side, they probably know Lauer pretty well, and not just from the World Series. He pitched a long time for the Padres out in the NL West, so he's got plenty of experience pitching against L.A.
Now, he'll put on Dodgers blue.
One blue to another, one contender to another. It's not really Lauer being a traitor, because he couldn't pick his spot. But if the Dodgers unlock Lauer again, it'll be extra painful for the Blue Jays.
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