Breaking Down the Blue Jays’ Addition of Sidearmer Chase Lee
The Blue Jays made a quiet but intriguing bullpen move this offseason, acquiring 27-year-old right-handed reliever Chase Lee from the Tigers in a December trade. The deal was largely roster-driven on Detroit’s end-they needed to clear a 40-man spot-and Toronto saw an opportunity to add a unique arm with some upside and flexibility.
Lee, a sidearm specialist, isn’t a household name, and truthfully, he’s the kind of player who can slip under the radar until he’s suddenly pitching in the seventh inning of a one-run game. He brings with him two remaining minor league options, which gives the Jays some roster flexibility-a valuable asset in today’s bullpen chess match.
What the Jays Gave Up
In return, Toronto sent 24-year-old lefty Johan Simon to Detroit. Simon spent most of 2025 with High-A Vancouver, where he showed flashes of promise.
He’s not overpowering-his fastball sits at 94 mph-but he generates a healthy number of ground balls and posted a 3.42 ERA across three levels last season. While he’s not viewed as a top-tier prospect, he could carve out a role as a situational lefty down the line.
Who Is Chase Lee?
Lee pitched in 32 big league games for the Tigers last season, logging a 4.10 ERA over 37.1 innings. The strikeout-to-walk numbers were solid: 36 punchouts to 9 walks.
But the long ball was an issue-he gave up 7 home runs, and opponents slugged .478 off him. His fastball averaged just 89.1 mph, and hitters posted a .239/.291/.478 slash line against him.
Still, there’s more to Lee than the surface numbers. His delivery is low-slot, sidearm, and that alone makes him a tough matchup-especially for right-handed hitters.
He throws a sinker, sweeper, four-seam fastball, and occasionally mixes in a changeup. His bread-and-butter is the sinker-sweeper combo, which he leans on heavily against righties.
The sweeper, in particular, is a problem for hitters. It sits around 80-81 mph and has big horizontal movement, diving across the zone and away from right-handed bats.
It’s the kind of pitch that starts in the strike zone and ends up on the edge-or out of it completely-drawing awkward swings and misses.
Against lefties, Lee mixes in a slider that’s a bit firmer-around 84 mph-with more vertical depth. While he’s held his own against left-handed hitters, he’s more home run-prone in those matchups, and he’s not the guy you want facing elite lefty bats like Shohei Ohtani or Freddie Freeman in a high-leverage spot.
The Minor League Track Record
Lee’s time in Triple-A Toledo last year was a mixed bag. He threw 32 innings with a 6.75 ERA, but the underlying numbers weren’t all bad: 38 strikeouts to 10 walks, with just 4 home runs allowed.
He’s consistently posted strikeout rates around 30% throughout his minor league career, which speaks to the effectiveness of his movement-heavy arsenal. Control has been an issue at times, but he generally lives in the zone-just not always with pinpoint precision.
Scouting Reports and Role Projection
Scouting reports paint Lee as a classic up-and-down reliever-a guy who can shuttle between Triple-A and the majors depending on bullpen needs. He was ranked No. 29 on one Tigers prospect list, and No. 37 on another. That gives you a sense of where he stands: not a top-tier arm, but someone with a defined skill set that can play at the big league level in the right role.
Lee doesn’t light up the radar gun-he rarely touches 91 mph-but his mix of arm angle, pitch movement, and sequencing makes him a tricky at-bat. Especially for right-handers. His sweeper generates a respectable 28.3% whiff rate at the Triple-A level dating back to early 2024, and when he’s locating it well, it’s a real weapon.
What This Means for the Blue Jays
For Toronto, this is a low-risk, potentially high-reward bullpen depth move. Lee offers a different look than most of the arms currently in the Jays’ bullpen. His sidearm delivery and movement-heavy repertoire give manager John Schneider another option in matchups, particularly when facing right-handed-heavy lineups.
With two options remaining, Lee doesn’t need to stick on the big league roster out of the gate. He can start in Triple-A and be called up when needed, giving the Jays a versatile bullpen piece who can eat innings, miss bats, and keep hitters off balance with a funky delivery.
He may not be the kind of reliever who dominates headlines, but Chase Lee is the kind of arm that can quietly become a key contributor over the course of a long season. If he tightens up the command and keeps the ball in the park, don’t be surprised if he carves out a real role in Toronto’s bullpen mix.