Former Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Easton Lucas signs free agent contract in NPB
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
It didn't take long for former Toronto Blue Jays lefty Easton Lucas to find a new job.
The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that left-hander Easton Lucas was placed on unconditional release waivers as he had a deal lined up overseas.
Easton Lucas signs deal with Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball
The Hanshin Tigers are reportedly signing LHP Easton Lucas. Lucas, 29 had a 8.02 ERA / 5.25 FIP in 42.2 career frames in MLB. Fastball sits 93-94 with cut action. He posted a 3.78 ERA with a 24.9 K% in 10.3 BB% in AAA Buffalo across 64.1 IP this year, including 13 starts.
Lucas, 29, was drafted in the 14th round of the 2019 draft by the Miami Marlins and spent a few seasons in the minor leagues before making his big league debut in 2023 with the Oakland Athletics.
He bounced around the league in 2024 before being claimed by the Blue Jays late in the season.
Lucas appeared in six games (five starts) for Toronto this past season.
He became a cult hero in April when he rattled off 10 1/3 shutout innings across two starts to begin his Jays tenure, including a game at Fenway Park where he outdueled eventual Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet.
Easton Lucas has allowed ZERO runs in his first two career MLB starts!
The good times didn't last, however. Lucas was torched for eight runs in his next start and wound up surrendering a total of 18 runs in 14 innings following that scoreless stretch.
This was the third season in which Lucas has logged some big league time, though his 24 1/3 frames this year marked a career-high.
He's pitched 42 2/3 innings in the majors and been tagged for an 8.02 earned run average.
Lucas has fanned a below-average 19.6% of opponents against a bloated 12.3% walk rate in his limited MLB exposure.
Lucas will be joining two former Blue Jays teammates on the Tigers
The Tigers are coming off a Japan Series loss to the SoftBank Hawks, but had won the Japan Series in 2023.
Lucas will be joining former Blue Jays' Jeremy Beasley and Rafael Dolis.
The former pitched 24.1 innings with the Blue Jays between 2021 and 2022, while Dolis served as the team's closer for parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
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