The Toronto Blue Jays have DFA'd relief pitcher Erik Swanson

Swanson, 31, was acquired from the Mariners ahead of the 2023 season as part of the trade that sent outfielder Teoscar Hernández to Seattle.

Swanson's first season with the Jays was excellent, as he posted a 2.97 earned run average over 66 2/3 innings.

He struck out 28.6% of opponents while only giving out walks at an 8% clip. He became a key cog in the bullpen, earning four saves and 29 holds.

That version of Swanson hasn't appeared much since then. His 2024 got out to a scary start when his son Toby was hospitalized after being struck by a car during spring training.

Fortunately, Toby was released from hospital within two weeks, but Swanson also faced some more traditional baseball challenges at that time.

He was dealing with some forearm inflammation and started the season on the 15-day IL.

After being reinstated, he struggled enough to get optioned to the minors, having a 9.22 ERA through the end of May.

He did finish 2024 on a high note, as he was recalled at the end of June and posted a 2.81 ERA the rest of the way, but his 2025 has started similarly to last year.

He started the season on the IL due to a right median nerve entrapment and has struggled since being reinstated. He has tossed 5 1/3 innings with nine earned runs allowed, surrendering five walks while striking out just three opponents.

That's obviously a tiny sample size but the Jays presumably don't have faith in Swanson getting back on track.

His fastball velocity is down by a mile per hour relative to last year, 92.9 compared to 93.9 in 2024. His splitter has fallen even farther, from 84.9 mph to 83.3 mph. On his rehab assignment before being activated, he allowed six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Swanson now has over five years of major league service time, meaning he can't be optioned to the minors without his consent, so the Jays can't give him a break in Triple-A like they did last year. Instead, they've bumped him off the 40-man completely.

Surpassing five years of service also means he can reject an outright assignment while retaining this year's salary commitments. He and the Jays avoided arbitration in the offseason by agreeing to a $3MM salary.

DFA limbo can last as long as a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays can take up to five days to explore trade interest.

Based on his salary and his recent performance, there's not likely to be a ton of interest unless they want to eat some of the money to facilitate a deal.

If Swanson clears waivers and elects free agency, the Jays will remain on the hook for that money.

Any other club would then be able to sign him and pay him just the prorated portion of the league minimum salary, with that amount subtracted from what the Jays are paying.

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