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Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Eric Lauer was vital for Toronto’s success in 2025
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 22, 2026, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 22, 2026, 07:50 EST
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Eric Lauer was one of the most important Toronto Blue Jays players in 2025.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Anthony Santander. In this article, we’ll look at Eric Lauer.
Signed a minor league deal shortly after the end of the 2024 Winter Meetings, Lauer’s signing was a fairly insignificant one at the time. Sure, he had shown promise in the past, as he was drafted 25th overall in 2016 and even had a 3.47 ERA from 2021 until 2022. However, Lauer’s final season in the big leagues before joining the Jays saw him post a 6.56 ERA with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, and he eventually pitched in the minor leagues and Korea in 2024.
Even in his seven stats in Korea, the left-handed pitcher didn’t do all that well. Over 34.2 innings pitched, Lauer had a 4.93 ERA and 4.04 FIP, with a 24.7 K% and an 8 BB%. He didn’t have a great Spring Training either, so again, the expectations for Lauer weren’t high.
At the end of April, the Jays called Lauer up, with the lefty making his season debut on Apr. 30 against the Boston Red Sox. In that relief outing, he gave up two earned runs in four innings of work. Lauer had a strong month from May 6 until Jun. 6, finishing that month-long span with a 1.64 ERA and 4.04 FIP in 22 innings pitched. Lauer had two starts in that span, but joined their rotation full-time on Jun. 11.
Over the next two months, Lauer posted a 3.05 ERA and 3.39 FIP in 62 innings pitched over 12 starts. The lefty only struck out 24.6% of batters, but did a good job of avoiding giving up free passes with a 6.3 BB%. With Shane Bieber joining the rotation, Lauer’s rhythm was disrupted, as he didn’t pitch for another 11 days. Giving up six earned runs in a start against the Minnesota Twins, Lauer returned to the bullpen.
In September, Lauer gave up four earned runs in 12 innings of work, finishing the month with a 3 ERA and 2.64 FIP, walking just one batter and striking out 11. For the entirety of the season, Lauer had a 3.18 ERA and 3.85 FIP in 104.2 innings pitched, with a 23.9 K% and 6.1 BB%.
As a reliever, Lauer had a 1.76 ERA in 30.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen. Among pitchers with 30 or more innings out of the bullpen, Lauer had the seventh-lowest ERA in the league, behind Aroldis Chapman, Erik Miller, Cole Winn, Edwin Díaz, Abner Uribe, and Andrés Muñoz. Only 14 relievers with 30 or more innings had an ERA below two, with Braydon Fisher, Tyler Rogers, and Tommy Nance being the other Blue Jay players who fit the criteria.
Lauer has an arbitration case looming with the Jays, but he proved to be a valuable piece to the team’s pitching staff in 2025. Next season, Fangraphs’ Steamer projects he’ll finish with a 4.08 ERA and 4.21 FIP in 57 innings pitched, with a 22.7 K% and 6.9 BB%. There’s a good chance he’ll be used in a bulk/swing man role, much like he was in 2025.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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