With spring training around the corner, the Toronto Blue Jays have added to their minor-league depth, agreeing to contracts with catcher Christian Bethancourt and left-hander Richard Lovelady on Wednesday. 
The signings, which the club officially announced, are minor-league deals and include invitations to spring training. Both players would have to be added to the organization&#8217;s 40-man roster to break camp with the team ahead of Opening Day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OFFICIAL: We’ve signed C Christian Bethancourt and LHP Richard Lovelady to Minor League deals with invites to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpringTraining?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpringTraining</a>. <a href="https://t.co/PgjyNKQFQn">pic.twitter.com/PgjyNKQFQn</a>
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1882141222833476026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
Lovelady, who was non-tendered by the Tampa Bay Rays last November, began last season with the Chicago Cubs before joining the AL East. He made 35 total relief appearances, pitching to a 4.46 ERA and 3.92 FIP with 26 strikeouts over 34.1 combined innings.
The 29-year-old southpaw excels at inducing ground balls, as evidenced by last season&#8217;s 51.9-per-cent clip, which would&#8217;ve ranked in the top 10th percentile had he recorded enough innings to qualify. His arsenal includes three pitches, two low-90s fastballs &#8212; a sinker and a four-seamer &#8212; and a mid-80s slider, all benefiting from his 96th-percentile pitch extension (7.2 feet) in 2024.
For an organization thin of lefty relievers, Lovelady will enter camp as a depth option behind Brendon Little, joining fellow lefties Josh Walker, Easton Lucas and Mason Fluharty.
Bethancourt split last season between the Miami Marlins and Cubs, logging 62 big-league games. There isn&#8217;t much that stands out about his offensive profile, considering he slashed .209/.241/.367 with a 66 wRC+ (100 league average) in 2024. Behind the plate, though, his 1.9-second average pop time and plus-four caught stealing above average ranked in the 87th and 89th percentiles, respectively.
With Alejandro Kirk the runaway starter, Tyler Heineman &#8212; the only other backstop on the 40-man roster &#8212; appears to be the leading candidate to serve as his backup, with the likes of Bethancourt, Ali Sánchez and Phil Clarke next in line on the depth chart.

With spring training around the corner, the Toronto Blue Jays have added to their minor-league depth, agreeing to contracts with catcher Christian Bethancourt and left-hander Richard Lovelady on Wednesday. 

The signings, which the club officially announced, are minor-league deals and include invitations to spring training. Both players would have to be added to the organization's 40-man roster to break camp with the team ahead of Opening Day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OFFICIAL: We’ve signed C Christian Bethancourt and LHP Richard Lovelady to Minor League deals with invites to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpringTraining?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpringTraining</a>. <a href="https://t.co/PgjyNKQFQn">pic.twitter.com/PgjyNKQFQn</a>
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1882141222833476026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
Lovelady, who was non-tendered by the Tampa Bay Rays last November, began last season with the Chicago Cubs before joining the AL East. He made 35 total relief appearances, pitching to a 4.46 ERA and 3.92 FIP with 26 strikeouts over 34.1 combined innings.

The 29-year-old southpaw excels at inducing ground balls, as evidenced by last season's 51.9-per-cent clip, which would've ranked in the top 10th percentile had he recorded enough innings to qualify. His arsenal includes three pitches, two low-90s fastballs -- a sinker and a four-seamer -- and a mid-80s slider, all benefiting from his 96th-percentile pitch extension (7.2 feet) in 2024.

For an organization thin of lefty relievers, Lovelady will enter camp as a depth option behind Brendon Little, joining fellow lefties Josh Walker, Easton Lucas and Mason Fluharty.

Bethancourt split last season between the Miami Marlins and Cubs, logging 62 big-league games. There isn't much that stands out about his offensive profile, considering he slashed .209/.241/.367 with a 66 wRC+ (100 league average) in 2024. Behind the plate, though, his 1.9-second average pop time and plus-four caught stealing above average ranked in the 87th and 89th percentiles, respectively.

With Alejandro Kirk the runaway starter, Tyler Heineman -- the only other backstop on the 40-man roster -- appears to be the leading candidate to serve as his backup, with the likes of Bethancourt, Ali Sánchez and Phil Clarke next in line on the depth chart.

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