Blue Jays sign former Rays starting pitcher to a minor league deal

The 2025 AL Champion Blue Jays just signed another starting pitcher, and a talented one at that. No, he isn't Tarik Skubal or even Framber Valdez (not yet at least), but the former Rays hurler could be an intriguing addition to a loaded Toronto roster.

Blue Jays sign RHP Connor Seabold to minor league deal

Former Rays starter Connor Seabold is certainly not a household name and the primary reason for that is his most successful professional came from a league other than the MLB. The 30-year-old athlete revived his career through the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). In 2024, Seabold took his talents to Korea after a miserable 7.52 ERA campaign with the Rockies. As a member of the Samsung Lions, the righty flourished. In 160 innings, he went 11-6 with a 3.43 ERA and 158 strikeouts. The offensive talent in this foreign country is obviously weaker, but those numbers gave Seabold valuable attention that ultimately led to him resigning with an MLB club.

And that MLB club was, of course, the Tampa Bay Rays. On February 10, 2025, the Rays signed Connor Seabold to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. This was a huge win for the former Red Sox prospect, allowing him to continue a route to his dream of being a successful major league starter.

Despite this triumph, Seabold would spend most of the 2026 season with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. In 61 frames with the famous farm team, he posted an unimpressive 6.49 ERA. However, the Rays still felt convicted to call up the California native after an injury-ridden May.

Seabold didn't get to see too much action with the big league club before he was DFA'd in early August, but the results were nearly perfect. It's hard to understand the reasons for the demise of his Rays tenure because a 1.35 ERA in three games out of the bullpen is all you can ask for from a pitcher. The bad luck probably just came from a roster shuffle due to returns from injury, but this small sample size of success likely kept his career intact.