Jays acquire Chase Lee

The Blue Jays have traded minor league left hander Johan Simon to the Detroit Tigers for righty reliever Chase Lee. The move clears a spot on Detroit’s 40 man roster for newly signed closer Kyle Finnegan. For the Jays, Lee takes the final spot on the roster. He has two options left, so his role will probably be as an up and down depth guy if he does stick on the roster.

Lee is a sidearmer who pairs an 89mph sinker with a sweepy slider. He posted solid a solid 24%:6% strikeout to walk ratio but is a flyball pitcher who doesn’t get a lot of pop ups, which is a recipe for giving up bombs. Still, he looks like usable middle relief depth.

Simon, 24, has been in the Jays organization since 2021. After three seasons at the complex, he spent most of 2025 in A ball before moving through Vancouver and up to AA New Hampshire for a late season cup of coffee. He’s an excellent ground ball pitcher but posts pedestrian K:BB numbers. He profiles as a future middle reliever.