Former Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza signs minor-league deal with Yankees

The Blue Jays selected Mayza in the 12th round of the 2013 MLB Draft and he made his Major League debut with the team during the 2017 season. Mayza posted a 4.67 ERA bouncing between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons, but suffered a gruesome elbow injury during a game in September of 2019 that sidelined him until 2021.

After coming back from Tommy John surgery, Mayza became a key member of the Blue Jays’ bullpen. He put up a 3.28 ERA in 124 appearances between 2021 and 2022 and was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2023 with a 1.52 ERA over 69 appearances,

Mayza saw a significant drop in velocity in 2024 and his results cratered as well. Over 35 appearances for the Blue Jays this season, the lefty was hammered for an 8.03 ERA and struck out only 16 batters across 24 1/3 innings while walking 12. The Blue Jays opted to DFA Mayza in late June and added Jose Cuas from the Chicago Cubs to the 40-man roster in his place.

Injuries to Jordan Romano and Yimi Garcia and performance decline from Mayza and Erik Swanson have resulted in one of baseball’s strongest bullpens turning into one of the worst. The Blue Jays had the seventh-best bullpen ERA in the Major Leagues last season at 3.68 but they rank 29th this year at 4.81, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies.

The Yankees rank ninth in the Majors this season with a bullpen ERA of 3.64 and the team could use another left-handed pitcher. The most innings thrown by any lefty in New York’s bullpen is 28 by Caleb Ferguson and he has a 5.46 ERA. The team also signed veteran lefty Tim Hill as a free agent after he was released by the Chicago White Sox and his ERA has improved from 5.87 with Chicago to 2.61 with New York.

Even though he’s joined a rival team, Blue Jays Nation is rooting for Mayza to get his career back on track.