The Blue Jays signed Brady Lail to a minor league deal, according to an announcement from the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League. The right-hander is expected to report to Double-A New Hampshire.
Lail, a former Yankees draftee, pitched in the big leagues every year between 2019-21. He debuted with New York with a lone appearance during the 2019 campaign. Designated for assignment and quickly outrighted back off the 40-man roster, he elected minor league free agency at the end of that year. Lail hooked on with the White Sox and made one appearance with the South Siders in 2020 before being placed on waivers.
Claimed by the Mariners, he got the bulk of his big league experience to date with Seattle. The Utah native appeared in nine games with the M’s between 2020-21, then landed with the Phillies via waivers last May. The Phils outrighted Lail before he appeared in a major league game, and he spent the remainder of the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before hitting free agency after the season.
Over 21 career big league innings, Lail owns a 6.00 ERA. He’s posted strong numbers up through Double-A but generally struggled at the minors’ highest level. Lail has a 5.25 ERA in parts of six Triple-A campaigns, including a 6.08 mark over 40 frames with the IronPigs last year. Those struggles kept him from landing a deal with a major league team over the winter, but he worked his way back to the affiliated ranks with a few quality outings in indie ball.
Lail started three games for the Rockers, allowing five runs (two of them earned) in 19 innings. He punched out 19 hitters and issued just two free passes, impressing Jays’ evaluators enough in that limited time they’ll add him as organizational depth. Lail has worked almost exclusively in relief since 2018, but he’d been a starter during his early days in the New York system and worked 6 1/3 frames per outing this year with the Rockers.