The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms with five players, including former Jays pitchers Drew Hutchison and Casey Lawrence, on minor-league contracts with Spring Training invites, the team announced Friday.
The other free agents that Toronto signed are C Rob Brantly, lefty pitcher Paul Fry, and RHP Julian Fernandez.
Hutchison, 32, last played for the Blue Jays in 2016. Since then he has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and most recently the Detroit Tigers.
With the Tigers in 2022, he appeared in 28 games, starting 18 and pitched to a 4.53 ERA with 68 strikeouts. While with Toronto, he had a 4.94 ERA in 76 appearances and 73 starts.
Lawrence, 35, has made two stops in Toronto throughout his career, making his big-league debut in 2017 and appearing once again in 2022 after a stint with the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins. He had a 7.50 ERA for Toronto last season with six appearances out of the bullpen.
Catcher Rob Brantly, 33, spent last season with the New York Yankees and made one appearance for the big-league club, hitting a double. In 59 games for Triple-A affiliate Scranton Wilkes-Barre, he hit .269 with one home run and 22 RBIs.
Paul Fry, 30, split time between the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks last season, appearing in 13 games out of the bullpen. The lefty pitched to a 6.23 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 13.0 IP.
Julian Fernandez, 27, spent last season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the Colorado Rockies Triple-A affiliate. He had a 6.63 ERA in 58 appearances while notching 65 strikeouts.
The Toronto Blue Jays begin their Spring Training on Saturday, Feb. 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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