Blue Jays claim right-handed reliever Luis Frías off waivers

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation
By Tyson Shushkewich | Last updated Aug 10, 2024 5:30 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have added some depth to their relief corps, claiming right-handed reliever Luis Frías off of waivers. Frías was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week and was optioned to triple-A Buffalo following the claim.

Frías hails from the Dominican Republic and signed with the Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2015. He worked his way through the farm system and made his big league debut in 2021 – appearing in three games.

Since 2021, Frías has ridden the options bus for the Diamondbacks as he looked to carve out a role in Arizona’s bullpen. In the Major Leagues, he owns a 6.55 ERA through 54 outings and 57 2/3 innings while striking out 50 batters to a 7.8 K/9. He has been wild on the mound, amassing a 6.7 BB/9 and a 1.890 WHIP, but the raw stuff is there to impress any analytics darling.

ROSTER MOVE:

We’ve claimed RHP Luis Frías off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned him to Triple-A pic.twitter.com/8kGaXoAuMa

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 10, 2024

He features a cutter around the 90 MPH mark and a four-seam fastball with some solid sink action (13).5 inches of drop) that can hit the upper 90s but sits towards the middle mark at the end of the day. He pairs these two offerings with a slider that hasn’t worked well for the right-hander this season, with opponents owning a .600 average on the offering. While his four-seam offering is by far his best pitch, the reliever will need to put everything together if he wants to succeed at the next level.

The Jays 40-man roster now sits at 39 players and adding Frías gives the organization some additional reliever depth after the club traded away multiple arms at the trade deadline. He has one more minor league option heading into the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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