Blue Jays Release Connor Seabold, Option Lazaro Estrada

The Blue Jays announced that they have granted right-hander Connor Seabold his release, making him a free agent (link via Mitch Bannon of the Athletic). Right-hander Lazaro Estrada has also been optioned to Triple-A.

Seabold was in camp on a minor-league deal which he signed two months ago. He covered 6 2/3 innings in six spring appearances for Toronto, albeit with a 6.75 ERA and three hit batters. He did strike out 13 hitters in that small sample, but he also walked four and generally did not show much improvement over his limited major-league numbers from 2025. He was strictly a reliever in that sample and a swingman in prior MLB seasons, though he didn’t show enough for the Blue Jays to keep him in the organization as a depth option.

His biggest MLB exposure came in 2023 with the Rockies. Pitching 87 1/3 innings across 27 appearances (13 starts) that year, Seabold had an unsightly 7.52 ERA and expected stats in the low to mid-5.00s. His 6.9% walk rate was impressive, though that was about the only thing that went right for him in Colorado. His 16.4% strikeout rate was below average. He also allowed nearly two home runs per nine innings, which was worse than average even taking into account the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field.

Seabold fared much better upon moving to the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024. He posted a 3.43 ERA in 160 innings with the Samsung Lions that year, striking out nearly a batter per inning and cutting back dramatically on his walks. He returned to MLB in 2025, but he only made seven relief appearances between the Rays and Braves organizations. For now, it seems he is more likely to catch on as a reliever if he focuses on MLB opportunities.

Estrada, 26, was signed out of Cuba in 2018 and spent the early part of 2025 in Triple-A. He saw his contract selected in early July and made his big-league debut with a four-inning relief appearance against the Angels on July 5. He only made it into two games overall, allowing seven earned runs in 7 1/3 innings but also displaying a penchant for strikeouts. Estrada has a four-pitch mix featuring a 93 MPH four-seamer, which he complements with a slider, sinker, and occasional curveball. He has less than a year of service time and has two minor-league option years remaining.