Five forgotten Blue Jay relievers from the past five years

The Toronto Blue Jays have had plenty of relievers who have played for them over the years.

Since the start of the 2021 season, there have been 83 different pitchers (not position players) who have come out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen and thrown one pitch. Some don’t really count, such as Chris Bassitt, who threw an inning this season before the All-Star Game.

There were/are some mainstays in the Jays’ bullpen, such as Jordan Romano, Tim Mayza, Erik Swanson, Yimi García, Chad Green, and others. But what about the forgotten players? Well, let’s take a look at five relievers who you may have forgotten about in the past five seasons.

T.J. Zeuch

The Ross Atkins/Mark Shapiro era started in late 2015/early 2016. After a great postseason run, the Blue Jays’ first-round pick in 2016 came 21st overall. Bo Bichette was by far their most notable pick out of this draft, but the first pick under the Ross Atkins/Mark Shapiro era was T.J. Zeuch.

Standing at 6’7”, 245 lbs, Zeuch’s fastball averaged in the low-90s, which is a bit surprising. In August 2019, Zeuch threw a no-hitter with the Buffalo Bisons and made his big league debut that season. In 22.2 innings, he had a 4.76 ERA and 4.05 FIP.

Zeuch pitched in three games in 2020, owning a 1.59 ERA and 4.87 FIP in 11.1 innings pitched, with a higher BB% (8.5%) than K% (6.4%). He wasn’t so lucky in 2021, as he had a disastrous 6.60 ERA and 9.10 FIP in 15 innings pitched. That season, Zeuch appeared in two games out of the bullpen, giving up nine runs (only five earned) in four innings of work.

Before the 2021 trade deadline, Zeuch was traded for cash considerations to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was designated for assignment early in the 2022 season. After signing a minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds, Zeuch pitched another 10.2 innings in the big leagues in 2022, where he had a 15.19 ERA and 11.08 FIP.

Zeuch signed with the Colorado Rockies in December 2022 and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies before the start of the 2023 season, spending most of the season with their Triple-A team.

The 2024 season saw Zeuch sign with the Washington Nationals organization, until he was released in June. Since then, he’s pitched in parts of two seasons in Mexico and was released in late April of this year, making him a free agent.

Ty Tice

Ty Tice was selected a year after Zeuch and stands nearly a foot shorter at 5’9”, 185 lbs. They were teammates in 2021 (briefly), as Tice pitched just seven innings with the Jays, where he had a 5.14 ERA and 5.46 FIP in four games.

On May 30, 2021, Tice was DFA’ed and traded to the Atlanta Braves, appearing in just one inning for the eventual World Series champions that year. He was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks a month and a half later and spent nearly a year there. He returned to the Braves before the 2023 season and spent the 2024 season with the Washington Nationals.

Like Zeuch, Tice is a free agent.

Joakim Soria

In 2021, the Blue Jays used 33 different relievers as they looked for some stability in the bullpen. Some relievers they traded for found success – namely, Trevor Richards and Adam Cimber. The two relievers the Jays acquired before the deadline didn’t find success.

Everyone remembers Brad Hand; no need to go into any more detail than that, but Joakim Soria also struggled post-trade. Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for J.J. D’Orazio and Yaifer Perdomo, Soria finished his Blue Jays tenure pitching eight innings in ten games, with a 7.88 ERA and 5.67. After the season, he retired.

Unlike Tice and Zeuch, Soria was an established reliever in the big leagues, pitching for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers,  Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics before the 2021 season. In fact, he was a two-time All-Star.

If you’re wondering about those two prospects, Perdomo was released in September of 2023, and D’Orazio remains as a depth catcher in the Diamondbacks organization. While this trade was inconsequential in the long run, it brings me back to when I first started writing at Blue Jays Nation, so that’s cool. 

Shaun Anderson

Moving to 2022, Shaun Anderson didn’t have a long tenure with the Blue Jays, pitching just one inning with the team in a late June game against the Boston Red Sox. The 2022 season marked the middle portion of what has been an interesting career.

Drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft by the Red Sox, Anderson was traded to the San Francisco Giants before the 2017 trade deadline for Eduardo Núñez. He made his debut in 2019, pitching in 96 innings and amassing a 5.44 ERA and 4.77 FIP. The 2020 season saw him move to the bullpen full-time, where he had a 3.52 ERA and 5.73 FIP.

Anderson was traded before the 2021 season and spent time with the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and San Diego Padres that season, pitching 23.1 innings with an 8.49 ERA. He spent the entirety of the 2022 season in the Jays organization and then elected to head to Korea.

During the 2023 season, the Kia Tigers signed another former Blue Jay, Thomas Pannone, releasing Anderson. He joined the Philadelphia Phillies organization and spent the rest of the 2023 season with their Triple-A team. To start the 2024 season, Anderson pitched in Mexico on the same team as Zeuch, but signed with the Rangers for a second stint the day after his release from the Mexican League.

His wild career continued, as Anderson returned to the big leagues in 2024, posting a 5.40 ERA and 2.27 FIP in 3.1 innings with the Rangers. Anderson was traded to the Marlins in May and pitched another 13 innings with them, where he had a 9 ERA and 5.32 FIP.

Before the 2025 season, he signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Angels, where he has a 10.32 ERA and 8.85 FIP in 11.1 innings pitched so far this season. After being designated for assignment last week, he signed another minor-league deal with the Angels and remains in the system.

Hagen Danner

Hagen Danner’s story is always a fun one to tell, even if it’s a little saddening. Drafted as a catcher in the second round of the 2017 draft, Danner moved to the mound to begin the 2021 season, where he had a 2.02 ERA and 3.61 FIP in 35.2 innings pitched with the High-A Vancouver Canadians.

Danner’s 2022 season was derailed due to injuries, pitching just three and two-thirds innings before a season-ending injury (and an impressive stint in the Arizona Fall League). In 2023, he pitched 39.1 innings in the minor leagues and even got the call-up to the big leagues. Sadly, the injury bug struck again, as he faced just one batter before leaving the game with an injury, later being placed on the 60-day Injured List.

Despite good results with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 2024 (3.15 ERA and 4.24 FIP in 34.1 innings), Danner didn’t get a call-up to the Blue Jays last season, even with the carousel of relievers. In the off-season, he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Seattle Mariners.

With their Triple-A team this season, Danner has a 5.83 ERA and 5.42 FIP in 46.1 innings pitched. He’s an easy player to root for, and hopefully, he can find his way back to the big leagues, because the stuff is good.