Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Report: Minnesota Twins sign former Blue Jays reliever Richard Lovelady to a minor league deal

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation
By Tyson Shushkewich | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 8:30 AM ET

As per Zone Coverage reporter Theodore Tollefson, the Minnesota Twins have signed Richard Lovelady to a minor league deal, and the left-hander has been assigned to triple-A St. Paul.

Lovelady signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays this past winter, and the southpaw went into training camp looking to secure a spot in the bullpen for Opening Day. After posting a 6.48 ERA through eight outings in Dunedin, the Jays decided to keep the veteran reliever on the roster and let Ryan Yarbrough walk, drawing criticism from the fan base.

The Georgia product appeared in two games that opening weekend for the Jays and struggled mightily with his command.

In his first outing against the Orioles on Opening Day, he followed José Berríos to start the sixth inning and walked Ramon Urias and later hit Colton Cowser to put runners on first and second, with manager John Schneider pulling him in favour of right-hander Jacob Barnes to finish the inning.

The #MNTwins have signed LHP Richard Lovelady to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A St. Paul

— Theodore Tollefson (@TheodoreTollef1) April 8, 2025

Two days later, Lovelady was back on the mound after Max Scherer’s early departure and wound up with the loss, allowing four earned runs to score while walking one batter and hitting two more. He loaded the bases early due to a Ryan O’Hearn double and then hit both Cedric Mullins and Heston Kjerstad, with Gary Sanchez immediately driving in a run on a sac fly to close the gap on the early Blue Jays’ lead. A walk to Jackson Holliday would load the bases again, and a Urias double down the right field line would plate three more runs, giving Baltimore a 6-4 lead.

Lovelady would be DFA’d the next day in favour of Mason Fluharty, and after passing through waivers unclaimed and being outrighted to triple-A, he elected free agency instead of accepting the assignment. Players with three years of service time, such as Lovelady, are allowed to do so.

Just days later, the former Jays reliever is heading to the AL Central and will join their triple-A affiliate to pitch his way back to the big leagues. For his career, he owns a 5.26 ERA through 101 innings while allowing 98 hits, 59 earned runs, and a 1.35 WHIP through 110 relief appearances dating back to 2019.

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

More must-reads: