Blue Jays sign former Cubs Catcher and a left-handed reliever.
The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms on Minor League contracts with invites to 2025 spring training with catcher Christian Bethancourt and left-handed reliever Richard Lovelady.
Bethancourt, 33, had a decent showing at the plate as recently as 2022, when he slashed .252/.283/.409 (99 wRC+) with 11 homers in 101 games between the A's and Rays. His bat has tanked since that time, with a combined .220/.250/.377 between Tampa Bay, Miami and Chicago (Cubs).
Once one of the game's top-100 prospects, Bethancourt has never really found his footing as a big league regular.
He moved on from catching entirely at one point, attempting to reinvent himself as a reliever, but he's now spent several years back behind the plate. He's a lifetime .229/.259/.367 hitter in the big leagues.
While that offense (or lack thereof) leaves plenty to be desired, Bethancourt has controlled the running game quite nicely thanks to a rocket arm that received 80 grades (on the 20-80 scale) during his prospect days.
As the average caught-stealing rate has dropped to just 20.3% leaguewide following tweaks to the size of the bases and limits on pickoff attempts, Bethancourt has excelled. He thwarted 30% of stolen base attempts against him last year.
Dating back to 2022, Bethancourt boasts a gaudy 29.9% caught-stealing rate.
Lovelady, 29, made 35 combined appearances with the Cubs and Rays last season, 28 of which came with the Rays.
He compiled a 4.46 ERA, 1..31 WHIP and 26 strikeouts over 34.1 innings between the two teams. The Hinesville, Ga. native has a career 4.98 ERA over 99.1 major league innings with the Rays, Cubs, and Kansas City Royals.
Even with a decent showing for Tampa Bay, Lovelady was cut loose in November. The Rays designated him for assignment to open roster space for outfielder Jake Mangum, whom they wanted to protect from the Rule 5 Draft.
Lovelady was non-tendered rather than traded or placed on waivers, immediately making him a free agent.
He'll now try to catch on in Toronto, where the only lefty relievers on the 40-man roster are the inexperienced trio of Brendon Little, Easton Lucas and Josh Walker. Prospect Adam Macko also throws left-handed, but the Jays hope his future is in the rotation.
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