Why Tanner Andrews’ Next Shot with the Blue Jays Could Quietly Become One of the Season’s Biggest Turning Points. DD
The Toronto Blue Jays signed Tanner Andrews to a minor league deal, and the relief pitcher is hoping the Jays are finally his MLB breakthrough.
The Toronto Blue Jays are the latest MLB franchise to give Tanner Andrews a shot at being a big-league reliever.
Andrews signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays earlier this week, per his MiLB.com page and the Blue Jays transactions log. It likely comes with an invite to Major League spring training. Toronto has two other minor league signings per its transactions log — infielder Carlos Mendoza and infielder Rodolfo Castro.
He hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since he was drafted in 2018 by the Miami Marlins. He’s logged time in three different systems, but Toronto is hoping the 30-year-old right-hander discovered something while with Staten Island in the Atlantic League.
There, he went 2-0 with no ERA in 15 appearances, including three saves. He struck out 25 and walked two in 13.2 innings. That landed him a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.
About Tanner AndrewsEmpty heading
Andrews has logged seven minor league seasons, one campaign abroad in the Puerto Rican Winter League and spent time in independent ball. None have led to a big-league call-up. But he’s been close, most notably with the San Francisco Giants.
He landed in the Bay Area before the 2022 season after a wacky 2021 offseason. He was at Double-A Pensacola with the Marlins when he was placed on the 60-day injured list. He was waived in the offseason and picked up by Atlanta. But the Braves traded him to San Francisco the same day and he reached Triple-A ball with Sacramento for the first time in 2023.
In 2024 he logged a 3-6 record with a 6.95 ERA in 38 games with two saves. He struck out 76 and walked 36 in 55.2 innings. He spent the last two months on the IL. After the season, he went to the Puerto Rican League and later became an MiLB free agent, landing with Minnesota last June on a free-agent deal. He went 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA in 14 games with Double-A Wichita before he landed on the IL.
As a minor league player he has a record of 19-17 with a 4.50 ERA with 321 strikeouts and 120 walks in 309.2 innings.
As a senior at Purdue in 2018 he was a third-team all-Big Ten selection as he started in 16 games and appeared in the Big Ten title game against Minnesota. He was the Boilermakers’ Friday starter, and they went 11-5 with him on the mound. He also helped Purdue reach the NCAA Tournament. For his career he won 17 games and 184 strikeouts in 60 appearances, with 38 starts.
