Kyle Drabek’s Blue Jays career began when he headlined a three-player package going to Toronto for Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. It ended unceremoniously a little more than five years later when the Chicago White Sox claimed him on waivers.
Drabek, 27, spent most of the 2014 season with Toronto’s triple-A Buffalo affiliate, where he posted a 4.18 ERA with 68 strikeouts and 30 walks in 99 innings. He started 13 games with the Bisons while pitching in relief 19 times.
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Initially acquired along with Michael Taylor and Travis d’Arnaud for Halladay in December of 2009, Drabek struggled to realize his potential with the Blue Jays. The former first-round pick posted a 5.27 ERA with 118 strikeouts and 111 walks in parts of five seasons at the big league level, mostly as a starter.
Drabek is out of options, meaning he had to clear waivers before being sent to triple-A. The claim opens a spot up on the 40-man roster of the Blue Jays, who also announced that left-hander Scott Barnes cleared waivers and was outrighted to triple-A.
The Blue Jays haven’t officially announced their bullpen yet, but left-handers Brett Cecil and Aaron Loup are sure things. Marco Estrada, Todd Redmond, Miguel Castro, Roberto Osuna and Colt Hynes are well-positioned to fill out the rest of the bullpen, though nothing’s locked in just yet.
