Josh Fleming Is Minor League Depth To Keep an Eye On

[Leo Morgenstern]

According to ESPN's Alden González, the Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming. González notes that the deal includes an invitation to big league training camp. He will join the ranks of the 27 other non-roster invitees that Jesse Burrill wrote about over the weekend.

Fleming, 29, owns a 4.77 ERA and 4.53 xERA in 254.2 MLB innings for the Rays (2020-23) and Pirates (2024). While he doesn't miss many bats (14.6% strikeout rate, 20% whiff rate), he has excelled at inducing swings outside the zone (33% chase rate) and batted balls on the ground (58.4% GB rate). Pitch models like Stuff+ and PitchingBot have generally respected his arsenal; despite his mediocre career ERA, his 3.62 botERA and 110 Pitching+ are notably better than league average. His sinker, in particular, is a darling of both models. From 2020-24, his sinker ranked among the 25 best in the game (min. 200 IP, 5% sinker usage) according to the overall models Pitching+ and botOvr. If you aren't familiar with pitch models, here's all you really need to know: Fleming's sinker hasn't seen much success, but it shares characteristics with some of the most effective sinkers in the game.

Fleming did not appear in the majors at all in 2025, instead tossing 84.1 innings over 47 games for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate. He struggled to a 4.91 ERA, striking out just 11.5% of his opponents. There is certainly upside in his arm, but he'll turn 30 in May and has yet to realize his potential at the higher levels. He's a worthwhile pitcher for the Jays to take a chance on, but don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting another Eric Lauer here. The most likely outcome is that Fleming briefly makes the roster as an injury replacement and gives Toronto a handful of low-leverage innings with an ERA in the high 4.00s. 

Over a nine-year professional career, Fleming has gained experience as a starter, an opener, a long-reliever, and a more traditional bullpen arm. So, while he is unlikely to make the 26-man roster out of spring training, he can provide some much-needed southpaw swingman depth in the minors, filling the sort of role I imagined Kolby Allard could take on before Allard re-signed with the Guardians earlier this week. It's not necessarily an exciting role, but there's a reason I wrote about Allard before, and there's a reason I'm writing about Fleming now. This team needed left-handed depth. Badly.

The Blue Jays currently have five left-handers on their 40-man roster, though only three have pitched in the majors: Eric Lauer, Brendon Little, and Mason Fluharty. (Ricky Tiedemann and Adam Macko have yet to make their MLB debuts.) Aside from Fleming, the only other lefty in the organization with any big league experience is fellow NRI Michael Plassmeyer, who threw 11 innings over three games for the Phillies from 2022-23. 

Toronto won't be planning to call on Fleming anytime soon, but if he forces the issue with a strong performance, or if injuries force the issue upon him, the Jays could end up very grateful they made this mid-winter minor league signing.

View full article