Blue Jays acquire right-hander Chase Lee from Tigers for lefty Johan Simon

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired right-handed pitcher Chase Lee from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Johan Simon, the Major League Baseball club announced Friday.

The 27-year-old Lee appeared in 32 games for the Tigers as a rookie in 2025, posting a 4.10 earned-run average with a 1.10 WHIP, a 6.1 per cent walk rate, and a 24.3 per cent strikeout rate.

Lee, from Birmingham, Ala., was selected by the Texas Rangers in the sixth round of the 2021 first-year player draft out of the University of Alabama, before being dealt to Detroit at the 2024 trade deadline. 

Lee has made 163 career minor-league appearances (five starts) between the Rangers and Tigers systems, recording a 4.13 ERA with 275 strikeouts in 204.2 innings.

Simon, 24, split his 2025 season between Single-A Dunedin, High-A Vancouver, and Double-A New Hampshire, posting a 3.42 ERA across 71.0 innings over 31 total games.

The reliever was signed by Toronto as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2020, appearing in 62 contests (10 starts) over his five seasons in the Blue Jays organization, going 10-8 with a 3.73 ERA.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025.