Tim

Mayza

The deal is now official. Mayza supplements Pittsburgh’s left-handed relief depth after splitting last year between the Blue Jays and Yankees. The 33-year-old southpaw was a mainstay in Toronto’s bullpen for the previous few seasons before struggling last year to the point that he was released in early July.

Mayza is heading to Pittsburgh, pending a physical, as extra left-handed relief depth after being non-tendered earlier this offseason by the Yankees. The 33-year-old southpaw was a key component of Toronto’s bullpen for multiple years prior to last season’s unexpected collapse when he struggled to a calamitous 8.03 ERA over 35 appearances before being cut loose and heading to New York where he finished with a respectable 4.00 ERA over 15 appearances.

The 32-year-old hurler had a very rough season overall in 2024, but he was considerably better during his time with the Yankees — posting a 4.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 12/3 K/BB ratio over 18 innings of work. The Yankees didn’t believe that was enough to justify a raise to $4 million though, which is what he was projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn through arbitration. Mayza is now free to peddle his wares on the open market.

Mayza was signed to a minor league deal earlier this season after he was cut by the Blue Jays. Mayza struggled mightily with the Jays this season as he allowed 22 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings, but has been a solid pitcher over the course of his career. He figures to pitch middle relief in New York.

A little ironic, considering that it was a horrible outing (he allowed five runs without retiring a batter) against the Yankees that caused Toronto to give up on Mayza. Typically a reliable lefty for the Jays, the 32-year-old Mayza gave up 22 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings this year before being designated for assignment on June 29. His velocity is down about 1.5 mph from last year, and he’s struck out just 13% of the batters he’s faced. The Yankees will try to fix him over these next few weeks and perhaps add him to their pen in August.

Mayza was officially cut loose on Friday after no team picked him up off waivers. The 32-year-old southpaw was a key fixture in Toronto’s relief mix over the last few years, but fell off a cliff this season with an inflated 8.03 ERA, 1.95 WHIP and 16/12 K/BB ratio across 24 2/3 innings (35 appearances). It’s possible he’ll land somewhere else in the coming days, most likely on a minor league deal.

Mayza has been a central component of Toronto’s relief mix the last few years, but he’s struggled mightily this season with a bloated 8.03 ERA, 1.95 WHIP and 16/12 K/BB ratio across 24 2/3 innings (35 appearances). Given his extensive track record of success at the highest level, there might be another organization willing to see if they can get the 32-year-old lefty back on track.

Swanson was summoned to guard a two-run lead in the ninth inning with Jordan Romano presumably unavailable after picking up a save on Tuesday in his season debut and melted down in spectacular fashion. He immediately coughed up a solo homer to Giancarlo Stanton before back-to-back hits from Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo put the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with nobody out. He managed to retire Oswaldo Cabrera before being lifted for southpaw Tim Mayza, who allowed the game-tying run to cross the plate. It’s not what you want.

Mayza pitched to a stellar 1.52 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 53/15 K/BB ratio across 53 1/3 innings (69 appearances) this past season and isn’t set to reach free agency until 2026.

One of the few remaining lefty specialists, Mayza somehow racked up eight wins while throwing a total of 48 2/3 innings last season. He was one of just two pitchers to make at least 60 appearances and throw fewer than 50 innings, and the other -- Amir Garrett -- only threw so few innings because he was pretty awful. Mayza limited lefties to a .502 OPS and had a 3.14 ERA. He’ll be employed similarly this year, but it probably won’t result in as many victories.