Analyzing the return Tigers got in Chase Lee trade with Blue Jays

Trading Chase Lee to the Toronto Blue Jays was more about clearing a 40-man roster spot than anything. However, given how the 27-year-old sidewinder looked to be a potential piece of the Detroit Tigers' bullpen, and immediately hit the ground running when given an opportunity, one has to wonder if there's more than meets the eye with the return they received: 24-year-old lefty Johan Simon.

Detroit might have curiously deemed that Lee wasn't a part of their future, but perhaps Simon can be. Simon signed with the Blue Jays as a 19-year-old coming out of the Dominican Republic in October of 2020, adding to the uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic upended the scouting cycle.

He'd debut in the Dominican Summer League the following year, posting a respectable 3.74 ERA, though at that point he was significantly older than the typical Latin American teenagers who use the DSL as a weigh station before coming stateside.

Simon would then spend the next three years toiling in the Florida Complex League, getting minimal exposure, which turned him into an afterthought. However, 2025 saw him get his first chance to rise — and rise he did, beginning the year in Single-A Dunedin and advancing two more levels, finishing his year at Double-A New Hampshire. In the process, he showed there might be some untapped potential.

Johan Simon is an intriguing return for the Tigers in the Chase Lee trade

Now, finally getting an opportunity, the southpaw showed out at each level he pitched at in 2025. While in Single-A, he worked as a bulk-innings guy, throwing 40 1/3 innings over just 18 appearances, posting a 3.79 ERA in the process.

While there, Simon also posted impressive whiff rates and chase rates, coming in at 32.5% and 34.15%, which were 74th percentile and 89th percentile marks, respectively.

At High-A Vancouver, he worked 19 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA, and finally at Double-A, he tossed an additional 11 1/3 innings and recorded a sparkling 2.38 ERA

Overall, his final tally across all three levels was 31 games, 71 innings, 3.42 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 10.01 K/9, and 3.68 BB/9. Baseball America (subscription required) noted his three-pitch repertoire consisting of a heavy sinker, a slider, and an infrequent changeup, coming together to record an impressive 64% ground ball rate.

Simon's skillset and 2025 performance seem to bridge the Tigers' changing philosophies by both leaning into ground ball execution and strikeout dominance. While he doesn't have a top prospect billing, his showing last season was encouraging, and if he can pick up where he left off last season, he could become a bullpen mainstay beginning in 2027.

To be clear, it's still a dice roll, and there are reasons to question giving up an arm that could contribute now for one that might contribute even more later, but if the Tigers believe in Simon, there is a lot to like.