Blue Jays Bring Back Familiar Face Among 5 Camp Invitees

He was the Toronto Blue Jays' opening day starter eight seasons ago. But it was mostly downhill from there. Now, the Jays will be welcoming Drew Hutchison back to Dunedin, after signing of a minor league deal.

Blue Jays, building out their depth, announce the signings of five players to minor-league deals, including 2015 opening day starter Drew Hutchison.

The others: Righty Casey Lawrence, back for another year; C Rob Brantly; RHP Julian Fernandez; and LHP Paul Fry

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) January 6, 2023

Others who've agreed to MiLB deals with invites to spring training include pitchers Casey Lawrence, Paul Fry and Julian Fernandez, along with catcher Rob Brantly. 

Hutchison spent parts of four seasons with the Jays, posting a 4.92 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP. He struck out 8.3 batters per nine innings. He was dealt midway through the 2016 campaign to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Francisco Liriano and Reese McGuire. 

The 32-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Detroit Tigers, posting a 4.53 ERA and 1.481 WHIP in 2022, splitting his time as a starter and reliever. 

Right-hander Lawrence is another familiar face to return to Toronto; he made his major league debut briefly for the Jays in 2017, getting into only four games, and pitched another six games this past season for Toronto after being out of the majors for three years.