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The Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement with catcher Christian Bethancourt and LHP Richard Lovelady on minor league contracts with invitationt to Spring Training. Bethancourt has previously played with the Athletics, Rays, Miami and Cubs. He has a career .229/.259/.367 slashline in the majors and will join the Blue Jays as depth behind starter Alejandro Kirk.

Lovelady split time between the Cubs and Rays in 2024. He pitched 28 2/3 innings for the Rays with a 3.77 ERA, a 16.8% strikeout rate, a 7.6% walk rate and a 53.5% groundball rate. The Rays designated Lovelady for assignment to create roster space for outfielder Jake Mangum, whom the Rays wished to protect from the Rule 5 draft. Lovelady was non-tendered, making him an immediate free agent.