Eric Lauer BIO, Stats, Salary, Contract

Eric Lauer has survived in the major leagues on a fastball that averages only in the low 90s mph.

He was a highly-touted college prospect who posted a 0.69 ERA in college, went 25th overall in the first round of the MLB Draft, and made an ultra-fast climb to the majors after two years of seasoning.

He drew plenty of hype as a full-time starter with a sub-4.00 ERA, but lost his confidence and was sent down to the minors — before briefly playing in the KBO, where he even got a taste of a Korean Series championship.

Having regained his confidence in Korea, he returned to the majors, played a leading supporting role in Toronto’s run to the 2025 World Series, and after being traded to the Dodgers, became a “win fairy” on a Dodgers roster loaded with superstars.

Kent State Ace Eric Lauer With a Low-90s Fastball

Born on June 3, 1995, he attended Midview High School before playing college baseball at Kent State University. In his senior season at Midview, he posted a dominant record of 7 wins and no losses with a 0.15 ERA — allowing just 1 earned run over 47 innings, with 96 strikeouts, 12 hits allowed, and 8 walks.

That year, he was named the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Player of the Year and Lorain County’s Mr. Baseball. At Midview, he was a two-way player who also saw time at first base, and drew scout attention with a fastball reaching up to 94 mph.

He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 17th round (505th overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft, but turned down a signing bonus offer of over $1 million to attend college instead. At Kent State, he posted a 0.69 ERA in his junior season — the lowest ERA in college baseball since 1979 — and won the National Pitcher of the Year Award and the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year Award.

First Round, 25th Overall in the MLB Draft

In the 2016 MLB Draft, he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round, 25th overall, signing for a $2 million bonus. He began his professional career with the Rookie-level AZL Padres and was promoted within a single season to Low-A Tri-City Dust Devils and Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps. Across the three teams in 2016, he went 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 37 strikeouts.

In 2017, he began at High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, going 2-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 84 strikeouts, before being promoted to Double-A San Antonio Missions in July. Combined across both teams, he made 22 appearances (21 starts), going 6-8 with a 3.30 ERA and 132 strikeouts. He climbed into his organization’s top-10 prospect rankings in 2017, but remained outside the overall top 100 as a rotation candidate.

MLB Debut

2018 (SD): 23 games, 6-7, 112.0 IP, 4.34 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, WAR (fWAR 0.8 / bWAR 0.1)
2019 (SD): 30 games, 8-10, 149.2 IP, 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, WAR (fWAR 2.3 / bWAR 1.4)

He started the 2018 season at Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas but was called up to the majors on April 24, making his debut that same day against the Colorado Rockies. His debut was rough — 3 innings, 6 hits, 4 walks, and 6 earned runs — but he settled into the rotation afterward, making 23 starts and going 6-7 with a 4.34 ERA and 100 strikeouts, along with a solid showing that included leading the majors in pickoffs (10).

In 2019, he was named the Opening Day starter, and finished the season with 30 games (29 starts), going 8-10 over 149.2 innings with a 4.45 ERA and 138 strikeouts — a season in which both his ERA and win-loss record worsened from the year before. On November 27, 2019, the San Diego Padres traded Lauer and Luis Urías to the Milwaukee Brewers for Trent Grisham, Zach Davies, and cash or a player to be named later, sending him to Milwaukee.

Career Highs in Milwaukee

2020 (MIL): 4 games, 0-2, 11.0 IP, 13.09 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, WAR (fWAR -0.2 / bWAR -0.6)
2021 (MIL): 24 games, 7-5, 118.2 IP, 3.19 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, WAR (fWAR 1.7 / bWAR 2.1)
2022 (MIL): 29 games, 11-7, 158.2 IP, 3.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, WAR (fWAR 1.1 / bWAR 1.8)
2023 (MIL): 10 games, 4-6, 46.2 IP, 6.56 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, WAR (fWAR -0.9 / bWAR -1.0)

He pitched through a shoulder injury in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and was also placed on the injured list in July after a close contact exposure to COVID-19. He made just 4 appearances, going 0-2 with a 13.09 ERA and 12 strikeouts.

In 2021, he made 20 starts in 24 appearances, going 7-5 with a 3.19 ERA and 117 strikeouts, posting a winning record and helping lead the team to the postseason. On May 26, he hit his first career home run off the Padres’ Chris Paddack. He also made his first career postseason appearance, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing 2 runs in Game 4 of the NLDS.

In 2022, he made all 29 of his appearances as a starter, going 11-7 with a 3.69 ERA and 157 strikeouts — his first career double-digit win total — and on January 13, 2023, avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $5.075 million salary with Milwaukee.

However, 2023 was a rough season: in 10 games (9 starts), he went 4-6 with a 6.56 ERA and 43 strikeouts, and was demoted to Triple-A Nashville Sounds during the season. When he was removed from the 40-man roster on October 20 and optioned to Triple-A, he refused the assignment and became a free agent on October 23.

Revival in the KBO With the KIA Tigers

2024 (KIA Tigers): 7 games, 2-2, 34.2 IP, 3 HR allowed, 15 walks/HBP, 19 earned runs, 4.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, WAR (sWAR 0.89)

On March 7, 2024, he signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but struggled at Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, going 8 games (6 starts) with a 5.52 ERA, and was released on May 16 after exercising an opt-out clause. He then signed a minor-league deal with the Houston Astros on May 20, posting an 11-game (10 starts), 5.09 ERA run at Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys before moving to South Korea’s KBO League to join the KIA Tigers on August 1.

On August 6, 2024, he signed with the KIA Tigers for a $50,000 signing bonus and a $300,000 salary, totaling $350,000. He made his KBO debut on August 11 against the Samsung Lions in Gwangju, but struggled, going 3⅓ innings with 7 hits allowed, 2 home runs, and 4 runs in a losing effort.

He picked up his first KBO win on August 17 against LG at Jamsil, throwing 5 innings with 4 hits allowed, 1 earned run, and 7 strikeouts, finishing the regular season with a 2-2 record over 7 games (7 starts), a 4.93 ERA, and 37 strikeouts. He started Game 3 of the Korean Series, allowing 2 runs over 5 innings, but took the loss as the team’s offense went quiet.

Still, the KIA Tigers closed out the series 4-1 to win the championship, earning Lauer a championship ring. After the season, he was non-tendered and became a free agent on November 30. Though he didn’t post eye-popping numbers, the stint gave him renewed confidence in pitching without a big fastball, and he rediscovered the mechanics that had made him a first-round pick as a prospect, sparking another breakout.

Becoming the Dodgers’ “Win Fairy”

2025 (TOR): 28 games, 9-2, 104.2 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, WAR (fWAR 1.4 / bWAR 2.2)

On December 13, 2024, he signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, starting the season at Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. After going 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 5 starts, he was called up to the major-league roster on April 30.

In 2025, moving between the rotation and bullpen, he made 28 appearances, going 9-2 with 1 hold, a 3.18 ERA, and 102 strikeouts. On September 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays, he entered in the 9th inning and retired the side to seal the win, as Toronto clinched its first division title in 10 years and a spot in the ALDS.

He was also included on the postseason roster. In Game 1 of the 2025 World Series against the Dodgers, he entered in the 9th inning and closed out the game scoreless, sealing the franchise’s first World Series win in 32 years. In Game 3, he entered in extra innings starting in the 12th and threw 4⅔ scoreless innings through the 16th — an outstanding effort — though the team ultimately fell short, losing in extra innings in Game 7.

On February 11, 2026, he lost his arbitration case, and his salary was set at $4.4 million. Early in the season, Toronto used him as a long reliever behind an opener, and after conflict with the team over the role, he went 1-5 over 8 games (6 starts) with a 6.69 ERA over 36⅓ innings and 26 strikeouts before being designated for assignment on May 11.

On May 17, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a cash deal. After joining the Dodgers, he turned things around, starting with a debut win against the Colorado Rockies and stringing together quality starts, establishing himself as a reliable “win fairy” in a Dodgers rotation stacked with superstars.

His career ERA sits in the mid-4.00s, but he has been especially tough on the Dodgers throughout his career — across his time with the Padres, Brewers, and Blue Jays, he went 7-1 with a 2.73 ERA in 11 games against them, earning a reputation as a Dodger-killer.

That history made his trade to the Dodgers a notable talking point among fans, and he has since made himself indispensable, stepping up as a starter whenever the team has needed him. Despite his low-90s velocity, he showed real nerve, delivering an impressive 4⅔ scoreless innings from the 12th through the 16th inning in Game 3 of the World Series.

Eric Lauer’s Stats

MLB career (7 seasons): 148 games, 45-39, 0 saves, 1 hold, 701.1 IP, .250 opponent batting average, 111 HR allowed, 275 walks/HBP, 322 earned runs, 4.13 ERA, 1.327 WHIP, WAR (fWAR 6.2 / bWAR 5.9)

He is a two-pitch-heavy left-hander whose four-seam fastball (averaging 91.7 mph / 147.5 km/h) and cutter together account for more than 60% of his total pitches. Among his breaking balls, he leans primarily on a big, sharp-breaking curveball, using a slider and changeup as secondary offerings.

His strength as a starter is his ability to eat innings, and he has a particularly good delivery in which his pickoff move shows little difference from his pitching motion. His delivery changed somewhat after his injury, reducing some of his former deception — a weakness that has led to more home runs allowed.

Eric Lauer’s Awards & Career History

2013 — Cleveland Plain Dealer Player of the Year
2013 — Lorain County Mr. Baseball
2015 — Cape Cod League All-Star (Orleans Firebirds)
2016 — National Pitcher of the Year Award
2016 — Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year
2016 — MiLB.com All-Star
2017 — California League Midseason All-Star
2024 — KBO Korean Series Champion (KIA Tigers)
2025 — AL East Division Champion & World Series appearance (Toronto Blue Jays)

Records

2016 — Lowest college baseball ERA (0.69) since 1979 (Kent State University)
2018 — Led the National League in pitcher pickoffs (10)

Eric Lauer’s Salary & Free Agent Contract

2026 salary: $4.4 million

Heading into the season, his arbitration case came down to his $5.75 million request versus the club’s $4.4 million offer, and the arbitrator sided with the club, setting his salary at $4.4 million. His career-high salary remains the $5.075 million he agreed to in 2023 to avoid arbitration.

Baseball Eric Lauer Profile

English : Eric Lauer | Full : Eric Lance Lauer
Date of birth: June 3, 1995 (age 31)
Hometown: Elyria, Ohio, USA | Nationality: American
Height: 190.5cm | Weight: 94.8kg | Blood type: – | MBTI: – | Religion: –
Education: Midview High School → Kent State University
Bats/Throws: Left/Right | Position: Starting Pitcher
Uniform number: 33 (Los Angeles Dodgers, May 19, 2026–) / 46 (San Diego Padres, 2018–2019) / 27 (Milwaukee Brewers, 2020) / 52 (Milwaukee Brewers, 2021–2023) / 66 (KIA Tigers, 2024) / 56 (Toronto Blue Jays, 2025–May 10, 2026)
Walk-up song: Rick Ross — “Green Gucci Suit”
2026 salary: $4.4 million
Team history: San Diego Padres (2018–2019) → Milwaukee Brewers (2020–2023) → KIA Tigers (2024) → Toronto Blue Jays (2025–2026) → Los Angeles Dodgers (2026–)
Debut year: 2018 (MLB) / 2024 (KBO)
Family: Spouse: – / Children: –
Personal SNS: Instagram, X (Twitter)