Offseason Roster Thread 2025-26

[Spanky__99]

17 minutes ago, glory said:

 

Robert Murray as the source, noice.

[max silver]

18 minutes ago, Jimcanuck said:

Wow. We are getting Tucker!

 

 

Well Ohtani was also spotted visiting Blue Jays facilities as well and we all know how that turned out so let's pump the brakes a little bit.

[glory]

4 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

Robert Murray as the source, noice.

Yeah Murray is behind Passan for me as far as credibility, so at least we know this meeting is legit. Whether it goes anywhere remains to be seen. 

[Spanky__99]

[bronson44]

3 minutes ago, max silver said:

Well Ohtani was also spotted visiting Blue Jays facilities as well and we all know how that turned out so let's pump the brakes a little bit.

Did we ever get our hat back?

[Omar]

27 minutes ago, Jimcanuck said:

Wow. We are getting Tucker!

 

 

Don't worry JIm, it's highly unlikely.

[GoBlue41]

Forget about the Santa Tracker this Christmas! It time for the Tucker Tracker. 

[Spanky__99]

I still think the Jays should've protected Pinango, man... it would suck to lose him to be honest. BA has him as a Rule 5 Target...

 

Yohendrick Piñango, OF, Blue Jays

Piñango is one of the best available hitters in the Rule 5 draft. He has an excellent combination of solid upper-level production—.258/.361/.430 with 14 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A—with nearly impeccable analytical data. He hits the ball as hard as almost anyone in the minors—92 mph average EV and a 109 mph 90th EV—and he does it with well-above-average contact rates and solid swing decisions.

Piñango is a left fielder only, and he’s a fringy defender there. That’s a profile that doesn’t get picked all that often, but there are few 23-year-old lefthanded hitters like this in the Rule 5 draft.

[Laika]

1 minute ago, Spanky__99 said:

I still think the Jays should've protected Pinango, man... it would suck to lose him to be honest. BA has him as a Rule 5 Target...

 

Yohendrick Piñango, OF, Blue Jays

Piñango is one of the best available hitters in the Rule 5 draft. He has an excellent combination of solid upper-level production—.258/.361/.430 with 14 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A—with nearly impeccable analytical data. He hits the ball as hard as almost anyone in the minors—92 mph average EV and a 109 mph 90th EV—and he does it with well-above-average contact rates and solid swing decisions.

Piñango is a left fielder only, and he’s a fringy defender there. That’s a profile that doesn’t get picked all that often, but there are few 23-year-old lefthanded hitters like this in the Rule 5 draft.

They didn't? Wtf? 

[G-Snarls]

15 minutes ago, max silver said:

Well Ohtani was also spotted visiting Blue Jays facilities as well and we all know how that turned out so let's pump the brakes a little bit.

Pretty sure he was being facetious :)

[Spanky__99]

7 minutes ago, Laika said:

They didn't? Wtf? 

We were talking about this in several threads dude, they also didn't protect Rojas or Arias as well. Risky business... Yondrej was on the top list as well, I don't think he'll get selected though...

 

Yondrei Rojas, RHP, Blue Jays

The undersized Rojas enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign, as he reached Double-A after spending parts of three seasons in Low-A. He has only 14 innings of upper-minors experience, but the results were excellent, as he allowed just one run while holding batters to a .111 batting average against. His 38.3% strikeout rate in High-A to begin the season did plummet to 21.6% in Double-A, but his whiff rate stayed fairly stagnant.

Rojas checks several boxes typical of Rule 5 picks, including generating ground balls at a rate of 53.5% with a K-BB mark of 24.8%. He mixes five pitches in a cut-ride four-seam fastball, a sinker, slider, changeup and sweeper. His primary pitch is the cut four-seam fastball, which sits 95-97 mph and touches 98 at peak. It features ride and moderate cut from a five-and-a-half foot release height with flat plane and plus extension for his 5-foot-10 frame. Rojas’ primary breaking ball is his upper-80s cutter that generates solid miss rates. The changeup and sweeper are near antipodes of each other, with each moving a foot opposite of the other.

Rojas throws lots of strikes, has power and unique release traits. His lack of upper-minors experience, however, might prevent him from being selected. 

[Terminator]

44 minutes ago, glory said:

 

[Jays24]

Kinda wild if we sign Tucker first and that means no Bo.  Whatever... we can cross that bridge if we get there.  

[Spanky__99]

Also, Geoff Pontes thinks the Jays will select this dude, ala Bastardo last season's rule 5, and rehab the kid...

Yordanny Monegro, RHP, Red Sox

Every year at the 40-man deadline, there’s a talented pitcher who goes unprotected due to injury. This season, that pitcher might just be Monegro. Teams are able to stash players on the long-term injured list for an entire season, delaying their need to keep a player selected in the Rule 5 on the active roster. That’s key for Monegro, as he had Tommy John surgery in late August 2025 and will miss all of 2026.

Prior to his injury, Monegro had been superb over eight starts with Double-A Portland, pitching to a 2.34 FIP and 2.67 ERA with a 57% groundball rate, 35.8% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Had it not been for the injury, there’s a case to be made that Monegro might have pitched himself to the majors by the end of 2025. His combination of swing-and-miss stuff, command and the ability to generate a high rate of groundball outs makes him a virtual lock on performance alone.

Factoring in his injury timeline, it would be surprising not to see Monegro picked. He has plus stuff with a plus slider and curveball that he mixes with a sinker, a four-seam fastball and a changeup. 

[Bob_Gratton]

44 minutes ago, max silver said:

Well Ohtani was also spotted visiting Blue Jays facilities as well and we all know how that turned out so let's pump the brakes a little bit.

Seriously free agents who are visiting  facilities doesn't really care about that. We saw such so many tine in NHL and in the MLB it's the same. What really impresses these players,  is the amount of dollars teams offered them.

[jmomcc]

5 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

Also, Geoff Pontes thinks the Jays will select this dude, ala Macko last season's rule 5, and rehab the kid...

Yordanny Monegro, RHP, Red Sox

Every year at the 40-man deadline, there’s a talented pitcher who goes unprotected due to injury. This season, that pitcher might just be Monegro. Teams are able to stash players on the long-term injured list for an entire season, delaying their need to keep a player selected in the Rule 5 on the active roster. That’s key for Monegro, as he had Tommy John surgery in late August 2025 and will miss all of 2026.

Prior to his injury, Monegro had been superb over eight starts with Double-A Portland, pitching to a 2.34 FIP and 2.67 ERA with a 57% groundball rate, 35.8% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Had it not been for the injury, there’s a case to be made that Monegro might have pitched himself to the majors by the end of 2025. His combination of swing-and-miss stuff, command and the ability to generate a high rate of groundball outs makes him a virtual lock on performance alone.

Factoring in his injury timeline, it would be surprising not to see Monegro picked. He has plus stuff with a plus slider and curveball that he mixes with a sinker, a four-seam fastball and a changeup. 

It was bastardo. I think this guy will go above our pick, he was mentioned in the ba pod as the slam dunk rule 5 guy to be selected. 

I would be surprised if we lost Pinango or Arias but Rojas seems possible. 

[R.O.]

 

[max silver]

46 minutes ago, G-Snarls said:

Pretty sure he was being facetious :)

True this is the guy that is suggesting that the Blue Jays have no shot at signing either of Tucker or Bo and are sure to be shopping in the bargain aisle this offseason.

[max silver]

19 minutes ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Seriously free agents who are visiting  facilities doesn't really care about that. We saw such so many tine in NHL and in the MLB it's the same. What really impresses these players,  is the amount of dollars teams offered them.

I have no doubt that the quality of facilities is a factor in free agency decisions, just not the primary one. I suspect if the Blue Jays featured the substandard facilities of yesteryear Ohtani wouldn't have even given the team a sniff in free agency.

[Eat My Shatkins]

- world class facilities in Dunedin completed 5 years ago

- world class facilities in Toronto completed 2 years ago

- a contending team, been to the playoffs 4 out of 6 seasons, just went to the world series 

- one of the top spenders

- most of last years team coming back, clubhouse is tight

- already retained Bieber, signed Cease and Ponce

 

Lots of reasons to come to the Jays, hopefully they show him the money and he signs.

Dude has the 10th most fWAR of any position player in MLB the last 5 seasons.

[Jonn]

Going to be honest going in the off-season I never even considered Kyle Tucker a possibility for the Blue Jays. Kinda sick they are going after him. He really is a special bat but doesn't get enough credit for the other elements of his game. Especially his base running. He's a legit 30/30 threat.

[Bob_Gratton]

9 minutes ago, max silver said:

I have no doubt that the quality of facilities is a factor in free agency decisions, just not the primary one. I suspect if the Blue Jays featured the substandard facilities of yesteryear Ohtani wouldn't have even given the team a sniff in free agency.

Yes, but in the case of Ohtani and Sasaki they used the Jays to make Dodgers offer more money. From day 1, Ohtani , Sasaki and Yamamoto wanted the Dodgers only, some of them already had agreement before teams was allowed to discuss with the free agents. I think Tucker will start visiting facilities to make pressure on other teams, so they will make better offers.  At the end , the team who will offer the more will get him. No matter if this is the Jays,  Yankees, Mets, or Pittsburgh. 

[DonJays]

15 minutes ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Yes, but in the case of Ohtani and Sasaki they used the Jays to make Dodgers offer more money. From day 1, Ohtani , Sasaki and Yamamoto wanted the Dodgers only, some of them already had agreement before teams was allowed to discuss with the free agents. I think Tucker will start visiting facilities to make pressure on other teams, so they will make better offers.  At the end , the team who will offer the more will get him. No matter if this is the Jays,  Yankees, Mets, or Pittsburgh. 

Ya I don’t think so man. If the pirates offer $400MM and the jays offer $390 he ain’t choosing the pirates lol. Money isn’t the only factor for 99% of players 

[Bob_Gratton]

1 hour ago, bronson44 said:

Did we ever get our hat back?

Maybe Ohtani ex interpreter steal it and will try sell it, as a valuable collector item😄

[Bob_Gratton]

1 minute ago, DonJays said:

Ya I don’t think so man. If the pirates offer $400MM and the jays offer $390 he ain’t choosing the pirates lol. Money isn’t the only factor for 99% of players 

No for 10 millions difference,  but if Jays offer 10/300, and Pittsburgh 12/330, Pirates will get him.

[DonJays]

2 minutes ago, Bob_Gratton said:

No for 10 millions difference,  but if Jays offer 10/300, and Pittsburgh 12/330, Pirates will get him.

Sure, if he doesn’t care about winning. If that’s the case, the jays wouldn’t be interested 

[Vancouverite]

1 hour ago, Bob_Gratton said:

No for 10 millions difference,  but if Jays offer 10/300, and Pittsburgh 12/330, Pirates will get him.

I highly doubt that

Even from a finance perspective its better to get 300M in 10 years rather than 320 over 12. Invest the difference 3M in annual salary (30M vs 27M) minus tax and you'll come out ahead 

[saskjayfan]

If we move Berrios can we sign both Bo and Tucker?  I can't shake the feeling that we would really regret losing Bo.  Bo's only 27 years old.  His bat to ball skills are other worldly.  His plate discipline for his career has been marginally better than what Juan Francisco sported for his MLB career.  Like he's something like 7th or 8th percentile for his career.  His second half and into the playoffs Bo had a 9% walk rate and a 10% K rate with roughly league avg plate discipline.  Bo is an absolute monster with league avg plate discipline. 

People will say he's been in the league long enough.  He is what he is, but he's still really not that old.  Joey Bats, EE didn't become the players they were until late 20s.  Bo's been almost a .300 hitter for his career swinging at absolute garbage. If he did continue to evolve and develop and showed the plate discipline the way he did the second half he could be a .330 hitter with an OPS around .900.  I feel like there's another gear that Bo still has the ability to hit.  It was sort of a weird year for Bo because he came in out of shape, but the bat just played this year.  If Bo gets into better shape and keeps progressing with the bat.  Sky is the limit. 

[Gen.Disarray]

54 minutes ago, saskjayfan said:

If we move Berrios can we sign both Bo and Tucker?  I can't shake the feeling that we would really regret losing Bo.  Bo's only 27 years old.  His bat to ball skills are other worldly.  His plate discipline for his career has been marginally better than what Juan Francisco sported for his MLB career.  Like he's something like 7th or 8th percentile for his career.  His second half and into the playoffs Bo had a 9% walk rate and a 10% K rate with roughly league avg plate discipline.  Bo is an absolute monster with league avg plate discipline. 

People will say he's been in the league long enough.  He is what he is, but he's still really not that old.  Joey Bats, EE didn't become the players they were until late 20s.  Bo's been almost a .300 hitter for his career swinging at absolute garbage. If he did continue to evolve and develop and showed the plate discipline the way he did the second half he could be a .330 hitter with an OPS around .900.  I feel like there's another gear that Bo still has the ability to hit.  It was sort of a weird year for Bo because he came in out of shape, but the bat just played this year.  If Bo gets into better shape and keeps progressing with the bat.  Sky is the limit. 

I like this take on Bo because I like him and want it to be true. But something about him reminds me of Adam Jones.

Probably not a good comp, I'm not really good at comps. But still just feels right. High average hacker, plays a premium position despite not really being very good at it. Low walk rate. Low steals despite being at a position that is often manned by pretty fast players. 

Jones had his last good season at 29, ok at 30, and pretty much a wrap after that. I think overall Bo is a better player, but is it really by much? Always feels like he's about to just fall off a cliff. If that hit tool slips at all he's kind of a nothing.

Am I way off here?

[Ray]

2 hours ago, Bob_Gratton said:

Yes, but in the case of Ohtani and Sasaki they used the Jays to make Dodgers offer more money. From day 1, Ohtani , Sasaki and Yamamoto wanted the Dodgers only, some of them already had agreement before teams was allowed to discuss with the free agents. I think Tucker will start visiting facilities to make pressure on other teams, so they will make better offers.  At the end , the team who will offer the more will get him. No matter if this is the Jays,  Yankees, Mets, or Pittsburgh. 

False on Ohtani. That was not a case being outbid.

Ohtani and his agent basically set their own terms and contract offer, called all the teams that they were interested in (Dodgers, Jays, Giants, Angels), and all but the Angels agreed. Had the Dodgers not agreed to it.

Quote

 

One week ago, after meetings with prospective teams had concluded, Ohtani and his CAA agent, Nez Balelo, returned to Friedman with a contract structure unlike any ever seen in professional sports: 10 years, $700 million -- but with $680 million deferred, interest-free, in the 10 years that follow the expiration of the deal, taking the competitive balance tax (CBT) hit from $70 million a year to just $46 million.

"I wouldn't have had the guts to propose it," Friedman said.

Said Ohtani, through his interpreter: "I was looking into it, did some calculations, and I figured if I can defer as much money as I can, if that's going to help the CBT, it's going to help the Dodgers to be able to sign other players and make a better team. I felt like that was worth it."

The structure triggered a quick approval from the Dodgers. Unbeknownst to them, Balelo then proposed the same deal to at least three other teams. The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays agreed to the terms. The Angels, Ohtani's original major league team, were also given a chance, but sources said they ultimately declined.

 

Link: https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/39105636/inside-shohei-ohtani-700-million-contract-los-angeles-dodgers