Blue Jays Outright Yariel Rodriguez In Move That Signals More May Be Coming

[Jesse Burrill]

The Blue Jays certainly mean business this offseason.

In a surprising move, the team has announced that RHP Yariel Rodriguez has been outrighted from their 40-man roster. Toronto now sits with 38 players on the roster, with the Cody Ponce signing still pending.

Rodriguez, a Cuban native, signed a five-year, $32 million contract in February of 2024 after three strong seasons pitching in Japan from 2020 to 2022.

The Blue Jays originally tried him as a starting pitcher in his first professional season. He made four starts in April before being placed on the injured list due to spinal inflammation. When he came back at the end of June, he had a 4.17 ERA, a FIP that matched, and looked like a potential starting rotation building block for years to come.

In 2025, Toronto shifted him back into the bullpen, a role in which he excelled while in Japan, and it looked like he had really found a home. On the whole, he had a 3.08 ERA, a team-high 73 innings pitched out of the bullpen, and in terms of Win Probability Added, his 2.29 WPA led all Blue Jays relievers.

Because of that performance, the outright off-the-roster move caught many people off guard; the Jays aren't pressed for 40-man roster space, and from the outside looking in, it doesn’t seem like anything forced their hand, so the timing seems odd. It's possible that the Blue Jays simply chose to get ahead on some business, much like when they non-tendered Alek Manoah earlier this season to get some roster clarity, and maybe the team is doing the same with Rodriguez here.

Still, the question remains: Why move on from Yariel in the first place? While his season-long numbers look solid, there were some stark differences between the first and second halves that cause some concern.

Yariel Rodriguez first half vs second half:

- ERA: 2.47 vs 4.21
- WHIP: 0.93 vs 1.51
- K%: 25.6% vs 16.9%
- BB%: 8.9% vs 15.3%

More baserunners, more runs, fewer strikeouts, and more walks, none of those pointed in the right direction. His average fastball velocity, as high as 96.8 mph in June, dropped to 94.8 mph by season's end, which was just another cause for concern. By October, he wasn’t even on the World Series roster, despite being one of the better relievers for chunks of the summer.

Ultimately, the Blue Jays saw enough warning signs to take a gamble, expose him to waivers, and risk losing him for nothing but $7 million in salary relief. All other 29 teams also passed.

Rodriguez remains in the Blue Jays organization, as he doesn’t have enough service time to decline the outright assignment in favour of free agency. As things stand, he will train this winter and try to earn his spot back on the 40-man roster, or potentially become a trade candidate if the Blue Jays are willing to retain some of the $17 million remaining on the contract.

For the Blue Jays, this move creates options. They didn't need the roster spot today, but the Blue Jays are clearly going to add more to their roster. With the additions of Ponce and Dylan Cease to the starting rotation, it has pushed some of the other potential starting options (Eric Lauer, maybe Jose Berrios) into potential bullpen roles to begin the season.

As of now, the Blue Jays bullpen looks like:

RHP - Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia, Louis Varland, Braydon Fisher, Tommy Nance, Jose Berrios
LHP - Brendon Little, Eric Lauer

This list doesn’t include names like Mason Fluharty, Justin Bruihl, and Paxton Schultz, all of which helped the Blue Jays at various points in 2025.

One silver lining of Rodriguez’s situation is the potential opportunity to be a starting pitcher again. Behind Berrios and Lauer, the Jays' starting pitching depth includes: Ricky Tiedemann, Bowden Francis, Lazaro Estrada, and Adam Macko, with Gage Stanifer not far behind. Rodriguez has the chance to spend most of the season in Buffalo, and if things go well for him, he can force his way back onto the roster.

How his story unfolds remains to be seen. Maybe he returns to the bullpen and regains his early-season form, maybe he converts to a starter and something clicks for him, maybe his best success will come outside of the Blue Jays organization. Situations like this can still pay off. Myles Straw was in a similar situation in Cleveland before the Blue Jays made a trade, and Straw was a key part of the Jays' success in 2025.  Whether or not that happens in Toronto, I doubt we’ve seen the last of Yariel Rodriguez.

As for the team, this move adds another layer of intrigue. They’ve already made two impact signings to the rotation, and with the winter meetings arriving, clearing a spot on the 40-man roster may be a sign that something else may be coming. One thing is for sure: the Blue Jays certainly aren’t afraid to make some challenging decisions, as they look to find the pieces to push the team to baseball glory. 

View full article