Leo Morgenstern

There has been a lot of Toronto Blue Jays news over the past couple of days, so instead of writing separate notes for each item, I decided to combine them all in one piece. Here's what's been going on with the Blue Jays lately (besides the fact that they've lost five straight). Max Scherzer Exits With Forearm Tendinitis Max Scherzer left his second start of the season on Monday after just two innings. He had only thrown 36 pitches, but his velocity was down, and his stuff looked notably worse than it did in his outing against the Rockies. The 41-year-old was later revealed to be dealing with forearm tendinitis. Thankfully, the Jays don't seem overly concerned about Scherzer right now. Indeed, a short outing was supposedly always the plan; the veteran first felt discomfort following his start against Colorado. He is not expected to miss his next turn in the rotation. That's great news for a Blue Jays team that is running dangerously low on healthy starting pitching. IL Stint a Possibility for Addison Barger Right fielder Addison Barger sat out Toronto's first game against the Dodgers last night after injuring both of his ankles in the White Sox series. While John Schneider said Barger is making progress in his recovery, he may need more than a day or two to regain full strength. In that case, the Blue Jays could place Barger on the 10-day injured list, and recent trade acquisition Tyler Fitzgerald is the most likely candidate to replace him on the roster. Barger is just 1-for-19 this season with a double, three walks, and six strikeouts. Tyler Fitzgerald Reports to Triple-A Buffalo The Blue Jays acquired utility player Tyler Fitzgerald from the Giants over the weekend in exchange for cash. Fitzgerald enjoyed a strong, out-of-nowhere breakout in 2024, slugging 15 home runs and reaching 3.0 fWAR in just 96 games. However, he fell back down to earth in 2025 and failed to break camp with San Francisco this season. The Giants designated him for assignment last Monday. The righty-batting Fitzgerald has an option remaining, which could help him stick on the Jays' 40-man roster, given the organization's lack of MLB-ready infield depth. He is primarily a shortstop and second baseman, though he has experience at every position except for catcher. Alejandro Kirk Is Having Thumb Surgery Toronto's catcher will have surgery to repair his fractured thumb today. This confirms what we essentially already knew: Alejandro Kirk will miss several weeks at a minimum. However, the Jays will wait until after his procedure to provide a timeline. Austin Voth DFA'd, Josh Fleming Selected Prior to Monday's series opener against L.A., Toronto DFA'd right-hander Austin Voth and replaced him in the bullpen with southpaw Josh Fleming. Voth made one appearance for the Jays, tossing 2.2 innings against the White Sox. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he will most likely elect free agency. Fleming threw three much-needed innings against the Dodgers yesterday after Scherzer exited early, though he gave up four runs on six hits and just one strikeout. While he wasn't the only pitcher on the team to be shelled by the Dodgers' offense, he certainly didn't help his chances to stick in the big league bullpen for long. View full article

The Blue Jays made a handful of transactions before their game this afternoon. Seeking a shot in the arm for the bullpen, they selected the contracts of Joe Mantiply and Austin Voth from the Buffalo Bisons. To make room for Mantiply and Voth on the 40-man roster, the Jays moved Anthony Santander and Cody Ponce to their 60-day IL. Neither of those moves was unexpected; both Santander and Ponce are expected to miss significantly more than 60 days recovering from their respective injuries. Meanwhile, to free up space in the big league bullpen, Toronto sent Brendon Little and Lazaro Estrada down to Triple-A Buffalo. Estrada got the call to the majors when Ponce hit the IL. He threw four scoreless, hitless innings yesterday, striking out three and walking two. His option has nothing to do with his performance; the Jays simply want as many fresh arms in their bullpen as possible, and Estrada won't be available for several days after throwing 66 pitches on Saturday. As for Little, his situation is a little more complicated. He's given up 11 runs (10 earned) on three home runs in five appearances this season. Of course, this demotion doesn't mean the Blue Jays are giving up on him after a few rough appearances. Rather, he was one of only a few relievers in Toronto's bullpen with a minor league option remaining. Given his struggles, it made perfect sense to give him a brief break in the minors to reset while simultaneously opening up a bullpen spot for a more rested arm. Mantiply and Voth both signed minor league contracts with Toronto this offseason. Mantiply is coming off a rough year in 2025, but the southpaw was a key player in the Diamondbacks' bullpen from 2021-24. Voth has experience as both a starter and a reliever, and he's coming off a successful year in NPB. The Jays will presumably look to him for length. View full rumor

Patrick Corbin and the Toronto Blue Jays have come to terms on a one-year, $1 million contract. Corbin can earn an additional $1 million in incentives. The left-hander will head to Single-A Dunedin to ramp up after missing spring training. Corbin, 36, threw 155.1 innings for the Texas Rangers in 2025, pitching to a 4.40 ERA and 4.75 xERA. While it's been years since he was more than an innings eater, he has been one of the game's more durable arms over the past decade. Toronto signed Corbin in the wake of a serious injury to Cody Ponce, who sprained his ACL during his Blue Jays debut. While the team once seemed to have a surplus of starters, they're now facing a shortage in the rotation. Corbin won't be ready to help out right away, but the Jays clearly understand that there's no such thing as too much starting pitching. View full rumor

Moments before the White Sox walked off the Blue Jays on Friday, Alejandro Kirk exited after taking a foul tip off his left thumb. The All-Star catcher went for X-rays, and the team will presumably provide an update on Saturday. It's not yet clear if Kirk will need to miss time, but if he does, it will be a huge blow to both Toronto's offense and defense. Tyler Heineman has been more than capable as Kirk's backup, and Brandon Valenzuela should be ready for his first taste of the majors, but Kirk is a middle-of-the-order bat and one of the best defensive catchers in the game. The Blue Jays are already dealing with a depleted starting rotation, and losing a talented game-caller and pitch-framer like Kirk would only exacerbate any problems the pitching staff might have. View full rumor

Yeah, those cancelled each other out. The compensation pick for losing Bichette would have been No. 136. And that would have been Toronto's fifth-highest pick.

The Toronto Blue Jays won't have a ton to work with during the 2026 MLB Draft. Of course, that's for the best of reasons. As the 2025 AL pennant winners, the Jays were originally slated to make their first pick in the 29th slot. However, because their luxury tax payroll was more than $40 million above the CBT threshold last season, their first pick dropped down 10 spots to 39th overall. As MLB revealed on Wednesday, the 39th overall pick this summer has a slot value of $2,571,700. That's $698,500 less than the 29th overall pick ($3,270,200) and, just for context, $8,778,900 less than the first overall pick ($11,350,600), which belongs to the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays sacrificed their second-highest selection by signing a free agent who received the qualifying offer (Dylan Cease) this past winter. So, after picking 39th overall, they won't have another chance until pick No. 103 (slot vlaue $762,900). Toronto Blue Jays 2026 Draft Order and Slot Values Here's when the Blue Jays will make their picks through the first 10 rounds of the draft, along with the slot value for each of those picks: No. 39: $2,571,700 No. 103: $762,900 No. 131: $581,100 No. 164: $421,300 No. 193: $330,300 No. 222: $262,300 No. 252: $219,500 No. 282: $202,100 No. 312: $191,900 Picks from the 11th to 20th rounds are governed by a slightly different system. A player drafted between rounds 11 and 20 can sign for as much as $150,000 without counting toward his new team's bonus pool. Any amount over $150,000 will count toward the bonus pool. Players taken in the first 10 rounds can also sign for more than their assigned slot value, but teams cannot spend more than the value of their bonus pool (the combined slot value of their top 10 picks) without facing harsh penalties. That means that to sign one player to an "over-slot" bonus, a team must sign at least one other player to an "under-slot" bonus – unless that team is willing to pay a high overage tax and possibly sacrifice future draft selections. If a player does not sign at all, his slot value is subtracted from the bonus pool of the team that drafted him. The Blue Jays will have a $5,543,100 bonus pool at their disposal this year. That's the second-lowest bonus pool in the draft, ahead of only the Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,951,900). The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest bonus pool at $19,130,700, while the Tampa Bay Rays have the largest bonus pool in the AL at $19,009,300. Elsewhere in the AL East, the Orioles have a $13,114,000 pool, the Red Sox an $8,219,200 pool, and the Yankees a $7,342,800 pool. In 2025, the Blue Jays had the eighth overall pick in the draft and a $10,314,600 bonus pool to work with. They signed 18 of their 19 picks, including first-rounder JoJo Parker ($6,200,000 bonus). The year before, Toronto had the 20th pick in the first round and an $8,987,000 bonus pool. Their top selection was Trey Yesavage ($4,177,500 bonus), and they also signed third-rounder Johnny King well over-slot ($1,247,500 bonus, $767,200 slot value). All told, the Jays came to terms with 19 of their 21 selections in 2024. Although slot values are up by 2.5% compared to 2025, the Blue Jays' high payroll and high finish last season (plus their signing of Cease) mean they'll have less to spend than in recent years. I doubt anyone is complaining, considering why the team is in this position, but it could make this summer's draft a little less exciting than we've come to expect. The front office will have to work a little harder and a little smarter if the Jays are going to strike gold. View full article

Update (Tuesday, March 31): Ponce has been diagnosed with a right ACL sprain, the team told reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson). It’s not yet clear if it’s a full or partial tear, but the righty will miss a good chunk of time either way. It’s possible his season is already over, though manager John Schneider isn’t giving up hope for Ponce’s 2026 campaign quite yet. Monday, March 30: Cody Ponce had to be carted off the field on Monday night. The right-hander was less than three innings into his Blue Jays debut when he hurt his leg fielding an infield groundball. He fell to the ground and needed a medical cart to exit the field. Before he left, Ponce struck out three Rockies batters and generated 15 swings and misses. He averaged 95.9 mph on his four-seam fastball, topping out at 97.1 mph. His slider was his best weapon, earning eight whiffs on 10 swings. For now, the injury has been labelled right knee discomfort. While the Blue Jays likely won't have a more meaningful update until Ponce can go for imaging, an IL stint seems more than possible. Four of Toronto's starters – Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, José Berríos, and Bowden Francis – are already on the injured list. The next man up could be Adam Macko or Lazaro Estrada for a spot start, though the Jays can get by without a fifth starter until April 8. View full rumor

After almost nine years in Toronto's organization, Leo Jiménez is heading to Miami. Jiménez made a valiant effort to break camp with the Blue Jays, but ultimately, he failed to make the Opening Day roster. As he was out of options, the team had no choice but to designate him for assignment. On Sunday, the Marlins decided to take a chance on the 24-year-old infielder, sending a 23-year-old infielder (and $250,000 of international bonus pool money) to the Blue Jays in return. Miami selected Dub Gleed in the ninth round of the 2024 draft, and he made his affiliated debut in 2025. He rose through the Marlins' system quickly, finishing his season with one game at Triple-A Jacksonville. The corner infielder walked almost as often as he struck out, helping him post a 124 wRC+ across four levels. View full rumor

Haha… I can’t say I like Sam’s prediction either. But — as much as I hate to say it — I think it is probably more realistic than some of the most optimistic predictions in this piece.

The Blue Jays have named the 26 players who will make up their active roster when their season starts on Friday, March 27. The biggest surprise, if you can call it that, is that Rule 5 draft pick Spencer Miles has earned a spot in the bullpen over the more experienced Chase Lee. Meanwhile, the other notable (though even less surprising) piece of news is that Leo Jiménez failed to earn a spot on the 26-man roster and thus was designated for assignment. As expected, Angel Bastardo, another Rule 5 pick, was also DFA'd. Here is Toronto's official Opening Day roster, listed by position and in alphabetical order: Pitchers Dylan Cease Braydon Fisher Mason Fluharty Kevin Gausman Jeff Hoffman Eric Lauer Brendon Little Spencer Miles Tommy Nance Cody Ponce Tyler Rogers Max Scherzer Louis Varland Catchers Tyler Heineman Alejandro Kirk Infielders Ernie Clement Andres Gimenez Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kazuma Okamoto Outfielders Addison Barger Nathan Lukes Jesus Sanchez Davis Schneider George Springer Myles Straw Daulton Varsho Rehabbing pitchers Shane Bieber, Yimi García, José Berríos, and Trey Yesavage have all been placed on the 15-day IL, while injured outfielder Anthony Santander has been placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to March 22). They join Bowden Francis, who landed on the 60-day IL back in February. View full rumor

On Saturday morning, Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed his starting rotation to begin the 2026 season. As we already knew, Kevin Gausman will take the ball on Opening Day against the Athletics. He will be followed by Dylan Cease and Eric Lauer to close out the first series of the year. After that, when the Jays welcome the Rockies to the Rogers Centre, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer will take the bump for the first two games, before (presumably) handing the ball back to Gausman. At one point, it seemed like Toronto had too many good starting pitchers to choose from. Yet, in the end, the Blue Jays and Schneider didn't have any difficult decisions to make. Shane Bieber, José Berríos, and Trey Yesavage will all begin the season on the IL, leaving five starters left for five jobs. View full rumor

Jays Centre is counting down the top 50 Blue Jays in franchise history. Check out prior entries in the series here: Introduction 50 to 46 45 to 41 This next installment of our top 50 countdown includes a couple of All-Star second basemen and a pair of mustachioed, high-volume hurlers. But before we get to those guys, let’s kick things off with the most recent Blue Jay to win the Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. No. 40: Adam Lind 2006-2014 DH/1B/LF Blue Jays stats: 953 games, 146 home runs, 519 RBI, 111 wRC+, 6.9 fWAR Accolades: Silver Slugger, Edgar Martínez Award Designated hitters were a huge part of the Blue Jays’ success in 1992 and ‘93, when future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor won back-to-back Outstanding DH Awards for their work in the heart of Toronto’s lineup. In the 30-plus years since, only one other Blue Jay has taken home that prize: Adam Lind. Lind was phenomenal in his first full campaign, hitting 35 home runs and driving in 114 for the 2009 Jays. He finished the year with a 140 wRC+, earning the Edgar Martínez Award, a Silver Slugger, and some down-ballot votes for AL MVP. The highlights of his season were an 18-10 Blue Jays victory over the Rangers, in which Lind hit two homers (including a grand slam) and drove in eight, and a three-homer performance in an 8-7 win over the Red Sox in his final game of the year. Lind never quite rediscovered that 2009 magic, but he finished his Blue Jays career on another high note, batting .301 with 29 homers, 107 RBI, and a 136 wRC+ in 239 games from 2013-14. After the 2014 season, the Jays traded Lind to the Brewers for Marco Estrada (who came in at No. 47 on our list). All in all, Lind spent nine years with Toronto. He ranks 15th in plate appearances as a Blue Jay (3,726) and 10th in home runs (146). According to wRC+, his 2009 season was one of the top 30 offensive campaigns in team history. No. 39: David Wells 1987-92, 1999-2000 LHP Blue Jays stats: 306 games, 138 starts, 18 complete games, 13 saves, 784 strikeouts, 19.1 fWAR Accolades: All-Star, AL wins leader, World Series champion David “Boomer” Wells spent eight of his 21 big league seasons in Toronto, pitching for the Blue Jays from 1987-92 and again from 1999-2000. While he would eventually gain a reputation as a workhorse starting pitcher, he could never quite secure a starting role in his first go-round with the Jays. Following a phenomenal breakout season in relief in 1989 (86.1 IP, 2.40 ERA), Wells would get his first real chance as a starter in 1990. Over the next three years, he bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, pitching 507.1 innings and starting in just over half of his appearances. He pitched quite well from 1990-91, but a high BABIP and low strand rate caused him trouble in 1992. Despite the 4.1 scoreless innings he threw in October, the Jays released him the subsequent spring. Fresh off an excellent 1998 – in which he threw a perfect game and won a World Series with the Yankees – Wells came back to Toronto, as part of the package that sent Roger Clemens to the Yankees. Firmly a starter now, Wells made 69 starts for the Jays from 1999-2000, the exact same number he made over six years in his first stint with Toronto. His 2000 season was arguably the best of his career. He earned an All-Star nod, led the AL in wins, and finished third in Cy Young voting. According to FanGraphs WAR, it stands as the best season by a Blue Jays pitcher not named Clemens or Halladay. Only eight pitchers have started more career games for Toronto than Wells, and only six have thrown more innings. His 784 strikeouts rank eighth, his 19.1 fWAR ranks seventh, and his 84 wins rank sixth. No. 38: Aaron Hill 2005-11 2B Blue Jays stats: 875 games, 881 hits, 436 runs, 92 wRC+, 44 DRS, 12.4 fWAR Accolades: All-Star, Silver Slugger, Comeback Player of the Year Aaron Hill first made a name for himself as a defense-first second baseman. Then, established himself as a core player for the Blue Jays when he proved he could make an impact at the plate in 2007. While a nasty concussion ruined his 2008 campaign, Hill was better than ever in 2009. He made the All-Star team that summer and won a Silver Slugger in the fall. His 36 home runs and 108 RBI led all second basemen. It was a remarkable performance following such a scary season-ending injury the year before. Hill became the first Blue Jays player to win the AL Comeback Player of the Year, and he remains the only Blue Jay to ever take home the prize. Ultimately, much of what Hill accomplished in his Blue Jays career was in those two seasons. Still, he ranks among the team’s top 20 in plate appearances, hits, and runs scored. According to DRS, he is also one of Toronto’s best defensive players of the 21st century. No. 37: Damaso Garcia 1980-86 2B Blue Jays stats: 902 games, 1,028 hits, 453 runs, 194 stolen bases, 85 wRC+, 8.7 fWAR Accolades: Two-time All-Star, Silver Slugger From a modern-day perspective, the numbers don’t paint a particularly rosy picture of Damaso Garcia's tenure with the Blue Jays. While he made two All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger, and even earned a couple of down-ballot MVP votes, he never had a season with an OPS or wRC+ above league-average. What is undeniable, however, is that Garcia was a threat on the bases. His 194 steals rank third in Blue Jays history (just don’t think much about the fact that his 86 caught stealings are tied for first). It is also undeniable that Garcia was essential to the Blue Jays forming their identity in the 1980s. By the time he was traded in 1987, he ranked third in team history in games played and runs scored; he was first in hits and stolen bases. Even now, only nine players have more hits in a Blue Jays uniform, and Garcia remains one of only five to have stolen 50-plus bases in a season. No. 36: Doyle Alexander 1983-1986 RHP Blue Jays stats: 106 games, 750 innings, 25 complete games, 392 strikeouts, 3.56 ERA, 11.2 fWAR The definition of a journeyman, Doyle Alexander had already switched teams seven times before he landed with Toronto in his 13th big league season. He was coming off an especially poor performance with the Yankees, but the Blue Jays believed he could bounce back – and they were right. The Jays won their first division title in 1985, and you’ll find all five members of their 1985 starting rotation on our top 50 list. Alexander didn’t stick around as long as Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Jim Clancy, or even Luis Leal, but he certainly made his mark in the years he spent with the club. Through parts of four seasons, Alexander pitched 750 innings (17th in team history), won 46 games (18th), and racked up 11.2 fWAR (15th). His two full seasons with the Blue Jays (1984 and ‘85) were arguably the best of his career. He earned down-ballot MVP support both years and finished sixth in Cy Young voting in 1985. View full article

John Scott, Héctor Torres, Doug Ault, Otto Vélez, Gary Woods, Steve Bowling, Pedro García, Dave McKay, and Rick Cerone. That was Toronto’s lineup on April 7, 1977. Bill Singer took the mound at Exhibition Stadium to throw the first pitch in team history. By the end of nine innings, the Blue Jays’ motley crew had beaten the White Sox 9-5. Forty-nine years, 27 winning seasons, 11 playoff berths, seven division titles, three AL pennants, and two World Series championships later, we’ve seen 556 players step to the plate with a bluebird on their uniform. We’ve seen 529 throw a pitch. Those players have combined for 113 All-Star selections, 33 Silver Sluggers, 31 Gold Gloves, five Cy Youngs, two Rookies of the Year, and two MVPs. They include eight league-leaders in ERA, give home run kings, and one batting champ. In total, nearly 1,000 players have suited up for the Blue Jays. I’m sure you remember a lot of them, and I’m sure there are many more you don’t. Over the next two weeks, Jays Centre will shine a spotlight on some of the most iconic names in franchise history. To celebrate the 50th season of Blue Jays baseball, we’re counting down the top 50 Blue Jays of all time. Starting tomorrow, we’ll write about five players each day, starting with numbers 50 to 46 and finishing with our top five the day before Opening Day. To put this ranking together, I asked our writers to each submit their own top 50 list. The task was simple, and the criteria purposefully vague. As I told the writers, “Performance, longevity, personality, awards, championships… however you weigh all the factors is up to you.” That means the top 50 list you’re going to see on our site isn’t any one person’s ranking. It’s a composite of opinions from a group of writers with a wide variety of perspectives. With that in mind, I urge our readers, just as I urged our writers, not to worry too much about any one player’s exact placement. Our final list, for instance, has Joe Carter well ahead of Paul Molitor, but I wouldn’t be mad at all if it were the other way around. The way I see it, the real point of this exercise is to celebrate 50 great ballplayers, not to fight about which of them was a little bit greater than another. Having said that, I should acknowledge some names you won’t see on our top 50. For one, I asked our staff not to include Roberto Alomar in their individual rankings. The Blue Jays cut ties with Alomar in 2014, the same year he was added to Major League Baseball’s permanently-ineligible list. If the Blue Jays have no interest in celebrating their former second baseman, Jays Centre doesn’t need to either. The other notable name you won’t be seeing is Roger Clemens. I didn’t make a hard and fast rule about Clemens like I did Alomar, but some writers chose to leave him off their lists. Those who included him ranked him low enough that he didn’t end up making the cut when I averaged everything together. Clemens would be hard enough to rank from the numbers alone. He was only with the Jays for two playoff-less seasons. Yet, you could make a case that his two seasons in Toronto were the two greatest single-season performances in team history. For those who care the most about peak greatness and individual accomplishments, there’s a case for Clemens to make the top 10. On the flip side, those who think a list like this should emphasize team success and longevity wouldn’t buy that case at all. More to the point, however, a ranking like this isn’t just about the numbers. Clemens has given us no shortage of reasons not to want to celebrate his on-field accomplishments. So, in the end, we won’t. With all that stuff I wish I didn’t have to write out of the way, I’d like to leave you with a teaser of what’s to come. You’ll have to check back tomorrow (and each of the next nine days after that) to find out who made our top 50, but this eccentric list of honourable mentions who didn’t make the cut might help you figure out who did. Frank Catalanotto Ernie Clement Alfredo Griffin Kelvim Escobar J.A. Happ Brandon Morrow Kevin Pillar Robbie Ray Ricky Romero Ed Sprague Jr. Dave Stewart Otto Velez View full article