Jump to content
Click here to check out our updated free agents rankings, now up to 150 players and sortable by position! ×
Jays Centre
  • Create Account

  • Toronto Blue Jays Trade & Free Agent Rumors

    Follow the latest Toronto Blue Jays trade and free agent rumors, along with quick notes on the big league club, the minor leagues and the draft.
    Show all categories
    Simon Li
    Right-hand reliever Ryan Burr pitched just two innings for the Jays' major league team before going back on the injured list. The righty didn't allow a run, struck out three batters, and sat 93.9 mph on his fastball during his short stint this season. Burr was projected to be one of the Jays' best relievers during preseason projections, and he also pitched to a 4.13 ERA/3.07 FIP in 2024 while accumulating 0.5 fWAR in 32 1/3 IP, so this is a blow to the depth charts for the Jays. Burr already went on the IL for a shoulder issue during spring training with shoulder tendinitis, so his going back on the IL for a right shoulder rotator cuff strain is also concerning.
    To replace him is 34-year-old right-hander Tommy Nance, who also pitched in the Jays' bullpen during the end of the season after being traded from the Padres for cash in a minor league trade. Nance pitched well enough, with a 4.09 ERA/3.98 FIP in 22 innings pitched, but was designated for assignment in spring training after not making the opening day roster. Nance has pitched 31 1/3 innings in Buffalo, where he has a 4.60 ERA, but a 2.63 FIP, striking out 31.3% of the batters he faced and only walking 5.2%. Nance will help shore up a bullpen that has had little rest recently, and with his two strong breaking balls, should be effective enough in middle relief. 
    Brock Beauchamp
    Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has earned yet another All‑Star starting nod as the American League’s first baseman, marking his fifth All‑Star selection and fourth time chosen as a starter, leading all AL first basemen in fan voting with just shy of 1.2 million votes. 
    Guerrero Jr. is hitting .278/.383/.446 with 12 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 54 runs scored across 85 games. Statcast metrics underline his elite contact: a 53.4% hard‑hit rate, .362 wOBA, and .415 xwOBA.
    Fresh off signing his new 14-year, $500 million contract in April, Guerrero Jr. will represent the Jays once again in the Midsummer Classic. The All-Star Game is scheduled on July 15 in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Matthew Lenz
    The Atlanta Braves are potential sellers at the upcoming trade deadline, though currently sit just six games back of a spot in the National League Wild Card race.
    Of the names that could be dealt, Buster Olney of ESPN is reporting that designated hitter Marcell Ozuna "is included in a lot of trade speculation". With Anthony Santander's slow start and injured shoulder, the Toronto Blue Jays could benefit from adding Ozuna to their lineup.
    Currently, outfielder George Springer has been manning DH in Santander's absence. He's been very productive at the plate with an .820 OPS and 11 home runs, resulting in a 131 wRC+. While he no longer grades out as a plus outfielder, he could move back to the grass and provide serviceable defense with his glove to make room for at-bats from Ozuna. However, this could create a bit of a logjam if Santander does return.
    Money and prospect capital could be another hindrance to acquiring Ozuna, who has a 126 wRC+ this season. The Blue Jays currently have the fourth highest payroll in baseball and are only $7.5 million under the CBT threshold. While Ozuna is set to be a free agent at seasons end, he would be owed a prorated amount of his $16 million 2025 salary. Moreover, the Blue Jays have a weak farm system limiting the caliber of player(s) they could add at the upcoming deadline.
    Do you think the Blue Jays should kick the tires on Ozuna? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired pitcher Robinson Piña of the Miami Marlins who will provide some depth - likely in a relief role, though he had the ability to start.
    Though he was recently DFA'd by the Marlins, Piña has been production as a starter for Triple-A Jacksonville. With the various injuries that have plagued the Blue Jays pitching staff, he'll be a versatile depth option when needed at the big-league level.
    In 13 appearances (11 starts), Piña has a 3.47 ERA, 3.73 FIP, and a 16% strikeout-minus-walk rate across 57 innings. Though he's been able to limit walks in 2025, command has traditionally been an issue for Piña capping his upside. If he can maintain that improvement, he could be a serviceable low- to medium- option out of the bullpen.
    This isn't a splashy move and the Blue Jays will need to bolster their 'pen for the playoff push. Who else should they target with trade deadline approaching? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    Max Scherzer looked great in Wednesday's game at Triple-A Buffalo. Through 4 1/3 innings the Blue Jays starting pitcher struck out eight batters in 75 pitches, including striking out the side in the second inning.
    According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, "If he can still give the Blue Jays a thumbs up in the morning without wincing, he’s expected to make his next start in the big leagues..."
    It's a welcome sight for the Blue Jays who have dealt with a variety of injuries on their pitching staff.
    Scherzer looked great in his first two starts with the team before his thumb began giving him issues. 
    Matthew Lenz
    Earlier this week, the Milwaukee Brewers moved starter Aaron Civale to the bullpen in favor of top prospect Jacob Misiorowski.
    The move has prompted the 30-year-old right hander to request a trade from the Brewers in hopes of remaining a starter with another team, according to Ken, Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.
    In five starts his season, Civale has a 4.29 ERA (4.30 FIP) and a mediocre 15.2% strikeout minus walk rate. He's been particularly susceptible to the long ball this season as he's given up five home runs across 22 innings pitched. Civale is making $8 million this season, which will be prorated based on his service time this season, and will be entering free agency at seasons end.
    He'd be a plenty serviceable arm for a Toronto Blue Jays rotation that has dealt with injuries this year, most notably to Max Scherzer.  For more information on Civale, check out this articles related to the news on our sister site, Brewer Fanatic.
    Do you think the Blue Jays should kick the tires on Civale? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Brock Beauchamp
    Blue Jays fans rejoice: oft-injured veteran starter Max Scherzer is throwing off a mound again and is well on the path to returning to a mound in Toronto.
    Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reported that Scherzer threw roughly half a simulated start in his next step to return to the Blue Jays. Scherzer injured his thumb in his first and only start on March 29 of the season.
    The Jays could use Scherzer's help to stabilize their rotation. Bowden Francis has an 18.00 ERA over his last two starts, going only five innings with four home runs allowed and seven walks.
    Matthew Lenz
    Baseball America has released their latest version of the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball. While the Toronto Blue Jays didn't have any players added to the list, they did have three players improve upon their previous rankings. Trey Yesavage jumped from #98 to #89, Ricky Tiedemann from #95 to #92, and Arjun Nimmala from #58 to #41.
    It's not noted how many prospects graduated from the May version of the rankings. 
    Yesavage has dominated Hi-A Vancouver in 10 starts posting a 2.17 ERA and a 34.4 K-BB rate. Nimmala is at the same level and experiencing similar success with a .902 OPS with nine home runs and five stolen bases. Tiedmann is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to come back sometime in 2025.
    When do you think Yesavage and/or Nimmala will be promoted to Double-A New Hampshire? Join the conversation in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    After the Toronto Blue Jays formalized their extension with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. earlier this week, it became unclear whether the team would be able to do the same with Bo Bichette. The 27-year-old shortstop is currently set to hit free agency at season's end and, despite an injury plagued 2024 that sapped his power, is expected to be one of the top commodities of the upcoming free agent class.
    On Wednesday, the Blue Jays General Manager provided some clarity via Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.
    This was something that was echoed by Bichette himself last season stating in part, "...my ultimate goal really is to play with Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.) forever, to win a championship with him and to do that with this organization..."
    Bichette has been one of the pillars for thr Blue Jays since playing in 159 games in 2021 after partial seasons in 2019 and 2020. He has a career .776 OPS with 93 home runs, 56 stolen bases, and plus defense at one the game's most premium positions. His success and popularity has garnered him two All-Star nods as well as MVP votes in three seasons.
    Do you think the Blue Jays should lock up Bichette ASAP or let him test free agency at season's end?
    Matthew Lenz
    MLB Insider and Broadcaster Mike Rodriguez is reporting that the Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr are "very close to finalizing a $500-million plus extension".
    It's been a roller coaster of an offseason for the Jays and their star corner infielder, but it looks like the ride is about to come to an end in the form of an extension.
    In his first seven games of the season, the slugger is slashing .222/.290/.333 with no home runs, three runs scored, and three runs batted in.
    Davy Andrews
    This morning, Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the Blue Jays had made another offer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Not much later, Héctor Gómez reported that the offer would be for 14 of 15 years and in the range of $550-600 million. The big question that has not yet been answered is how much deferred money the contract includes. That's important because it will determine the actual value of the deal. In the meantime, it looks like Guerrero's contract will remain top of mind throughout Opening Day.
    Matthew Lenz
    Alden González of ESPN is reporting that Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s asking price was "much less"  than the asking price of Juan Soto who netted a $765 million deal from the New York Mets earlier this offseason.
    This news comes two weeks after the deadline that Vlad Jr.'s camp established came and went without a deal. The 26-year-old now anticipates that he will reach free agency next year, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
    The most recent report adds that the ask was for the same number of years as Soto's contract (14) but that the total salary didn't reach $600 million. 
    Despite a very good bounce back campaign in 2024 that saw the slugger carry a .940 OPS with 30 home runs and 103 RBI's across 159 games, the Blue Jays may be smart to stand their ground. Not because Vlad's 2024 production is sustainable or repeatable, but because of Pete Alonso's 2024 free agent experience. The market for Alonso never really got "hot" relative to his level of production, which led to the masher going back to the Mets on a two-year, $54 million deal. Of course, he's four years older than Vlad Jr., but it still holds to reason that he Blue Jays might be better off seeing how his market plays out next offseason.
    Do you think Vlad's ask is too much or should the Blue Jays have signed him?
    Matthew Lenz
    We have more developments this morning related to the Toronto Blue Jays offseason. Yesterday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today said that the Jays are "still interested" in Pete Alonso. Now, Héctor Gómez is reporting that they have a three-year offer out to him and a six-year offer out to Alex Bregman.
    The fit would be interesting if both players were to accept. Adding Alonso would push Vladimir Guerrero Jr over to the hot corner. Alex Bregman has stated that he is open to playing second base, but the Jays have newly acquired Andrés Giménez at the Keystone. As of now, Will Wagner is penciled in as the teams designed hitter, but he projects to be more of a bench bat than a full-time player. If Alonso and Bregman were to accept their respective deals, they could theoretically play a game of musical chairs at DH.
    While it would be interesting to see how that works out, it's a no brainer to add both if the Jays can pull that off.
    Matthew Lenz
    After the Toronto Blue Jays made a bit of a splash yesterday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today was quick to report that they are still interested in firsts baseman slugger Pete Alonso.
    Rumors from a week ago suggested that talks between the two parties were "advancing", but since then we haven't heard much of anything on how the talks were progressing. In fact, Nightengale more recently said Alonso returning to the New York Mets "seems almost inevitable."
    From an earlier rumor we posted: Alonso is open to a short-term deal as long as it includes opt outs and exceeds $23 million per year. How far north of $23 million Alonso and company want has not been made clear to this point, but MLB Trade Rumors suggest that the front loaded $80 million that Cody Bellinger received is the low bar to obtain Alonso's services.
    Jays24
    The Tigers, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are in the hunt to sign Bregman, who has a six-year, $156 million offer from the Astros on the table. The Astros have been trying to shed payroll to keep Bregman, will any other teams step up and beat their offer?
    https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/01/26/detroit-tigers-alex-bregman-rumors-tarik-skubal-jack-flaherty/77957308007/
×
×
  • Create New...