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  • Toronto Blue Jays Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Toronto Blue Jays free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Leo Morgenstern
    Cole Carlon and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a contract with a $2.4 million bonus, according to a report from MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. The Jays took the left-hander with the No. 39 overall pick, which came with a slot value of $2,571,700. 
    According to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson, the Blue Jays are expected to use the money they saved on Carlon's underslot bonus to woo No. 131 overall pick Will Brick with an overslot offer. 
    You can read more about Carlon on Jays Centre at this link. You can also follow along with our Blue Jays Draft Tracker as the team comes to terms with more draft picks in the coming days.
    Leo Morgenstern
    No one knows how CBA negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA will affect the 2027 season. However, we now know what the schedule will look like, presuming no prolonged work stoppage. 
    The season will begin with one game on Wednesday, March 24. The teams for that game have not yet been announced. 
    Opening Day for the Blue Jays will be Thursday, March 25, 2027, unless they're chosen to play the day before. They will take on the Yankees in a three-game set in the Bronx, before travelling to Baltimore for a series with the Orioles. 
    The home opener is set for Friday, April 2, against the Mariners. 
    The Jays will be home for Canada Day (facing the Angels) before departing on a 10-game road trip heading into the All-Star break. The Midsummer Classic is scheduled for July 13 at Wrigley Field.
    Finally, the Blue Jays will end their 2027 regular season at home with series against the Yankees and Rays, wrapping up on September 26. You can find their full 2027 schedule here.
    Taylor Leonard
    With their pick in the fifth round of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays select right-handed pitcher Nolan Higgins. He is a senior at Michigan State, leading the team with a 3-4 record and 5.20 ERA. In addition, Higgins had a 12.4 strikeout rate in relief for the Spartans. Higgins’s fastball is normally around mid-90’s and his walk rate has decreased significantly from 5.4 in 2025 to 2.4 this season.
     
    Samuel Cozart
    The Toronto Blue Jays selected Will Brick at #131 in the 2026 MLB Draft. Brick is a catcher from Christian Brothers High School in Tennessee. The slot value for the pick is $581,100. Brick was ranked 50th on our MLB Draft Consensus Board. 
    Here’s what our write-up of Brick by DiamondCentric draft expert Jamie Cameron: 
    Brick is another reclass originally part of the 2027 draft class who is currently committed to Mississippi State. Prep catching (and catching in general) is notoriously difficult to prognosticate, but Brick has well-rounded skills and tools that give me a greater level of optimism than most prospects in this demographic. Hitting from the right side of the plate, Brick has a clean swing and put up some of the best bat speed numbers on the 2025 summer showcase circuit. While he hasn't accessed more than average in-game power yet, Brick's swing and frame have the ingredients to get there. This is supplemented by good bat-to-ball skills and a solid approach, a combination of offensive skills that may eventually get Brick to above-average hit and power tools. Defensively, he's a strong prospect. It's a massive arm, with additional skill (sub 1.9 pop times) in controlling the running game. His receiving game (and defense in general) is as praised as his leadership capabilities and other intangibles. Prep catching is not a demographic that inspires confidence, but Brick is one of the few I'd bet on to make an impact as a pro.
    Leo Morgenstern
    In a surprising move, the Blue Jays are trading right-handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Twins. ESPN's Alden Gonzalez was the first to report the trade.
    According to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, the Blue Jays will receive catching prospect Ryan Sprock in exchange for Nance.
    This news might concern Blue Jays fans with the implication that the team will be selling at the deadline. However, it's more likely that they simply got an offer that they decided was too good to pass up for a middle reliever who's out of options. If the Jays pursue bullpen upgrades later this month, there's a good chance Nance would have been out of a job anyway, and this move guarantees the Blue Jays don't lose him for nothing. 
    Matthew Lenz
    While the Toronto Blue Jays are not out of the playoff picture by any means, they could look to do a soft sell at the trade deadline and move some expiring contracts to retool for 2027.
    Daulton Varsho is one of those expiring contracts, and Chandler Rome of The Athletic is reporting that the "[Houston] Astros focus at the trade deadline is a left-handed hitting outfielder." If the Blue Jays don't find any prospects that strike their fancy, the Astros do have more left-handed relievers than one bullpen realistically needs. This could allow the Blue Jays to deal from the Major League roster while also bolstering another position group for a playoff push. However, their bullpen isn't necessarily in need of more southpaws, either.
    Varsho has been a little underwhelming this year, slashing .242/.309/.398 this year with just seven home runs and seven stolen bases across 79 games. 
     
     
     
    Do you think the Blue Jays should trade Varsho? Join the conversation in the comments!
     
    Steve Drumwright
    Despite a first half filled with struggles, the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays will have two players starting in the All-Star Game. Two pitchers are going, too.
    With second baseman Ernie Clement having punched his ticket as the top vote-getter among AL players in the first round of voting, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was also voted in by the fans in results announced Saturday. Right-handed starter Dylan Cease and right-handed reliever Louis Varland were also named to the team.
    The All-Star Game is July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. While Guerrero is in for the sixth straight time, Clement, Cease and Varland are first-time All-Stars. Guerrero said he will sit out the game to rest his lower back, which has been hurting him.
    Jays manager John Schneider will manage the AL team.
    Clement, a Blue Jays fan favorite, entered Saturday with a slash line of .295/.319/.434 with seven homers and 29 RBIs. He leads the AL with 22 doubles.
    Guerrero has had a subpar first half with a slash line of .268/.349/.350 and just four homers and 35 RBIs. His career slash line is .287/.364/.484 and has hit at least 23 homers in the previous five seasons.
    Cease has a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts and 90⅓ innings with an 11% walk rate and career-best 36.7% strikeout rate.
     
    Varland, acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins and a key bullpen component as they made their World Series run, has a 0.96 ERA in 47 innings over 42 games. He has a 7.2% walk rate and career-best 35.9% strikeout rate.
    The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively.
    The 23 reserves, which includes 12 pitchers as that position is not up for voting, are selected by player voting and the Commissioner's Office, which ensures that each team has a representative in the game.
     
    Steve Drumwright
    The Toronto Blues are going to have to make do without George Springer for a few days. For a good reason.
    The Jays on Wednesday placed the designated hitter on the paternity list and called up outfielder Jonatan Clase from Triple-A Buffalo.
    Springer, who is slashing .221/.308/.373 this year, is allowed to be away from the team for up to three days for the birth of a child.
    Clase is up with the Jays for the first time this season. At Triple-A, the switch-hitter was slashing .223/.321/.359 with five homers, 23 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 53 games. He has appeared in 60 games with the Jays over the last two seasons with a .224/.294/.311 slash line, hitting three homers and driving in 14.
     
    Leo Morgenstern
    Rosters for the 2026 All-Star Futures Game were announced this morning. Two Blue Jays will represent the American League in the exhibition matchup: shortstop JoJo Parker and right-handed pitcher Nolan Perry. 
    Parker was Toronto's first-round pick last summer. He is Jays Centre's No. 1 prospect and is widely considered a top-100 prospect in the sport. In his first professional season, he has an .853 OPS and a 129 wRC+ in 64 games with Single-A Dunedin.
    Perry, a 12th-round pick in 2022, is enjoying a breakout campaign. The righty has already been promoted twice this season, and he recently shot up to No. 8 on our latest prospect ranking update. In 54.2 innings with Dunedin, Vancouver, and New Hampshire, he has 85 strikeouts and a 2.47 ERA.
    This year's Futures Game will take place on Sunday, July 12 in Philadelphia. 
    Steve Drumwright
    The call-up of Sean Keys is official, but it comes at the same time as a key injury.
    The Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday selected the contract of Keys, a corner infielder, from Triple-A Buffalo so he can make his MLB debut. The Jays also called up outfielder Yohendrick Pinango from Buffalo, while placing outfielder Jesus Sanchez on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle and optioning outfielder Davis Schneider to Triple-A.
    Room on the 40-man roster for Keys was made Friday with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson being designated for assignment. The news of Keys' promotion broke Friday. He has hit 21 homers this season between Double-A and Triple-A.
    Sanchez's injury is new, however. He left Friday's 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers as he smacked into the wall while backtracking to catch a fly ball to end the seventh inning. Sanchez, acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Houston Astros, has been a key part of the Jays' offense and is slashing .274/.316/.437 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in 73 games.
    Pinango is up with the Jays for the third time this season. He has a .283/.331/.433 slash line in 43 games, hitting four homers and driving in 18.
    Schneider is back in Buffalo for the second time this season. He was initially sent down to try and straighten out his lack of offense, but was needed back up due to an injury. Schneider has put up a .222/.241/.519 slash line with two homers and four RBIs in 11 games since returning, improving his overall numbers to .153/.282/.296 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 49 games.
     
     
    Steve Drumwright
    Despite not allowing a run, Simeon Woods Richardson's stay with the Toronto Blue Jays didn't last very long.
    The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Friday to make room for left-handed reliever Adam Macko.
    Woods Richardson, acquired June 3 from the Minnesota Twins for cash after being DFA'd, made three relief appearances for the Jays, throwing 10 scoreless innings while allowing four hits and seven walks with five strikeouts. The walks could have been a contributing factor to Woods Richardson being DFA'd by the Jays.
    With the Twins, Woods Richardson had a 6.17 FIP (7.74 ERA) in 10 starts and two relief appearances covering 47⅔ innings with an 11% walk rate and 11.5% strikeout rate. His walk rate with the Jays in the small sample size was 18.4%, with his strikeout rate up a bit to 13.2%.
    Macko gives the Jays a much-needed second left-hander in the bullpen next to Mason Fluharty. Macko is up for the second time this season after making his MLB debut in May. In 12 games, Macko has a 2.94 FIP (1.50 ERA) with a 4.2% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate over 12 innings.
     
    Steve Drumwright
    The Toronto Blue Jays are getting a power boost.
    Corner infielder Sean Keys, Jays Centre's No. 7 prospect, is reportedly being called up from Triple-A Buffalo to make his MLB debut. The move will be made before Saturday's game. Keys hit his 21st homer of the season Thursday for Buffalo. KEYS_VIDEO_0626.mp4
    That followed a two-homer game Wednesday. Keys now has seven homers since being called up from Double-A New Hampshire on June 5.
    Between the two stops, Keys is slashing .284/.409/.619 with 54 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 67 games. At Buffalo, he has a .281/.403/.719 slash line with 20 RBIs in 18 games.
    Keys was the Jays' fourth-round draft choice in 2024 out of Bucknell.
    Moves to accommodate Keys on the 26- and 40-man rosters will need to be made, much less where he fits into the Jays' lineup.
    Steve Drumwright
    After a long wait, Shane Bieber is back.
    The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner was activated off the 60-day injured list by the Toronto Blue Jays and will start Tuesday's game against the Houston Astros. To make room for Bieber, right-handed reliever Lazaro Estrada was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo and right-handed reliever Hayden Juenger was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
    Bieber has been out since spring training with inflammation in his right elbow. Bieber was acquired by the Jays at last year's trade deadline while he was on the injured list as he made his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2024. He made seven starts in the regular season, posting a 3.57 ERA in 40⅓ innings. In the postseason, he made four starts and came on in relief in Game 7 of the World Series, giving up the fateful homer to Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
    Estrada came off the 60-day IL himself Saturday following a right shoulder impingement and made one relief appearance, tossing 2⅓ innings, allowing a two-run homer vs. the Chicago Cubs on the day of his return.
    Juenger was called up May 30 to make his MLB debut, which happened the next day as he surrendered three runs on two hits and two walks in one inning. He made one more appearance June 3, a scoreless inning vs. Atlanta, before being sent down the next day.
     
    Steve Drumwright
    The Toronto Blue Jays are going with an extra infielder rather than a bonus outfielder.
    Infielder Luis Urias had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo by the Jays on Monday, with outfielder Yohendrick Pinango sent back to Buffalo. Urias was just acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash.
    Urias had yet to play a game with Buffalo after appearing in 27 games at Triple-A with the D'backs where he had a .361/.393/.546 slash line with three home runs and 19 RBIs. He played in the World Baseball Classic for Mexico, but started the season on the injured list.
    He was with the A's last season, playing in 96 games and slashing .230/.315/.338 with eight homers and 25 RBIs.
    Pinango was in his second call-up this year after making his MLB debut in late April. Between the two stints, he has been a very nice contributor with a .283/.331/.433 slash line with four homers and 18 RBIs in 43 games.
    Steve Drumwright
    The Toronto Blue Jays have more infield depth.
    The Jays on Saturday acquired infielder Luis Urias from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a cash trade. Urias was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. He had been with Triple-A Reno for the D'backs.
    Urias, 29, signed a minor-league contract with the D'backs in March, but began the season on the seven-day injured list after playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. He came back in early May, slashing .361/.393/.546 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 27 games.
    He last appeared in MLB last season, playing in 96 games with the A's and posting a .230/.315/.338 slash line with eight homers and 25 RBIs. He has a career mark of .231/.329/.378 over eight seasons.
     
     
    Steve Drumwright
    The Toronto Blue Jays have one of their key offensive pieces back.
    Center fielder Daulton Varsho was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday by the Blue Jays, who also got right-handed reliever Lazaro Estrada back from the 60-day IL. Second baseman Charles McAdoo and left-handed reliever Brendon Little were optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make room.
    Varsho missed the minimum time due to inflammation in his left wrist. Varsho is slashing .256/.331/.408 with five homers and 17 RBIs this season.
    Estrada has been out since April 5 with a right shoulder impingement. He had made one appearance, going four scoreless innings, not allowing a hit while walking a pair and striking out three. He has been on a rehab assignment the last three weeks.
    McAdoo made his MLB debut by appearing in eight games, going 4-for-25 with a homer and three RBIs.
    Little was called up Friday and pitched one inning in the Jays' 16-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He allowed four runs on two hits and three walks with one strikeout.
     
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