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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
    In addition to the arms on their official 30-man rosters, each country in the World Baseball Classic can name up to six pitchers to its Designated Pitcher Pool. These pitchers will be ready to serve as potential replacements in later rounds of the tournament.
    According to MLB.com's Michael Clair, "Teams can replace up to four pitchers following the first round and then up to two pitchers after the quarterfinal. These players can replace one of up to four arms that the team had previously marked as a potential substitute."
    Clair also published a list of all the known pitchers that have been included in their country's DPP. Team Canada was not included in the article, and it's unclear if that means Canada doesn't have a DPP or if it just hasn't been revealed yet. 
    However, three notable Blue Jays names appeared on the DPP lists: Jeff Hoffman (USA), Tyler Rogers (USA), and José Berríos (Puerto Rico). They could join the 12 other Blue Jays expected to participate in the WBC.
    Berríos was originally going to be on Puerto Rico's 30-man roster, but he was one of several players denied insurance coverage for the tournament. It isn't clear what his inclusion in the DPP means about his insurance status. 
    Leo Morgenstern
    Spring training is here! Well, sort of. It's pitchers and catchers day at the Blue Jays' spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida. Injury updates have already started rolling in, and, on a more positive note, pictures and videos of real-life baseball activities are coming soon. 
    All pitchers and catchers are expected to report to camp today, while any other position players participating in the World Baseball Classic will report tomorrow. The rest of the squad is expected to arrive no later than Monday, February 16. 
    Blue Jays photo day is scheduled for Friday, February 20 (new headshots to use in our articles, yay!), and the following day, the Jays will welcome the Phillies for the first game of spring training on Saturday, February 21 at 1:07 pm. That kicks off a stretch of 11 Grapefruit League games in 10 days, leading up to an exhibition match against Team Canada at 1:07 pm on Tuesday, March 3.
    Another date to keep on your calendar is Saturday, March 21, when a team of Blue Jays prospects will take on a team of Phillies prospects as part of the Spring Breakout weekend. The Phillies will host that contest at 1:05 pm in Clearwater.
    Finally, spring training will come to a close at the end of March. While 24 teams will play their Opening Day matchups on March 25 or 26, the Blue Jays are one of a handful of clubs waiting until Friday, March 27 to begin their regular season. Their first game will also be their home opener, as they take on the Athletics at 7:07 pm in Toronto.
    Leo Morgenstern
    Speaking to Sportnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith, Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said that the team is "not significantly" involved in the outfield market. This comes in light of the news that Anthony Santander could miss the next five to six months recovering from shoulder surgery. 
    While Santander's injury news was a shock, this update from Atkins isn't altogether surprising. The Blue Jays have no shortage of healthy outfielders on their 40-man roster, including Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, and Myles Straw.
    Varsho will be the everyday center fielder, with Straw as his backup. Manager John Schneider told Nicholson-Smith today that he expects Barger to get the majority of the reps in right field, while Lukes and Davis Schneider will platoon in left. The skipper also suggested that George Springer will be an option for the outfield as needed. 
    There will be a spot up for grabs on Toronto's bench, which could go to another outfielder (likely Joey Loperfido), but an infielder might make more sense. Leo Jiménez is already on the 40-man roster, while Josh Kasevich is another name to keep an eye on. One more player to follow will be outfielder RJ Schreck. He isn't on the 40-man, but Atkins told MLB.com's Keegan Matheson that he's particularly excited to watch Schreck in spring training.
    Leo Morgenstern
    The Blue Jays announced two more non-roster invitees to spring training over the weekend: Tanner Andrews and Nate Garkow. Inviting the pair of right-handers brings the team's NRI total up to 31.
    Andrews, 30, signed a minor league contract with Toronto in November. A 10th-round draft pick in 2018, he has played in the minors for the Marlins, Giants, and Twins. His 2025 season was successful, albeit brief; the righty pitched to a 3.78 ERA and 2.01 FIP in 16.2 innings with Minnesota's Double-A affiliate. From 2023-24, he posted a 6.36 ERA and 5.04 FIP in 109 Triple-A innings in the Giants organization.
    Garkow, 28, signed with the Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent in 2024. The right-hander has thrown a total of 77.2 innings between Single-A Dunedin, High-A Vancouver, and Double-A New Hampshire, putting up a 2.78 ERA and 2.72 FIP. He has struck out 38.1% of the batters he's faced in his two-year professional career. Garkow earned shoutouts as one of Jays Centre's Minor League Relievers of the Month in both July and August last season.
    Leo Morgenstern
    Last week, Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Toronto Blue Jays were interested in signing Framber Valdez, shortly before the All-Star left-hander inked a three-year, $115 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.
    After Valdez signed with Detroit, Heyman noted that Max Scherzer was "back on [Toronto's] radar." He also wondered if the Jays might pursue Zac Gallen or Chris Bassitt, though only the link to Scherzer was more than speculative. 
    Adding another starting pitcher would further complicate an already overcrowded rotation picture. The Blue Jays might have been willing to do that for Valdez, but none of Gallen, Bassitt, or Scherzer is the same calibre of pitcher. It's no guarantee any of them would be an upgrade over Toronto's internal options. 
    However, Scherzer has expressed a willingness to wait to sign until after Opening Day (per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal). So, at least it makes sense why the Jays are staying in touch with the three-time Cy Young winner. They might not have a job for him right now, but Scherzer could be a nice backup plan if any of Toronto's other starting pitchers suffer injuries in the next few months.
    Leo Morgenstern
    According to Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Toronto Blue Jays are one of "several teams" interested in free agent left-hander Framber Valdez. 
    Valdez, 32, has been one of the most consistent frontline starters in the league over the past six years, with a 3.23 ERA and an MLB-leading 73 wins since 2020. His 973 innings rank fifth among pitchers, while his 20.3 FanGraphs WAR ranks sixth. Without a doubt, Valdez is the top free agent left unsigned.
    There is no question that Valdez would make the Blue Jays better. Indeed, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported earlier this year that the Jays met with the southpaw at the GM Meetings in November, but that was before they signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract. They later signed Cody Ponce, creating a logjam in the rotation we've all been talking about ever since. 
    Presumably, Toronto's renewed interest in Valdez indicates that his asking price has dropped substantially. With a week to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, it's hard to believe he'll still be able to command the five-year, $150 million deal DiamondCentric expected him to sign earlier this winter.
    The Blue Jays might not really have room for Valdez, and he clearly wasn't their top priority, but if his price is low enough, Ross Atkins and John Schneider can figure out how to make it work. Valdez may be on the wrong side of 30, and the character concerns are well-founded, but he's also a multi-time All-Star with significant postseason experience. If this front office was willing to give Kyle Tucker a 10-year contract, there is surely a number at which they'd pull the trigger on Valdez. 
    Brock Beauchamp
    The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and we're looking to expand our video coverage. Have you ever considered being on-camera and talking about the Blue Jays? If yes, we'd love to talk to you about it.
    Our videos are typically in a wide variety of styles: breaking news, analysis, and historical study. We're open to any and all ideas as long as they're centered around the Toronto Blue Jays. We're looking for serious baseball talk, so leave the hot takes at home.
    If you'd like to learn more about this cool little side gig, please email Brock Beauchamp at brock.beauchamp@jayscentre.com.
    Here is an example of a recent Blue Jays video from us:
    Leo Morgenstern
    We'll never know exactly how much extra cash the Blue Jays brought in with their run to the World Series last fall. It's may not even be possible to put an exact number on it. Still, financial details have slowly emerged over the past few months.  
    Earlier in January, a report came out suggesting that Toronto's playoff run was worth "over $100 million" to the organization. Then, on Thursday, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri provided details about the company's fourth quarter earnings. 
    Rogers' media revenue over the final three months of 2025 was $1.24 billion. That's significantly more than twice their revenue from the last quarter of 2024 ($547 million). While note all of that can be attributed to the Blue Jays (Staffieri also credited increased revenue from Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which Rogers officially purchased an additional 37.5% stake in last summer. Still, it's clear that the Blue Jays pulled in an enormous amount of money over the 18 games they played in October. Hopefully, ownership will continue to invest that money back into the roster. 
    Staffieri also confirmed that Game 7 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers was "the most watched Rogers broadcast ever." In fact, it was "the most-watched broadcast in Canada’s history" outside of the 2010 Winter Olypmics. On top of the financial implications of the Blue Jays' national popularity, it's just plain exciting to think about how beloved this team can be when it's playing winning baseball.
    Featured image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    Last week, the Blue Jays announced the signings of 27 international free agents, including catcher Juan Caricote and outfielder Michael Mesa. On Tuesday, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi published a scouting report of several of those international signings, and his article also included further information about several of the players' signing bonuses.
    Initial reports from MLB.com and Baseball America offered slightly different bonus figures for both Caricote and Mesa. Davidi has Caricote's bonus at $1.95 million, in line with Baseball America's report, and Mesa's bonus at $800,000, in line with MLB.com's report. In addition, Davidi confirmed Aneudy Severino's previously reported $700,000 bonus – and that his name is spelled with a "y" at the end. (MLB.com and the announcement from the Blue Jays both spelled his name with an "i" instead.)
    Caricote, Mesa, and Severino received the three largest bonuses the Blue Jays awarded. Davidi also noted the bonuses for a handful of players whose contract details were previously unreported
    Right-hander Abrahan Diaz: $250,000  Shortstop Sebastian Casanova: $180,000 Shortstop Gabriel Porras: $70,000 These six known bonuses account for $3.95 million of Toronto's total $5.94 million bonus pool.
    Finally, Davidi confirmed that right-hander Alieski Torres ($200,000) and left-hander Celwin Hurkmans ($150,000) signed in December, so their bonuses count towards last year's international signing period bonus pool.
    For more details on all these players, I highly recommend checking out Davidi's piece (before coming back to discuss the Blue Jays' newest prospects in the comments below).
    Featured image courtesy of Denny Medley, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    Last week, the Toronto Blue Jays signed two more players to minor league contracts, as reflected by the MLB.com transaction tracker: right-handed pitcher Connor Seabold and catcher C.J. Stubbs.
    Seabold, 30, has pitched for the Red Sox, Rockies, Rays, and Braves, as well as the Samsung Lions of the KBO. He owns a 7.79 ERA and 5.22 xERA in 119 MLB innings from 2021-25. The righty has experience as both a starter and a reliever.
    Stubbs, 29, made his MLB debut last year after five-plus seasons in the minor leagues. He played in the Astros organization from 2019-24 before he was released and signed with the Nationals. It was with Washington that he finally played his first big league game, starting at catcher (and going 0-for-3) on September 1, 2025. He was optioned back to the minors the next day.
    Neither Seabold nor Stubbs is likely to play a significant role for Toronto in 2026, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Seabold appear out of the bullpen at some point during the year. As for Stubbs, he'll be more of an emergency backup to the backup (to the backup); his most important job will be as a veteran presence at Triple-A Buffalo.
    Featured image courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    According to reporter Francys Romero, the Toronto Blue Jays were among the teams "most closely monitoring" free agent Yoán Moncada's market before he ultimately re-signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Romero notes that the Pirates and Red Sox had also shown interest in the third baseman. 
    About a month ago, Romero reported that Toronto had expressed "early interest" in Moncada. However, that was before they signed Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million deal. Like Moncada, Okamoto's primary position is third base. 
    Moncada, 30, played in 84 games for the Angels in 2025. He hit .234 with 12 home runs and an 11.1% walk rate, finishing with a 117 wRC+. Thumb and knee injuries cut into his playing time; IL stints have been a recurring theme throughout the switch-hitter's career.
    It wasn't entirely clear how Moncada would have made sense for the Blue Jays even before they signed Okamoto. So, the suggestion that they were still keeping an eye on him is more than a little surprising. Nevertheless, Romero's report is at least an indication that the Blue Jays might not be finished adding to their offense this winter. 
    Featured image courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    Blue Jays pitchers and catchers will report to the team's spring training complex in Dunedin on February 11, while the first full-squad workout is scheduled for February 16. Five days later – exactly one month from today – the Jays will host the Phillies for their first game of the spring. 
    Today, the Blue Jays announced the names of 20 non-roster invitees who will be joining the players from the 40-man roster (and several more NRIs) in big league training camp. It's an exciting list, made up of eight pitchers and 12 position players and including many of the top prospects in the system. All of these NRIs are rookie eligible, except for Yariel Rodríguez, who was outrighted off the 40-man earlier this winter.
    Javen Coleman, LHP Chad Dallas, RHP Ryan Jennings, RHP Fernando Perez, RHP (JC No. 19) Gage Stanifer, RHP (JC No. 6) Yariel Rodríguez, RHP CJ Van Eyk, RHP Chay Yeager, RHP Robert Brooks, C Edward Duran, C Aaron Parker, C Geovanny Planchart, C Cutter Coffey, INF Josh Kasevich, INF (JC No. 11) Sean Keys, INF Charles McAdoo, 3B (JC No. 14) Arjun Nimmala, SS (JC No. 3) Josh Rivera, INF Riley Tirotta, UTIL RJ Schreck, OF (JC No. 9) The Blue Jays have also extended a spring training invitation to several free agents they signed to minor league deals. This includes left-hander Michael Plassmeyer, right-hander Jorge Alcala, outfielder/DH Eloy Jiménez, and utility players Rafael Lantigua and Carlos Mendoza.
    Featured image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images.
    Matthew Lenz
    With Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Bo Bichette off the market. It's becoming harder to see a way for the Toronto Blue Jays to fully upgrade their offense. At this point, Cody Bellinger would be the only free agent who could give that boost; however, there have been no reports indicating that either side is interested. 
    On the other hand, there are still options out there for them to bolster their pitching staff. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet is reporting that the Toronto Blue Jays and starting pitcher Framber Valdez "met in person at the GM meetings in November." He adds that both sides shared a "mutual interest. Of course, things have changed since this meeting, as it occurred before the Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease.
    Valdez, 32, was projected to get a five-year, $150 million deal by our team at DiamondCentric. At this point, a contract that big would come with a significant luxury tax hit; however, the Blue Jays showed a willingness to pay it, with reports of a $35 million AAV offer for Kyle Tucker. It's not clear whether they'd be willing to do the same for Valdez (or even Bellinger).
    In parts of eight seasons with the Houston Astros, Valdez has shown himself to be one of the most reliable pitchers in baseball, having made 28 or more starts in each of the past four seasons. He has a career 3.36 ERA (3.51 FIP) and a 14.8% strikeout minus walk rate, and is an extreme ground-ball pitcher. His 2025 season was generally in line with his career norms.
    Do you think the Toronto Blue Jays should stand pat or re-engage with Valdez? Let us know in the comments!
    Leo Morgenstern
    On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan told Sportsnet Central that the Blue Jays "have really been the only team that has shown the willingness to go as deep as 10 years, potentially," on a contract for top free agent Kyle Tucker.
    ESPN had previously reported that the Jays made "a long-term offer" to Tucker, and Passan's latest comments offer a bit more insight into what "long-term" could mean.
    The Mets, likely Tucker's other top suitor, seem to prefer a shorter-term deal. Most recently, the New York Post's Mike Puma reported that the Mets had "a four-year offer on the table" for Tucker.
    While Tucker's free agency has been a slow-moving process to this point, Passan mentioned that the All-Star outfielder could be ready to sign by the end of this week. Then, this morning, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that Tucker could sign "as soon as today." 
    Featured image courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    On Wednesday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays formally announced that they've signed five free agents to minor league contracts: left-hander Michael Plassmeyer, right-hander Jorge Alcala, outfielder/DH Eloy Jiménez, and utility players Rafael Lantigua and Carlos Mendoza. All five will be invited to major league spring training.
    Jays Centre previously covered the signings of Plassmeyer, Mendoza, and Jiménez. Alcala is a seven-year MLB veteran who spent the 2025 season with the Twins, Red Sox, and Cardinals. Lantigua played in Toronto's minor league system from 2017-24 before spending 2025 in the Phillies organization.
    Two more notable players the Blue Jays have reportedly signed to minor league deals are Josh Winckowski and Nic Enright, though neither contract has been confirmed yet. The Jays also signed Rodolfo Castro to a minor league deal earlier this winter, but they recently released him so he could pursue an opportunity in Japan.
    Featured image courtesy of Aaron Cobb/Toronto Blue Jays, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    According to the transaction log on Rodolfo Castro's MLB player page, the Toronto Blue Jays released the infielder on January 9. On Tuesday, 7 News reporter Ari Alexander reported that Castro was granted his release so he could sign with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball.
    Castro, 26, signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays this past November. He played in the majors with the Pirates and Phillies from 2021-23.
    Jays Centre's Jesse Burrill wrote about Castro in a roundup of minor league signings last month:
    Featured image courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images.
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