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AL East Notes: Red Sox, Paxton, LeMahieu, Blue Jays

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The Red Sox largely failed in their pursuit of starting pitching this winter, swapping lefty Chris Sale out for Lucas Giolito only for the latter to miss the entire 2024 season due to a UCL injury, making right-handed depth options Chase Anderson and Cooper Criswell the club’s only starters added this winter with a chance to impact the 2024 club. The club coming up empty is not an indication they weren’t involved in the pitching market at all, however, with Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reporting that the club was a finalist for southpaw James Paxton, per the lefty himself.

Paxton, 35, spent the past two seasons in the Red Sox organization but only pitched in 2023. He made 19 starts for the club last year, pitching to a 4.50 ERA (101 ERA+) and 4.68 FIP overall. While he posted a strong 2.73 ERA and 3.63 FIP in ten starts prior to the All Star break, Paxton’s brutal final three starts in August and September caused his numbers to balloon as he allowed a whopping 17 runs in 9 2/3 innings of work before being shut down for the season due to knee inflammation.

Abraham relays that, according to the left-hander, there was mutual interest in a reunion between his camp and the Red Sox before he ultimately settled on pitching closer to his West Coast home in Seattle. Adding the veteran southpaw to Boston’s heavily young and right-handed rotation mix would have made plenty of sense for the club, but instead the team is set to rely on internal youngsters like Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, and Tanner Houck to round out the rotation alongside Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta.

More from around the AL East…

  • Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu spoke to reporters (including those at MLB.com) yesterday regarding his rehab from a non-displaced fracture in his right foot and provided a positive update, suggesting that he could be nearing a return to action. LeMahieu indicated that he’s “making progress” after running at roughly 90 percent effort and taking batting practice on the field at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. Per manager Aaron Boone, the next step for LeMahieu is further imaging later in the week before a potential minor league rehab assignment. If the veteran can avoid further setbacks, it’s possible he could return before the end of the month. In the meantime, the club figures to continue relying on Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera at the hot corner.
  • Blue Jays manager John Schneider spoke to reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) yesterday to provide an update on right-hander Erik Swanson, who started the season on the injured list due to a bout of forearm tightness last month. Per Schneider, Swanson is scheduled to be evaluated today after throwing a rehab inning at the Double-A level last night to decide if he’s ready to be activated when first eligible on Tuesday, though Davidi adds that Schneider indicated an additional rehab appearance is possible. If Swanson is to make another appearance in the minors before returning to the big league roster, it likely won’t come for a few days, as the right-hander is scheduled to be in Toronto for the club’s home opener tomorrow evening. Swanson joined the club during the 2022-23 offseason as part of the return in the Teoscar Hernandez trade and quickly established himself as the top set-up option for closer Jordan Romano, pitching to a 2.97 ERA with a 3.51 FIP in 69 appearances last year.

Blue Jays Designate Wes Parsons For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have selected the contract of right-hander Paolo Espino from Triple-A Buffalo and designated right-hander Wes Parsons for assignment in a corresponding move, the team announced Friday.

Parsons, 31, has spent the past two seasons with the Jays after a two-year run in the Korea Baseball Organization. He’s logged just nine innings over three appearances at the MLB level with Toronto dating back to a spot start last October. The results haven’t been pretty. Parsons was tagged for nine runs in four innings against the Rays in that spot start, and this season he’s served up another six runs in five innings of relief. On the whole, he’s yielded 15 runs on 16 hits and five walks with five strikeouts in nine frames for the Jays.

Rough as that showing has been, Parsons pitched decently for the Jays’ Triple-A club in 2023, tossing 81 2/3 frames over 17 starts and recording a 4.52 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. He was effective for the KBO’s NC Dinos as well, making 32 starts and turning in a 3.68 ERA while striking out more than a quarter of his opponents. In his limited time with Toronto, Parsons has shown five pitches — four-seamer, two-seamer, curveball, slider, changeup — averaging 94.7 mph on his four-seamer and 93.5 mph on his sinker. The right-hander, who’s in his final minor league option year, will either be traded, placed on outright waivers or released within the next week.

Espino, 37, spent the 2020-23 seasons in the Nationals organization, oscillating not only between the big leagues and Triple-A but also between starting and bullpen roles. He pitched 233 innings with the Nats in the majors, working to a 4.91 ERA with a below-average 19.5% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.4% walk rate.

Espino doesn’t throw hard, sitting just 88-89 mph with his fastball, and his extreme fly-ball tendencies could be a tough fit in the American League East. That said, he excelled in spring training, tossing 17 innings with a 2.65 ERA, 36.4% strikeout rate and 3% walk rate. That brilliant showing earned him a look with the Jays, and he can now add some length to their bullpen in the event of a short start or a game getting out of hand.

Reds To Re-Sign Mike Ford, Claim Yosver Zulueta From Blue Jays

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The Reds announced that they’ve claimed Yosver Zulueta from the Blue Jays and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. Infielder Matt McLain, who had shoulder surgery this week, has been placed on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the roster. Francys Romero reported on Zulueta’s claim prior to the official announcement. The timing is surprising, as Toronto only announced earlier today that Zulueta was being designated for assignment. It’s likely that the move was actually made earlier in the week but not formally announced at the time. Outright waivers are typically a 48-hour process. The Reds also re-signed first baseman Mike Ford to a minor league deal after releasing him last week, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

With McLain’s recent surgery, the Reds effectively had a free roster spot to use. It’s unclear exactly how long the infielder will be out but it’s evidently longer than two months, as he is now ineligible to be activated until late May at the earliest.

The Reds have used that spot to snag Zulueta, an intriguing arm but one with significant control issues. In 2022, he tossed 55 2/3 innings across four different levels of Toronto’s system with an earned run average of 3.72. He struck out 33.9% of batters faced that year but also gave out free passes at a 12.9% clip, starting 12 of his 21 appearances.

The Jays moved him more firmly into a relief role in 2023, as he started just seven of his 45 appearances at Triple-A. Even those seven starts were mostly two or three innings as an opener, leading to a tally of 64 innings on the year. He had a 4.08 ERA in that time while striking out 25.4% of batters faced and keeping 51.3% of balls in play on the ground, but also walked 15.7% of batters that came to the plate against him. Here in the spring, he tossed five innings, notching just two strikeouts but giving out four walks.

He still has a couple of options and the Reds have quickly sent him down. They will surely try to help him get a better grasp of his stuff and see if he can become a useful piece at some point. For now, he can serve as depth until the big league club needs a fresh arm or he forces his way into their plans.

Ford, 31, is a strong power bat but he has strikeout issues and no versatility since he’s only capable of playing first base or serving as a designated hitter. He hit 16 home runs in 251 plate appearances with the Mariners last year while striking out at a 32.3% rate.

He nonetheless had to settle for a minor league deal with the Reds and destroyed opposing pitchers this spring, hitting three homers in 35 plate appearances and slashing .455/.486/.727. Despite that, he didn’t break camp with the club, getting released last week. The Reds have plenty of first base options in Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jeimer Candelario, Spencer Steer and Jonathan India, making it difficult for Ford to be squeezed in.

Ford had an opt-out on his deal so he either triggered it or the Reds let him proactively search for his next opportunity, but he has come back to the club on another minor league deal. He’ll presumably go to Triple-A for some regular playing time and await his next opportunity, whether it’s with the Reds or somewhere else. Each of Encarnacion-Strand, Candelario, Steer and India can play other positions, so Ford could be of use down the line if the club’s injuries mount and the path to playing time opens. But he also may have another opt-out on his new deal that could allow him to go somewhere else as the season progresses, while the Reds could also maybe flip him if he’s hitting well and another club comes calling.

Blue Jays Designate Yosver Zulueta For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contracts of catcher Brian Serven and designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach. They had previously opened one roster spot by trading Santiago Espinal to the Reds and opened another today by designating right-hander Yosver Zulueta for assignment. The moves for Serven and Vogelbach were previously reported.

Zulueta, 26, came up as a starter but significant control problems got him moved to the bullpen in recent years. The switch to a relief role didn’t help him rein in his stuff and now has contributed to bumping him off the roster entirely.

In 2022, he tossed 55 2/3 innings across four different levels with an earned run average of 3.72. He struck out 33.9% of batters faced that year but also gave out free passes at a 12.9% clip, starting 12 of his 21 appearances.

The Jays moved him more firmly into a relief role in 2023, as he started just seven of his 45 appearances at Triple-A. Even those seven starts were mostly two or three innings as an opener, leading to a tally of 64 innings on the year. He had a 4.08 ERA in that time while striking out 25.4% of batters faced and keeping 51.3% of balls in play on the ground, but also walked 15.7% of batters that came to the plate against him. Here in the spring, he tossed five innings, notching just two strikeouts but giving out four walks.

The Jays will now have one week to trade Zulueta or try to pass him through waivers. Despite his wildness, he has strikeout stuff and still has a couple of options remaining, which could make him appealing for a club with an open roster spot and a need for pitching depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Jays in a non-roster capacity.

Blue Jays Expect To Place Manoah, Swanson, Romano On Injured List

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The Blue Jays will place closer Jordan Romano and setup man Erik Swanson on the injured list to begin the season, manager John Schneider announced to reporters Wednesday (X thread via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). Right-hander Alek Manoah is also likely headed to the 15-day IL, the manager added, though it seems that’ll just be to allow him some extra time to continue building up after he was slowed by shoulder trouble earlier in camp. Manoah tossed 34 pitches in a simulated game today and will continue to build from there. Righties Nate Pearson and Wes Parsons will open the season on the big league roster in place of Romano and Swanson.

Both Romano and Swanson recently underwent MRIs after experiencing some discomfort, neither of which revealed structural damage. Romano has some inflammation in his elbow, while Swanson is dealing with some tightness in his forearm. Neither is expected to miss significant time, but it’s nonetheless a blow to the Jays’ bullpen in the early stages of the season.

Romano, 31 next month, has become a powerhouse at the back of the Toronto ’pen. Over the past four seasons, he’s pitched to a 2.29 ERA (3.13 FIP, 3.14 SIERA) with a gaudy 30.8% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk rate. Last year’s K-BB% wasn’t quite as dominant as in the prior three seasons, but Romano’s 17.1% swinging-strike rate was a flat-out elite mark that hints at a potential “rebound” in strikeout rate (as much as anyone needs to “rebound” from a generally excellent 29% mark in that regard). The right-hander also tied a career-high with 36 saves.

The 30-year-old Swanson, acquired from the Mariners in last offseason’s Teoscar Hernandez trade, would’ve been the favorite to step into closing duties for Romano were he healthy. He posted a 2.97 ERA in his first season with the Jays and carries a terrific 2.60 earned run average (3.04 FIP, 3.07 SIERA) over the past three seasons. During that time, Swanson has punched out 29.4% of his opponents against a very strong 6.7% walk rate.

With Romano and Swanson shelved to begin the year, closing duties will presumably fall to veteran Yimi Garcia. Setup options include Chad Green, the aforementioned Pearson, lefty Tim Mayza and fellow southpaw Genesis Cabrera. The Jays still have a decent group of relievers, but any team’s bullpen is going to look a little dicey when subtracting its two clear best relievers, as is the case in Toronto.

As for the rotation, Manoah is slotted into the No. 5 spot as he looks to rebound from last year’s nightmarish season. The Jays were concerned for a bit that staff ace Kevin Gausman would also require an IL stint, but it seems he’s progressed enough to avoid that fate. They’ll still open the season with Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi starting the first three games, but Gausman will be in line for the fourth or fifth game. He just pitched in a final spring tune-up outing Monday and thus won’t be sufficiently rested for an Opening Day nod.

With Manoah out, righty Bowden Francis will get the rotation nod to begin the season. He’s already been confirmed for the roster — his first career Opening Day roster spot — and will look to build on last year’s impressive rookie showing. The 27-year-old tossed 36 1/3 frames of 1.73 ERA ball with plus strikeout and walk rates (25.7% and 5.9%, respectively) over the life of 20 relief appearances. Francis has typically been a starter in the minors, so an early rotation role will be plenty familiar for him. He could be the first man up in the rotation throughout the early portion of the season if the Jays incur injuries on the staff, though top prospect Ricky Tiedemann will also likely make his big league debut at some point this season.

Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays’ offseason was defined by who they didn’t sign rather than who they did sign, as they came up short in their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani.

Major League Signings

2024 spending: $41MM
Total spending: $70.5MM

Option Decisions

Trades & Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

December 8, 2023 will be remembered as one of the most unusual days in Blue Jays history, as reports from J.P. Hoornstra of Dodger Nation and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi indicated that Ohtani had either signed with the Jays, or was on a flight to Toronto to make the deal official.  It led to a few fevered hours of speculation around the baseball world before a lack of confirmation on these early reports eventually acted as a reality check, with Morosi retracting his earlier message on X.  The next day, Ohtani officially announced on his own Instagram page that he had signed with the Dodgers, thus ending the Blue Jays’ chances once and for all.

Subsequent reports indicated that the Jays made a comparable offer to the 10 years and (heavily-deferred) $700MM Ohtani received from Los Angeles.  Even if the Dodgers might’ve been Ohtani’s first choice if all else was equal, it appears as though the Blue Jays and possibly the Giants were viewed as legitimately viable alternative destinations if contract talks with L.A. didn’t go smoothly.

It’s possible that Toronto fans might feel a little better about not landing Ohtani now than they did a week ago, before news broke of the controversial and possibly explosive allegations involving Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, an illegal gambling operation, and funds allegedly taken from Ohtani’s personal bank accounts to cover Mizuhara’s debts.  However, losing Ohtani was soon followed up by Los Angeles signing another top Jays target in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, even if Toronto wasn’t reportedly one of the true finalists for Yamamoto’s services — and certainly not to the level of the Dodgers’ massive 12-year, $325MM commitment to the Japanese ace.

The one-two punch of missing out on Ohtani and Yamamoto only increased the discord that has existed within the fanbase through much of the 2023 season, and reached a fever pitch when sloppy baserunning, a continued lack of hitting, and an infamous pitching change combined to quickly sweep Toronto out of its wild card series matchup with the Twins.  Jays GM Ross Atkins isn’t going to make an ill-advised splashy move just for the sake of positive headlines, yet just from a baseball perspective, questions have to asked about whether the Toronto roster is better now than it was at the end of last season.

As has been the Blue Jays’ habit over the last few offseasons, the club was linked to a wide range of available players.  Beyond Ohtani and Yamamoto, multiple reports suggested the Jays had some degree of interest in the likes of free agents Cody Bellinger, Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, J.D. Martinez, Jeimer Candelario, Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson, Michael Brantley, Rhys Hoskins, Gio Urshela, Michael A. Taylor, Amed Rosario, Domingo German, and their own incumbent free agent in Matt Chapman.  On the trade front, the Blue Jays reportedly looked into deals involving such players as Juan Soto, Eugenio Suarez, Isaac Paredes, Dylan Carlson, Jonathan India, and Jake Cronenworth, with the first two of those names actually changing teams in other deals.

The slow-moving nature of the free agent market means that the Blue Jays probably didn’t really miss out on many opportunities while focusing primarily on Ohtani for the offseason’s first five weeks.  Hindsight being 20-20, it can be argued that the Jays should’ve or could’ve pushed more to acquire Soto than Ohtani, though there’s no guarantee that the Jays were willing to match or exceed the pitching-centric trade package the Yankees needed to pry Soto away from the Padres.  As much as the fans were begging for a big strike, cleaning out an already thin farm system to land Soto might not have been feasible for the Jays in the long run.

Kevin Kiermaier was a free agent for the second consecutive winter but again ended up signing a one-year deal with Toronto, returning for a $10.5MM salary and a raise on his previous $9MM deal.  Heading into the offseason, the conventional wisdom was that the Blue Jays might let Kiermaier walk, in order to install Daulton Varsho in center field and a bigger bat into Varsho’s old left field spot.  However, the Jays will instead run it back with the outfield of Varsho, Kiermaier, and George Springer, hoping for a repeat of the group’s excellent defense and overall good health, and a notable improvement at the plate from at least Varsho and Springer.  (And if Kiermaier can top his solid 2023 slash line of .265/.322/.419 in 408 plate appearances, all the better.)

As for re-signing Chapman, Toronto monitored his market and made a late two-year offer before the third baseman signed with the Giants.  Chapman’s rather unusually long stint in free agency probably created this eleventh-hour possibility of a reunion, as it otherwise seemed like the Blue Jays somewhat moved on from Chapman when they signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15MM contract.

The price tag raised eyebrows, as Kiner-Falefa’s bat has been well below average (81 wRC+) over his six MLB seasons and 2415 career PA.  A Gold Glove winner as the Rangers’ third baseman in 2020, IKF’s defense has generally graded as average to very good at multiple positions, even if he naturally won’t match Chapman’s elite glovework.

Having Kiner-Falefa as a semi-everyday player is probably not an ideal move for an already inconsistent lineup, though the Blue Jays’ rather fluid second base/third base/backup infield collection of IKF, Cavan Biggio, Davis Schneider, and Ernie Clement could see all four players mixing and matching between the two positions.  Kiner-Falefa and Clement can also back up Bo Bichette at shortstop, and the out-of-options Clement performed well enough in Spring Training that the Jays felt comfortable enough to trade Santiago Espinal to the injury-riddled Reds last week.

Of course, Justin Turner also figures to get some time at the hot corner, even if Turner was signed to primarily fill Brandon Belt’s role as a part-time first baseman and DH.  Turner has been on the Jays’ radar for years as a free agent target, and the two sides finally came together on a one-year deal worth $13MM.  Even as he enters his age-39 season, Turner has remained a consistently productive hitter, including 23 homers and a .276/.345/.455 slash line over 626 PA for the Red Sox in 2023.

Turner is expected to play pretty close to every day at either third, first, or DH, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will naturally also be a lineup staple as the first baseman or designated hitter.  When a right-hander is on the mound, spring non-roster invite Daniel Vogelbach figures to get some time in the DH spot, as his minor league contract has now been selected to the Opening Day roster.  Vogelbach doesn’t have much utility as a DH-only player who can’t hit left-handed pitching, though his lefty bat does bring some balance to a lineup and bench mix that continues to tilt to the right side.  Re-signing Kiermaier brought at least one left-handed hitter back into the fold, but Kiermaier, Vogelbach, Biggio, and Varsho (none of whom are exactly premium bats) represent the current allotment of lefty swingers on the projected roster.

Joey Votto’s possible inclusion could change this picture in terms of upside if not numbers, as if Votto’s minors deal is selected to the active roster, he would surely just replace Vogelbach.  It would be a storybook ending if Votto could revive his career for at least one more big season with his hometown team, but while the 17-year veteran has been very forthright about his confidence in himself, Votto is also realistic about the challenges he’ll face in getting back to anything close to his old form after two injury-plagued seasons.  Votto will need time to ramp up in the minors, and he’ll also first have to recover from an ankle injury suffered after he homered in his lone Spring Training plate appearance in a Blue Jays uniform.

Between Turner, Vogelbach, and rolling the dice on Votto, the Jays apparently felt ok in moving on from Belt, as there were no public indications that Toronto had interest in re-signing arguably its best hitter from the 2023 season.  Alejandro Kirk also figures to get some DH at-bats over the course of the season, though he’ll be strictly a catcher in the early going while Danny Jansen recovers from a minor wrist fracture.  Offseason waiver claim Brian Serven will now break camp as Kirk’s backup catcher while Jansen heals.

Turning to the pitching staff, the Blue Jays’ priciest signing of the winter wasn’t Ohtani or Yamamoto, but rather another name from Japan….via Cuba.  Yariel Rodriguez posted a 3.30 ERA over 464 1/3 innings and six seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional before then delivering a 3.03 ERA in 175 1/3 frames for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chunichi Dragons from 2020-22.  Rodriguez sat out the 2023 season while trying to arrange his move to MLB, so the year’s layoff is another x-factor on top of the usual questions about how a player’s skills will translate from international baseball to the Show.

Multiple teams scouted and considered Rodriguez this winter, with the Blue Jays among the group who liked him as a starting pitcher rather than as a reliever.  With Bowden Francis winning the fifth starter’s job coming out of Spring Training, it appears as though Rodriguez will begin the season in Triple-A, acting as rotation depth and continuing to acclimate to his new league.  Even with a five-year contract and at least a $32MM investment in Rodriguez, the Blue Jays are willing to be patient in getting Rodriguez fully ready for the bigs before deploying him as a starter, reliever, or swingman.

While the Jays signed Rodriguez and kicked the tires on some other free agent arms, Toronto is largely standing pat with its same pitching staff from 2023.  This isn’t a bad move considering how the rotation and bullpen were both strengths last season, though there is some added risk since the odds are against another year of largely good pitcher health.  Already some cracks have shown since Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson will start the year on the 15-day injured list, and Kevin Gausman had a bout of shoulder fatigue earlier in camp but now seems on pace to be part of the Opening Day roster.

Alek Manoah remains the biggest uncertainty on the roster, as Manoah’s spring work consisted of one rough outing (four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings) before being sidelined with shoulder soreness.  In the wake of Manoah’s disastrous 2023 season, the Blue Jays simply don’t know what to expect from Manoah going forward, making it even more important that Francis, Rodriguez, Mitch White, and perhaps eventually top prospect Ricky Tiedemann can work as depth starter or fifth starter options.  This in turn puts more pressure on Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Yusei Kikuchi to stay healthy and effective so any other leaks don’t spring in the rotation.

Adding clear-cut starters or even lower-level pitchers on inexpensive guaranteed contracts or minor league deals might’ve been tricky for the Blue Jays this winter, as such pitchers probably preferred to join teams with clearer potential rotation or bullpen openings.  In a nutshell, already having a core in place might’ve limited what Toronto was willing or able to do with both its pitching staff and perhaps the roster as a whole.

Breaking the bank for Ohtani or Yamamoto in a special circumstance was one thing, but the Jays were generally conservative in boosting the payroll.  After a $214.5MM payroll and a $246MM luxury tax number in 2023 (putting them over the tax line for the first time ever), the Blue Jays are estimated by RosterResource for a $226MM payroll and a $248.7MM luxury tax figure heading into Opening Day.  While they might not have spent much this winter, this does leave the team with some flexibility to add money at the trade deadline when they have a better sense of their immediate needs.  It isn’t known whether or not the second tax penalty tier of $257MM represents any kind of internal spending limit, but given how this team has been so aggressive in recent years, it would be surprising if the front office suddenly held back if a key upgrade was available.

If the Blue Jays were ultimately content to just tinker with their roster, however, it puts even more pressure on their core group to step up after a curiously lackluster 2023 season.  Atkins said in early January that “We feel like last year was just a blip in terms of run-scoring,” and yet while any of Springer, Varsho, Guerrero, or Kirk could rebound, counting on them all to bounce back is perhaps a little too optimistic since there was no obvious answer as to why the quartet were all so inconsistent last year.

Between this group, Kiner-Falefa’s lack of offense, and the uncertainty within the second base and backup infield mix, it isn’t a stretch to say that Bichette and Turner are the club’s only real reliable bats heading into the year.  Perhaps some coaching changes might do the trick, as bench coach Don Mattingly has a new title of “offensive coordinator” and Matt Hague has joined the staff as an assistant hitting coach.

Even with back-to-back playoff disappointments in the last two seasons, the Jays still think their core group is capable of bigger and better things.  Without a ton of overt upgrades coming this winter, however, the Blue Jays will face a challenge in just getting back to the playoffs, let alone making some postseason noise.

Blue Jays Option Yariel Rodriguez

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The Blue Jays have optioned right-hander Yariel Rodriguez to Triple-A Buffalo to open the season, as noted by Francys Romero. Romero adds that Rodriguez is expected to make two or three starts at the level to continue building up before the club will look to add him to the major league roster.

Rodriguez, 27, officially signed a five-year deal with Toronto back in February after reaching an agreement the month prior. The righty entered the offseason as one of the winter’s most unusual free agents. He began his career as a starting pitcher in Cuba but upon moving overseas to pitch in Japan, he converted to relief where he dominated to the tune of a 1.15 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate in 56 appearances during a breakout 2022 season, his third year with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s NPB. Prior to the start of the 2023 campaign, Rodriguez represented Cuba in the World Baseball Classic and made a return to starting. He pitched to solid results during the tournament but did not report to the Dragons after it came to a close, instead heading to the Dominican Republic to pursue a future in MLB.

The Dragons eventually granted Rodriguez his release last fall and he was declared a free agent by MLB shortly thereafter. Given his unusual path to the majors, evaluations of Rodriguez varied considerably even by the standards of an international free agent looking for his first stateside contract. The Blue Jays wound up being the team to take a chance on Rodriguez, surely enticed by his youth and dominant 2022 season. Entering camp, Rodriguez figure to have a chance to battle with right-hander Alek Manoah for the fifth spot in the club’s rotation behind Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Bassitt.

That, unfortunately, did not come to pass for Rodriguez, as back spasms delayed the start to his Spring Training. Manoah and top prospect Rickey Tiedemann were also delayed this spring by injuries, and so the fifth spot in the rotation will instead go to right-hander Bowden Francis while Manoah begins the season on the injured list and both Rodriguez and Tiedemann head to Triple-A to continue ramping up for the season. Rodriguez made just two appearances with the Jays this spring, striking out three while allowing two hits, a home run, and three walks in five innings of work. Once Rodriguez has finished shaking off the rust associated with his lengthy layoff last year, the Blue Jays figure to make a decision regarding whether he’ll make his big league debut as a member of the club’s starting rotation or as part of the relief corps.

Blue Jays To Select Daniel Vogelbach

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Blue Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters that designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach will be part of Toronto’s Opening Day roster.  Vogelbach will join Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, and Brian Serven as the Jays’ bench mix to begin the season.

As noted earlier in regards to Serven, Vogelbach will also have to be added to the Jays’ 40-man roster prior to their first game on Thursday.  Vogelbach signed a minor league deal last month that will pay the slugger $2MM in guaranteed money if he makes Toronto’s active roster, though Davidi suggests that the Jays could possibly avoid that full payout if Vogelbach agrees to an advanced consent.  This would create a 45-day window wherein the Blue Jays could outright Vogelbach off their 40-man roster and owe him only a prorated portion of that $2MM salary.

This contractual loophole could reflect Vogelbach’s status as something of an understudy for Joey Votto, as it looked like Votto’s arrival in Toronto on a minor league deal would likely spell the end of Vogelbach’s stint in the Jays’ camp.  However, it already seemed like Votto was going to need some extra tune-up time in the minor leagues once Spring Training was over, and the former NL MVP has also been hampered by a minor ankle injury that has limited him to just one plate appearance (a home run) this spring.

This created an opening for Vogelbach to stick with the team, and he helped his case by hitting .226/.314/.581 with three homers over 35 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play.  Vogelbach doesn’t bring much roster flexibility as a DH-only player who is only playable against right-handed pitching, yet he has shown some solid pop against righties over his eight big league seasons.  His left-handed bat is also particularly helpful on a heavily right-handed Jays team, as Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, and Cavan Biggio are the only lefty-swingers on the Opening Day roster.  (Nathan Lukes and Spencer Horwitz were optioned to Triple-A.)

Vogelbach hit .233/.339/.404 with 13 homers over 319 PA with the Mets in 2023, and all but 16 of those plate appearances came against right-handed pitchers.  Over his career, Vogelbach has a drastic set of splits — 74 home runs and a .240/.362/.452 slash line in 1555 PA against righties, and a dismal .129/248/.215 slash in 323 PA against southpaws.

Blue Jays To Select Brian Serven

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Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters today, including Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, that catcher Brian Serven has made the team as the backup to Alejandro Kirk. Serven is not yet on the 40-man roster and will need to be added before the season begins next week.

Serven’s opportunity comes on the heels of catcher Danny Jansen suffering a wrist fracture earlier this month, leaving Kirk’s usual partner behind the plate ticketed for the injured list to open the season. Serven, who will celebrate his 29th birthday in May, has 73 games of big league experience under his belt since making his big league debut with the Rockies during the 2022 season. Since then, he’s hit just .195/.248/.314 in 228 plate appearances, all of which came during his time with Colorado.

While he posted quality framing numbers during his time in the majors, that wasn’t enough for the Rockies to keep him on the 40-man roster this offseason. He was designated for assignment by the club back in January and was promptly claimed off waivers by the Cubs, though he remained with Chicago for less than a week before he was once again DFA’d. This time, he was claimed by the Blue Jays, who were able to sneak him through waivers in late January, allowing them to keep him in the organization as non-roster depth headed into Spring Training.

That decision has now paid off, as Serven made the most of his opportunities this spring by clubbing three home runs while drawing walks at a 14.8% clip in his 27 trips to the plate across 12 spring games. While Spring Training numbers are of course rarely predictive of regular season performance, it’s possible Serven’s hot streak helped his case over fellow non-roster depth option Payton Henry, who appears set to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo. While Serven has yet to hit much in the big leagues, his decent minor league numbers suggest that he could provide the level of offense associated with a major-league caliber backup behind the plate. He’s a career .240/.310/.418 hitter in the minors, including a .238/.305/.450 slash line in 134 career games at the Triple-A level.

Blue Jays Grant Eduardo Escobar His Release

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The Blue Jays granted veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar his release today, manager John Schneider tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Escobar had been in camp on a minor league contract, but the team informed him this morning he wouldn’t make the club. He’s a free agent once again.

Escobar, 35, was facing long odds of cracking the Toronto roster. The club doesn’t have a clear everyday option at second base or third base but does have plenty of options for both positions. Cavan Biggio is perhaps the most likely player to get playing time at the keystone, but Davis Schneider will also be in the mix there. Isiah Kiner-Falefa could be the favorite for the hot corner after signing a two-year deal this winter, though Justin Turner can also play there on occasion when he’s not the designated hitter.

Ernie Clement seemed to win the backup infield job this spring, which pushed the Jays to flip Santiago Espinal to the Reds. They could have optioned Espinal to keep him as depth but they also have Orelvis Martinez, Addison Barger and Leo Jimenez on the roster. Joey Votto and Daniel Vogelbach are also in camp as non-roster options for bench bat role.

Escobar would have been trying to force his way past that group but he hit just .122/.143/.268 this spring. Since he hit .226/.269/.344 for the Mets and Angels last year, he wasn’t carrying a lot of momentum towards a roster spot and will now return to free agency.

He has been very inconsistent in his career but can market himself to clubs based on the fact that was in good form as recently as the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He hit 28 home runs in the first of those campaigns and 20 in the second. His .247/.305/.452 slash line over that time translates to a wRC+ of 106. He’s not a strong defender but his ability to the play the three non-shortstop positions and his switch-hitting ability give him plenty of flexibility.

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