The Blue Jays announced their Opening Day, 30-man roster this morning. Left-hander Brian Moran and right-hander A.J. Cole were both selected to the 40-man roster and will make the club. Toronto also placed righty Chase Anderson on the 10-day IL (retroactive to July 20) with an oblique strain and opted to carry infielder Santiago Espinal, lefty Anthony Kay and right-handers Thomas Hatch and Jacob Waguespack.
Notably absent is right-hander Nate Pearson, one of the game’s elite pitching prospects. He’s on the team’s three-man taxi squad (along with southpaw Ryan Borucki and catcher Caleb Joseph) but won’t accrue service time in that role. He’ll reportedly be called up next week, when the Jays will be able to promote him while extending their club control of him for an additional season (as has long been expected).
Moran, 31, is the older brother of Pirates third baseman Colin Moran. He made his big league debut at 30 years of age with the Marlins last season, pitching 6 1/3 innings while yielding three runs with a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio. A seventh-round pick in 2009, Moran has had quite the odyssey to the Majors, twice taking to the independent circuit as a showcase to get back into affiliated ball. But he carries a career 3.67 ERA with 11.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 176 1/3 Triple-A frames and will now get his second opportunity in the Majors.
Cole, 28, is a former top prospect who’s yet to find his footing despite multiple MLB chances. He’s seen action with three teams in parts of five seasons but posted a pedestrian 4.86 ERA and 5.03 FIP in 174 innings. Cole had some success both with the Nats in 2017 and the Indians last year, logging identical 3.81 ERAs in both years. He’s averaged better than a strikeout per frame in the big leagues but has also surrendered an average of 1.8 homers per nine innings pitched.
The Jays don’t need to make any corresponding transactions to add Moran and Cole to the 40-man. The team recently placed Breyvic Valera on the restricted list after he was unable to leave his native Venezuela and report to Jays Summer Camp in Toronto. The club also has Brandon Drury, Jonathan Davis, Wilmer Font and Elvis Luciano on the Covid-19 IL, and none of the four will count against the team’s 40-man roster while on that list.
They don’t have a stadium to play in, but hey, at least they got their personnel in order.
I don’t agree. For the sake of one week, to get another year of control? If they didn’t do that, I think I would be more frustrated!
nice to see Hatch and Moran on there
Frustrating seeing the Blue Jays do service time shenanigans with Pearson. If he’s ready, just call him up please!
It’s not worth losing a full year of control on the back end for an extra week in an already shortened season. This is the right call.
Eli, rules aside I understand your frustration. After the Boston start I do not mind this decision. One rocky start isn’t the problem, but more what we got from the start itself. Giving him a week to reflect and work on things is a good thing.
Frankly I’m more concerned about Vlad’s weight.
Really? You wouldn’t rather wait less than a week and have him for another year on the Jays? That’s ridiculous.
there are still about a half dozen guys the 5th starter could be from that group
Trivia Question: Name a pitcher in the last decade to be stretched out 100 innings and be equally as good for more than a single season. Excluding any St. Louis Cardinals pitchers.
Uh, Jacob deGrom has thrown more than 100 innings six straight years and has won the last two CY Youngs.
Wth kinda trivia question is this?
To be stretched out 100 innings beyond his previous season for innings pitched. Sorry for the confusion. I can count two STL starters, but I can’t think of one on a different team. Matt Harvey, Alex Cobb and Jason Vargas immediately come to mind as failures.
Chris Sale, threw 71 in in 11 and then 192 in 12. ERA was 2..79 in 11 and 3.05 in 12. I wouldn’t consider Vargas a failure. He has a 4.29 career era in 1643 innings and a 17.5 WAR. That’s a pretty solid career.
Brian Moran is litteraly rhe reverse Jon Berti. minor league veteran released after a short spell the previous year, then got real work with his next club. instead of TOR to MIA Moran went the other way.
Poor Jays. Now they just need a place to play
Fine with the Pearson decision. Hoping he’s up in a week or two. Now it’s time to find a home for these Jays…
Love those service time rules