RSS Blue Jays Team Notes

[Toronto Blue Jays]

2025 Rule 5 Draft Results

The 2025 Rule 5 draft is taking place this afternoon at the Winter Meetings in Orlando. This post will be updated with the results as they come in.

As a refresher, the Rule 5 draft is a way for players potentially talented enough for the big leagues but blocked by their current clubs to find opportunities elsewhere. Any players that were 18 and under at the time of their original signing and went professional in 2021, and any players who turned pro at 19 years of age or older in 2022, are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft if they are not on a 40-man roster.

Though the amateur (Rule 4) draft now has a lottery to determine the selection order, the Rule 5 draft still goes the old-fashioned way of reverse order of standings from the season that just ended. Clubs need to have an open 40-man roster spot in order to make a pick but aren’t obligated to make a selection on their turn. If they do make a pick, they will have to pay $100K to the team they select from. The selected players must stay on the active roster (or injured list) for the entire 2026 season or else be placed on waivers. If they clear waivers, they must be offered back to their original team. They cannot be optioned to the minors.

Players like Anthony Santander and Ryan Pressly have been notable picks in other recent years while guys like George Bell and Roberto Clemente are found deeper in the history books. Last year, 15 players were selected. Only four of those remain with the club who selected them and only three of those have had their rights fully transferred to their new club. The White Sox took Shane Smith from the Brewers. The Marlins took Liam Hicks from the Tigers. Mike Vasil was taken by the Phillies from the Mets but was later traded to the Rays and then went to the White Sox via waivers.

The one other pick from last year’s draft which is still live is Angel Bastardo, who the Blue Jays took from the Red Sox. He was recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent the entire 2025 season on the injured list. He is still on Toronto’s 40-man but they don’t yet have his full rights, as a player needs at least 90 active days to remove the Rule 5 restrictions. If the Jays are willing to roster him for about three months during the 2026 season, they could then gain his full rights and option him to the minors. All other picks were eventually returned to their original organization and/or became free agents.

This year’s picks will be featured below as they come in…

1. Rockies: RHP RJ Petit (from the Tigers) (Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs was on this before the official announcement)
2. White Sox: RHP Jedixson Paez (Red Sox)
3. Nationals: RHP Griff McGarry (Phillies)
4. Twins: C Daniel Susac (Athletics) (Susac was then traded to the Giants, per Longenhagen. The Twins will get minor league catcher Miguel Caraballo in return, per Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune)
5. Pirates: RHP Carter Baumler (Orioles) (The Pirates then traded Baumler to the Rangers for RHP Jaiker Garcia. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News previously suggested Texas would likely get Baumler)
6. Angels: pass
7. Orioles: pass
8. Athletics: RHP Ryan Watson (Giants) (Will be traded to Red Sox, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The A’s will get Justin Riemer in return, per Cotillo.)
9. Braves: pass
10. Rays: pass
11. Cardinals: RHP Matt Pushard (Marlins)
12. Marlins: pass
13. Diamondbacks: pass
14. Rangers: pass
15. Giants: pass
16. Royals: pass
17. Reds: pass
18. Mets: pass
19. Tigers: pass
20. Astros: RHP Roddery Muñoz (Reds)
21. Guardians: RHP Peyton Pallette (White Sox)
22. Red Sox: pass
23. Mariners: pass
24. Padres: pass
25. Cubs: pass
26. Dodgers: pass
27. Blue Jays: RHP Spencer Miles (Giants)
28. Yankees: RHP Cade Winquest (Cardinals)
29. Phillies: RHP Zach McCambley (Marlins)
30. Brewers: pass

Second round (all others passed)

• White Sox: RHP Alexander Alberto (Rays)

Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/2025-rule-5-draft-results.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays Notes: Weaver, Outfielders, Berrios

With the Blue Jays scouring the bullpen market, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports that Luke Weaver is one of the many relievers on the Jays’ radar. Weaver temporarily served as the Yankees’ closer in 2025, but would presumably be used just in a high-leverage capacity by the Jays, and probably isn’t viewed as a candidate to supplant Jeff Hoffman in the ninth inning (unlike other Jays targets Robert Suarez or the newly-signed Dodger Edwin Diaz).

MLB Trade Rumors projected Weaver for a two-year, $18MM contract, and we ranked the right-hander 41st on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents. He posted a 3.62 ERA, 7.6% walk rate, and 27.5% strikeout rate, with very strong chase and whiff rates accompanying that impressive K%. However, Weaver’s 2025 season was a Jekyll-and-Hyde campaign built around a three-week absence in June due to a hamstring strain.

Weaver had a 1.05 ERA over 25 2/3 innings prior to his stint on the injured list, and then a 5.31 ERA over his final 39 innings of the season. If the regular-season woes weren’t enough, Weaver was then charged with five earned runs over what was officially just one-third of an inning pitched over three playoff appearances — the Jays themselves contributed to this misery by scoring three runs off Weaver without a batter retired in their 10-1 rout in Game 1 of the ALDS.

The long ball was a big part of Weaver’s problem, as eight of his 10 home runs allowed in 2025 came following his IL stint. His 27.5% grounder rate was one of the worst in the league, and well below the 38.7% grounder rate he’d posted over nine previous big league seasons. The big question facing the Blue Jays or any other suitors is whether or not this susceptibility to home runs is a new reality for Weaver, or either a lingering after-effect of his hamstring injury or perhaps just because of some tipped pitches.

As Nicholson-Smith notes, spending huge money on a closer probably isn’t an ideal situation for Toronto’s front office, so Weaver represents an option a tier below Suarez’s asking price. Beyond signing a reliever, another option would be to add bullpen help via the trade market, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon write that the Blue Jays “are considering” the idea of trading an outfielder for a reliever.

Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Joey Loperfido, “and a few others” are candidates for such a deal. Presumably this would mean minor league depth options like Jonatan Clase, and not presumptive starters like Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, or Davis Schneider. (The Blue Jays probably wouldn’t mind moving Anthony Santander, yet Toronto would have to eat a huge chunk of Santander’s remaining contract in the aftermath of his injury-marred down year.)

Lukes was a part-timer over his first two seasons with Toronto, but emerged as a regular in 2025, hitting .255/.323/.407 over 438 plate appearances (103 wRC+). The left-handed hitting Lukes primarily played against right-handed pitching, though his splits were only somewhat better against righties than lefties. Lukes can play all three outfield positions, and has delivered passable glovework in center field while excelling in corner outfield roles.

Outfield-needy teams could certainly view Lukes as a candidate for at least strong-side platoon duty. He is also controllable through the 2030 season as a probable Super Two candidate when he gains arbitration eligibility next winter, though the late-blooming Lukes is already 31 years old. The 26-year-old Loperfido is another player with long-term control since he has barely over a full year of MLB service time, and after he hit .333/.379/.500 over 104 PA for the Jays in 2025, rival clubs might be keen to see what he could do with more playing time.

This winter’s center field market is thin enough that Straw could be viewed as a glove-first starter. Straw has never been much of a hitter throughout his eight MLB seasons, but posting a 91 wRC+ in 2025 (from a .262/.313/.267 slash line over 299 PA) counts as a relative surge by Straw’s standards. Some teams will view that as an acceptable level of offense from a player who can deliver Gold Glove-worthy defense in center field.

Straw is the most expensive of this trio, as he is owed $7MM in 2026, and the Blue Jays hold an $8MM club option on his services for 2027 (with a $1.75MM buyout) and an $8.5MM club option for 2028 ($500K buyout). As per the terms of the trade that brought Straw from Cleveland to Toronto last winter, the Guardians are covering $1MM in salary this year and will pay $1.75MM towards either the 2027 buyout or salary.

A $6MM immediate price tag for a superb defensive center fielder isn’t outlandish, and it is a testament to Straw’s bounce-back year that he has regained some value after being a salary dump for the Guardians last offseason. Beyond just the statistics and the salary, however, Rosenthal/Sammon note that Straw’s reputation as a great locker room leader must be valued by both trade suitors and the Blue Jays, given how close-knit Toronto’s clubhouse was during their playoff run.

It makes for a difficult tightrope for the Jays to walk this winter, as while the team obviously wants to retain their 2025 magic on and off the field, some upgrades are needed. Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce are already big new additions to the pitching staff, and beyond the possibility of a Bo Bichette reunion, signing a Kyle Tucker or an Alex Bregman would bring an entire new dimension to the lineup. Nicholson-Smith suggests that if all of Bichette, Tucker, and Bregman signed elsewhere, Toronto wouldn’t necessarily feel the need to seek out another prominent hitter, as the team has trust in its core. Such a decision would carry some risk, as the Jays would be hoping Santander regains his old form, and the rest of the lineup continues basically its team-wide breakout performance.

Jose Berrios’ situation has also been a subplot of Toronto’s offseason, as the Blue Jays are reportedly open to trading the veteran starter, though that’ll be a tricky endeavor considering Berrios’ down year and the three years and $66 remaining on his contract. There have been rumblings that Berrios isn’t happy with his status with the team, as he was removed from the rotation late in the season and (ostensibly due to an injury) wasn’t part of the playoff roster. According to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon, Berrios hasn’t requested a trade.

GM Ross Atkins shared some details on Berrios when speaking with Bannon and other reporters on Monday, saying Berrios was indeed “disappointed that he wasn’t in our rotation. He handled it well….We’re never going to have a situation where we have 40 players or even 26 players that are feeling great about the opportunity that they were given.” The Blue Jays still view Berrios as a starter going into 2026, and rotation depth might be critical given how Shane Bieber isn’t necessarily a lock for Opening Day due to late-season forearm fatigue.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-notes-weaver-outfielders-berrios.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays, Tyler Rogers Agree To Three-Year Deal

The Blue Jays are in agreement with free agent reliever Tyler Rogers on a three-year, $37MM contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes an $11MM vesting option for the 2029 season, specifics of which have not been reported. Toronto has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move. Rogers is represented by Frontline Athlete Management.

Rogers, who’ll celebrate his 35th birthday next week, secures a sizable payday to pitch at the back of the Toronto bullpen. One of the sport’s most distinctive pitchers, Rogers is a soft-tossing submariner who bided his time awaiting an MLB opportunity. He was a 10th-round pick by the Giants in 2013 who signed for $7,500 after his senior season at Austin Peay State University. Rogers spent the next six years in the minor leagues, performing well all the way up through Triple-A but without the raw stuff to get the attention of the big league club.

It wasn’t until the end of Rogers’ third full season in Triple-A that he received an MLB look. He was nearing his 29th birthday and close to calling it quits to pursue a career as a firefighter (as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area covered in 2020). The Giants finally gave him an opportunity at the end of the ’19 season. Rogers tossed 17 2/3 innings of three-run ball to hold his roster spot. He broke camp the following year and has never gone back down to the minors — not even on a rehab stint.

Rogers has played six-plus seasons in the big leagues without going on the injured list. While there’s obviously some luck involved in avoiding any fluke injuries, it’s clear that his underhand delivery puts less stress on his arm. Rogers has made 403 appearances since the start of the 2020 season. That’s 30 more than any other pitcher. Most of those outings have come in high-leverage situations, as his arm angle continues to flummox hitters.

After posting a 4.50 earned run average as a rookie, Rogers has turned in a 3.04 mark or better in four of the past five seasons. He ranks near the bottom of the league in whiffs and has never posted a league average strikeout rate. That’s to be expected for a pitcher who throws an 82-83 MPH sinker and a sweeping breaking ball that clocks in around 74 MPH. It’s a profile designed for weak, ground-ball contact. Rogers gets that year after year, and he almost never puts batters on via base on balls.

While some pitchers with extremely low arm slots can struggle with opposite-handed batters, that hasn’t been an issue for Rogers. He has held lefties to a .235/.289/.336 line in 776 career plate appearances. Right-handed hitters haven’t fared much better, turning in .246/.282/.350 mark in nearly 1000 trips to the plate.

Rogers has spent the bulk of his career in San Francisco, including a two-year stretch where he overlapped with twin brother Taylor Rogers. The Giants fell out of contention shortly before the trade deadline and flipped the impending free agent to the Mets for middle reliever José Buttó and prospects Blade Tidwell and Drew Gilbert. Rogers continued churning out results in his new home, pitching 27 1/3 innings of 2.30 ERA ball. He finished the season with a career-best 1.98 earned run average behind a 62.1% grounder rate while leading MLB with 81 appearances.

The Mets unsurprisingly wanted Rogers back, but they balked at what turned out to be a surprisingly lucrative contract. He more than doubled MLBTR’s prediction of a two-year, $18MM deal. New York has also seen Edwin Díaz, Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley sign elsewhere. They’ve added Devin Williams to close but will need to find multiple setup arms from the right side.

That’s the role Rogers should continue to fill with the Jays. Toronto was open to supplanting Jeff Hoffman in the ninth inning, but they didn’t come away with any of Díaz, Raisel Iglesias or Robert Suarez. Rogers had a brief run as San Francisco’s closer in 2021 but has otherwise been a setup man. He was fourth in MLB with 32 holds this past season and handily leads the majors in that category over the last six years. Rogers joins Louis Varland as the top leverage arms in front of Hoffman.

The Jays could still look to add a better left-hander than Brendon Little, but Rogers becomes the fifth member of their projected bullpen who cannot be optioned to the minor leagues. Hoffman, Yimi García and Eric Lauer all have the five-plus years of service time to refuse any minor league assignment. Tommy Nance is out of options. Varland can be optioned but certainly isn’t in jeopardy of being sent down. If the Jays have all six starters healthy going into the season, that’d leave only one spot for Little or another left-handed acquisition. That’s to say nothing of the out-of-options Justin Bruihl and Rule 5 picks Angel Bastardo and Spencer Miles — all of whom have an uphill battle to stick on the roster.

Those are secondary considerations for an all-in Toronto team. The $12.333MM average annual value pushes their estimated luxury tax number to $294MM, as calculated by RosterResource. That’s already easily a franchise high before considering the possibility that they add Kyle Tucker or bring back Bo Bichette.

That’ll be their second straight season paying the competitive balance tax. They’re hit with a 42% tax on spending between $264MM and $284MM and taxed at a 75% rate from $284MM to $304MM. Any spending above the final threshold comes with a 90% penalty. The Rogers deal will come with an approximate $8-9MM tax bill. It also firmly pushes them beyond the $284MM mark at which their top pick in the 2027 draft is moved back by 10 spots (though that was basically inevitable after the Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce signings).

It’s a significant investment in a 35-year-old reliever. The Braves also went to three years, at $15MM annually, to sign Suarez on Thursday. That was the first three-year contract for a reliever that age since 2020. There hadn’t been a three-year term at more than $10MM per season for a 35-year-old bullpen arm since Mariano Rivera almost two decades ago. A closer who sits around 99 MPH, Suarez breaking that precedent wasn’t as surprising. The Jays are betting on Rogers’ unconventional style to age equally well.

Image courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-tyler-rogers-agree-to-three-year-deal.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays Acquire Chase Lee

The Tigers have traded right-hander Chase Lee to the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league lefty Johan Simon, according to announcements from both clubs. This move is likely to open a 40-man spot for the Tigers to make their signing of Kyle Finnegan official. The Jays had a 40-man vacancy but Lee takes up the final spot. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic first reported that Lee was headed to the Jays while Mitch Bannon of The Athletic first mentioned Simon as the return.

Lee, 27, doesn’t throw especially hard but is able to deceive batters with his sidearm delivery. Originally a draft pick of the Rangers, he was traded to the Tigers as part of the 2024 deadline deal which sent Andrew Chafin the other way.

In 204 2/3 minor league innings, Lee has allowed 4.13 earned runs pere nine, with a fairly average 8% walk rate but a strong 30.9% strikeout rate. The Tigers called him up to make his major league debut in 2025. He gave them 37 1/3 innings with a 4.10 ERA. His four-seam fastball only averaged 89.2 miles per hour while he also threw a sinker, slider and changeup. He struck out 24.3% of opponents while limiting walks to a 6.1% clip.

For the Jays, Lee adds some extra bullpen depth. He still has options and can therefore be sent to Triple-A Buffalo and back throughout the year. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet recently wrote a piece about how the Jays appear to be prioritizing different arm angles, so it’s possible they are particularly attracted to Lee’s sidearming abilities. He has less than a year of service time and is therefore years away from qualifying for arbitration and even further from free agency. If he’s able to carve out a meaningful role in the big leagues, he could be a long-term piece for the Jays.

To get Lee, the Jays are giving up Simon, an international signing out of the Dominican Republic. In 2025, he began at Single-A and then climbed to High-A and Double-A. Across those three levels, he tossed 71 relief innings with a 3.42 ERA, 25.1% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and a massive 64% ground ball rate.

For the Tigers, they had a 40-man roster crunch and needed to lose someone. With this deal, they’ve lost a bit of immediate depth but replaced Lee with a non-roster arm who is only slightly farther away from the majors.

Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-to-acquire-chase-lee.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro Signs Five-Year Extension

Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro has signed a five-year contract extension, Rogers Communications (which owns the Jays) announced Friday.

“The opportunity to lead the Blue Jays organization over the past 10 years has been incredibly fulfilling,” Shapiro said in a statement within today’s announcement. “Together we have built an organization with people who care deeply about baseball and take immense pride in being Canada’s team. I am grateful and honoured to be able to continue that work.”

Shapiro, 58, has spent the past decade as the Blue Jays’ president and CEO. He’d previously been the general manager and, eventually, team president in Cleveland. His past contract ran through the end of the calendar year. Current Jays general manager Ross Atkins was hired away from Cleveland by Shapiro; he’d previously been their vice president of player personnel.

Both Shapiro and Atkins have now signed multiple long-term extensions to remain in place as the top decision-makers for the Jays. Shapiro is now locked in through the 2030 season. Atkins signed a five-year extension back in 2021 and is currently signed through the end of the 2026 campaign. Given the Jays’ run to Game 7 of the World Series, it stands to reason that Atkins could be in line for an extension of his own at some point in the coming months.

Under Shapiro and Atkins, the Jays have won 89 or more games in four of the past five seasons. They hadn’t had any playoff success — save for the 2016 season, though that was a largely inherited club from the prior regime — but broke through in a major way in 2025 when they toppled the Yankees and Mariners in the ALDS and ALCS before coming just two outs away from the franchise’s first World Series victory since the 1992-93 repeat.

While the Jays have often been runners-up for prominent free agents in recent seasons (e.g. Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani), this year’s World Series push and the team’s $500MM investment in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have perhaps helped to establish the Jays as more of a free agent destination. Right-hander Dylan Cease just inked a seven-year contract, and Toronto has shown interest in both Kyle Tucker and in re-signing star infielder Bo Bichette, who reached the open market for the first time in his career this offseason. Ownership’s decision to commit to another extension with Shapiro is both a vote of confidence in the team’s current core and vision, as well as a signal that Toronto will be continuing in win-now mode for the foreseeable future.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...t-mark-shapiro-signs-five-year-extension.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Braves, Cubs Among Teams Interested In Robert Suarez

Edwin Diaz came off the market on Tuesday when he signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers earlier today. Now that both he and Devin Williams are off the board, veteran right-hander Robert Suarez stands as the clear top option available on the market for closers this winter. It didn’t take long after Diaz’s deal was reported for MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand to report that Suarez’s market was starting to gain traction. Feinsand highlighted the Mets, Blue Jays, and Braves as the “most aggressive suitors” for the righty’s services. New York and Toronto have both been connected to Suarez already this winter, but Atlanta is a newly-reported suitor. Meanwhile, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR throws the Cubs’ name into the mix as well, reporting that Chicago is exploring the closer market and adding that Suarez is “one of the ideal candidates” for the club.

Suarez, 35 in March, has been an All-Star in back-to-back seasons. He’s sporting a 2.87 ERA and 3.17 FIP with 76 saves in 134 2/3 innings of work across those two campaigns. This year, he struck out 27.9% of his opponents with a 5.9% walk rate, giving him a 21.9% K-BB ratio that ranked 26th among qualified relievers this year. Those excellent numbers are enough to make him one of the league’s top relievers, although the right-hander’s age and imperfect track record (including a middling 2023 season where injury limited him to just 26 appearances) figure to limit the length of his contract somewhat. MLBTR predicted Suarez for a three-year, $48MM deal as the #21 free agent on our Top 50 MLB Free Agents list for the offseason.

That would be a hefty sum for a team like the Braves to pay for a closer when they already have longtime closer Raisel Iglesias in the fold, particularly when Atlanta is also in the market for help at shortstop and in the rotation. With that said, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time the club committed significant dollars to their bullpen. Iglesias, Joe Jimenez and Aaron Bummer are both on significant contracts already, and players like Pierce Johnson and Will Smith have been guaranteed significant dollars by Atlanta in the past.

The Cubs seem like a much clearer fit for Suarez, at least on paper. They’ve lost Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, and Andrew Kittredge from their bullpen this offseason. While they signed Phil Maton last month and Daniel Palencia remains a viable closing option, that’s still a lot of talent to lose from the late-inning relief mix. That makes it unsurprising that Chicago would be in the mix for a player like Suarez, although it’s worth noting that the Cubs have typically shied away from large multi-year commitments to relievers. Maton’s two-year deal is actually the first multi-year guarantee the team has signed a reliever to since Craig Kimbrel back in 2019, but a deal for Suarez would be on another level entirely; his annual salary would surely rival the $14.5MM total guarantee Maton landed.

The Mets and Blue Jays remain as perhaps the most obvious fits for the righty. While New York did bring Williams into the fold, they remained in on Diaz even after that signing. Now that Diaz has settled on Los Angeles, the Mets pivoting towards Suarez to strengthen the back of their bullpen is easy to understand, particularly after Williams delivered inconsistent results in the ninth inning as a member of the Yankees last year. The Jays, meanwhile, have long been known to be in the market for another high leverage reliever to pair with Jeff Hoffman in the late innings.

The number of quality closers on the market is dropping quickly, and if Toronto is hoping to add a high-end reliever with closing experience Suarez is undoubtedly the top option at this point. Keller and Tyler Rogers are alternative impact options still available who lack that ninth inning track record, while closers like Pete Fairbanks and Luke Weaver are still available but are coming off far less impressive seasons than the one Suarez just delivered in San Diego. The Marlins and White Sox are among the other teams known to be involved in the closing market this winter, though it would be a surprise to see either spend aggressively enough to land someone of Suarez’s caliber.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/braves-cubs-among-teams-interested-in-robert-suarez.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Latest On Alex Bregman’s Market

While the relief market has moved quickly, there hasn’t been a ton of activity on the position player front. Kyle Schwarber’s return to Philadelphia on a five-year contract might open things up. Teams like the Orioles, Red Sox and Pirates were in on Schwarber amidst their pursuit of various free agent hitters.

Alex Bregman is unlikely to be a fit for Baltimore or Pittsburgh, but he’s certainly on the radar for Boston. Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe wrote this evening that the Red Sox are making Bregman a priority. The Sox enjoyed an excellent season from the three-time All-Star, who hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 homers across 495 trips to the plate. He’s also highly regarded as a clubhouse leader and could slot back in at third base, allowing the Sox to use Marcelo Mayer at second base.

[Related: The Best Fits For Alex Bregman]

Boston has been loosely linked to a number of marquee middle infielders as well. They’ve checked in on Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan. A report tonight from Tim Healey of The Boston Globe suggested they’ve at least gauged the Rangers’ interest in moving Corey Seager, though WEEI’s Rob Bradford suggested those conversations haven’t gone anywhere. The Sox have had conversations with top free agent infielder Bo Bichette, but Julian McWilliams of CBS Sports downplayed that fit tonight as well. That all aligns with the idea that the Sox are more focused on Bregman or a pure power bat at first base (e.g. Pete Alonso).

In addition to Boston, Bregman has been tied to the Tigers and Cubs this winter. Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press wrote on Monday afternoon that Detroit’s interest had been fairly muted to this point compared to last offseason, when they are believed to have put forth the highest offer. The Tigers made a six-year proposal narrowly above $170MM a year ago. Bregman opted for a three-year deal with the Sox that allowed him to opt out and return to the market this winter.

Chicago reportedly made a four-year proposal in the $115MM range last offseason. They’re back in the market and met with Bregman via Zoom a few weeks ago, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. However, the Cubs’ interest is complicated by the presence of second-year third baseman Matt Shaw. After a slow start to his career, Shaw had a nice second half that tapped into some of the ability that made him a top prospect. The Cubs have Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson up the middle, so adding Bregman would make for a cluttered infield.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer spoke generally about reports that have tied the Cubs to external third basemen. “I’ve been surprised by the number of media reports that link us to different guys. There is zero lack of confidence in Matt. I would say the opposite,” Hoyer said on Monday (link via Jesse Rogers of ESPN). He didn’t refute interest in Bregman specifically, nor are executives allowed to do so under the CBA for any free agent. The Cubs aren’t closing the door on adding a high-end bat to replace Kyle Tucker, but they appear more focused on pitching.

Theoretically, the Cubs could sign Bregman and use Shaw as a trade chip for a mid-rotation starter. That doesn’t seem to be a strong consideration. “When a team calls a player ‘untouchable,’ it’s because his value is so high that it’s just unrealistic to think that anyone else would come over the top and give you something that’s even more than that value. That’s where Matt Shaw comes into play for us,” general manager Carter Hawkins told Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “Is he untouchable? No. No one’s untouchable, but the odds of somebody coming in and giving us an offer that would make us want to move him is really, really low.”

If the Tigers and Cubs stay on the periphery of the market, that could open an opportunity for a dark horse suitor. The Angels and Mets are speculative possibilities. Meanwhile, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic wrote that the Blue Jays could keep an eye on Bregman as a fallback if they don’t come away with one of Tucker or Bichette. The Jays don’t need a third baseman, but both Addison Barger (corner outfield) and Ernie Clement (second base) could play other positions. Toronto’s general willingness to cast a wide net makes them a viable dark horse, though it’d be a surprise if they seriously jumped in on Bregman while Bichette and Tucker are still unsigned.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/latest-on-alex-bregmans-market-2.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays Sign Michael Plassmeyer To Minor League Deal

The Blue Jays have signed left-hander Michael Plassmeyer to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Buffalo for now but will presumably be invited to big league camp in spring training.

Plassmeyer, 29, has a very small major league résumé. He made two appearances for the Phillies in 2022 and one more the following year. In total, he has 11 innings in the show. Unfortunately, he allowed 12 earned runs in that time, so he currently sports an unsightly 9.82 ERA.

That’s obviously a tiny sample of work and the Jays are presumably looking past that to the larger sample size of his minor league history. Over the past five years, he has appeared in 125 minor league games, including 89 starts. In 489 1/3 innings, he struck out 24.7% of batters faced while only giving out walks 7% of the time, both of those figures being slightly better than average. However, a tendency to give up home runs push his ERA to 4.97 in that span.

The Jays have been loading up on pitching so far this offseason. They have added Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to a rotation that already featured Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, Eric Lauer and others. They have also bolstered the bullpen by agreeing to a deal with Tyler Rogers, acquiring Chase Lee from the Tigers and selecting Spencer Miles from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft.

It’s a crowded picture right now but a big league team needs dozens of arms over the course of a long season. If Plassmeyer is added to the 40-man at any point, he still has an option, meaning he could be sent between Buffalo and Toronto as needed. He also has just five days of big league service time, meaning he’s affordable and still years away from qualifying from free agency.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-sign-michael-plassmeyer-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays Designate Justin Bruihl For Assignment

The Blue Jays announced that they have designated left-hander Justin Bruihl for assignment. That’s the corresponding move to open a 40-man spot for righty Tyler Rogers, whose signing is now official.

Bruihl, 29 in June, signed a minor league deal with the Jays last offseason. He was added to the big league roster in June and spent the rest of the season getting repeatedly shuttled between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo.

He made 15 appearances for the Jays, logging 13 2/3 innings. His 5.27 earned run average doesn’t look pretty but he likely deserved better, as his .459 batting average on balls in play was way above the .291 league average. His 27.7% strikeout rate and 46.2% ground ball rate were actually quite strong. His 10.8% walk rate was high but not egregiously so.

He also tossed 42 Triple-A innings on the year, with a much better 3.43 ERA despite somewhat comparable rate stats. He certainly got more grounders in the minors, a 58.4% clip, but his 27.8% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate were both very close to what he did in the majors. His .274 BABIP was much closer to par, which helped the ERA even out to a more acceptable level.

Despite the high ERA in the majors, the Jays trusted Bruihl enough to have him pitch in some important games. He was even on the roster for the ALDS matchup against the Yankees, though he allowed two earned runs in his lone appearance against that club and was left off the ALCS roster.

Though there were some things to like about Bruihl’s 2025 campaign, he exhausted his final option season. That means he will be out of options going forward and will find it tougher to hold a roster spot. That’s especially true for a team like the Blue Jays, who have been aggressively adding to the roster as they look to compete again in 2026. Toronto also has three other lefty relievers on the roster in Brendon Little, Mason Fluharty and long reliever Eric Lauer. Prospect Ricky Tiedemann might also factor into the bullpen plans after missing 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

It might be a bit easier for Bruihl to stick with a rebuilding club with a roster that isn’t quite so packed. He’ll be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays could take five days to field trade interest. If Bruihl lands somewhere else, he has between one and two years of service time. That means he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration and can potentially be controlled for five full seasons.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-designate-justin-bruihl-for-assignment.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

D-backs Rumors: Marte, Johnson, Front Office

Even as general manager Mike Hazen continues to downplay the possibility of a trade, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is one of the most talked-about players around baseball’s Winter Meetings at the moment. Hazen has called a trade unlikely, stating that despite far more public chatter this offseason, the amount of interest he’s receiving in Marte is in line with the robust interest he’s received in past offseasons. Like most front office leaders around the sport, Hazen has said that it’s his job to at least hear out inquiring teams on virtually any player, Marte included.

Arizona’s asking price has been reported to be anywhere from high to exorbitant. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic adds more detail, reporting that one club who inquired with the Diamondbacks came away with the belief that it’d take an “established, well-regarded” starting pitcher and multiple additional pieces of value — presumably, controllable young big leaguers or nearly MLB-ready prospects.

While Marte has been connected to a litany of teams thus far, not all are in serious pursuit. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports that while the Blue Jays have checked in, their interest is more a case of due diligence than one of aggressively trying to make a deal happen. The starting point of an established young rotation piece would be hard for the Jays to include in their offer, Nicholson-Smith notes, and Trey Yesavage is really the only player on the roster who fits that role (and that would very likely be an understandable breaking point for the Jays). Similarly, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe suggests that while the Red Sox have looked into the possibility, Boston hasn’t been all that aggressive when discussing Marte with the D-backs.

Marte, 32, is owed $102.5MM over the next six seasons, though the sixth year on his contract is a player option valued at $11.5MM. That’s a hefty commitment but also less than he’d receive in free agency right now, coming off a .283/.368/.519 showing over the past three seasons (.283/.376/.517 in 2025). Moving Marte would, in theory, net the Diamondbacks an immediate rotation piece, multiple young players and $15MM in immediate payroll flexibility that could be used to help fortify the bullpen and/or infield corners (or, perhaps, to add even more rotation depth).

That said, the team is pursing those goals even while listening on its star infielder. Moving Marte, or shedding salary in general, isn’t any sort of prerequisite for the Diamondbacks to further round out the roster. RosterResource currently projects them for a $151MM payroll following yesterday’s $7.5MM deal with starting pitcher Michael Soroka. Owner Ken Kendrick has said payroll will decrease this season, but no firm number has been given. The D-backs are more than $35MM shy of last season’s Opening Day mark. There’s room to spend even if the budget will scale back.

The Soroka deal speaks to that, as do some of the team’s other pursuits. Arizona and right-hander Merrill Kelly reportedly have mutual interest in a reunion. The Snakes are reported to have interest in closer Pete Fairbanks. Just this morning, Piecoro reported that former Braves reliever Pierce Johnson is also of interest to the Diamondbacks.

Johnson, 35 in May, has spent the past two-plus seasons in Atlanta after going from the Rockies to the Braves at the 2023 trade deadline. He turned things around amid a brutal ’23 season following that swap, pitching to a 0.76 ERA down the stretch for his new club and earning himself a two-year, $14.25MM extension. Overall, Johnson totaled 139 innings and logged a tidy 2.91 earned run average during his time calling Truist Park home.

The Braves somewhat surprisingly declined a 2026 club option on Johnson, valued at $7MM, in favor of a $250K buyout. Given Johnson’s results in Atlanta and the modest (net) price tag of $6.75MM, there was a strong case to pick the option up.

Perhaps Atlanta was concerned about Johnson’s poor finish to the season. Nearly half the runs he allowed on the year came over the final month of play. From Aug. 25 onward, Johnson was rocked for nine runs on 19 hits and three walks. Four of those 19 knocks left the yard. His strikeout rate dropped nearly three percentage points, and his average fastball dipped by about 0.4 mph.

That could set the stage for Johnson to sign a one-year deal — or perhaps a two-year pact at a lighter AAV than the $7MM turned down by Atlanta. That sort of price point would work nicely for a D-backs club that’s trying to add multiple starters and multiple relievers in relatively affordable fashion. One move that won’t garner as many headlines but could still yield notable dividends to the team’s pitching hopes happened on the front office side of things earlier today, however.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this morning that Jeremy Bleich, the Pirates’ director of pitching development, is leaving the organization to join the Diamondbacks as an assistant general manager.

Bleich, 38, is a Stanford product whom the Yankees selected with the 44th overall pick back in 2008. He made one big league appearance on the mound with the 2018 Athletics but ended his playing career after the 2019 season. Bleich has been with the Pirates since 2020 and has played a role in helping to cultivate the organization’s enviable pipeline of young pitching talent. Paul Skenes was likely to develop into an ace wherever he landed, but the Bucs have had a high conversion rate on second- and third-round picks like Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco, among others, and have seen lower picks (e.g. 11th-rounder Mike Burrows) develop into quality big league contributors. The Diamondbacks, conversely, have struggled to finish the development of their top pitching prospects in recent seasons.

Diamondbacks prospects who’ve ranked among the top of their system but have yet to pan out in the majors in recent years include Brandon Pfaadt, Bryce Jarvis, Blake Walston, Corbin Martin and Drey Jameson, to name a few. Since 2019, Ryne Nelson is the only pitcher the D-backs have drafted and received even three total WAR from in the majors. Bleich obviously can’t be solely credited with the Pirates’ success in pitcher development, but it’s not at all surprising to see the Snakes pry a prominent name in pitching development away from a rival club as they look to improve their fortunes moving forward.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...tablished-starting-pitcher-top-prospects.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Guardians Acquire Justin Bruihl, Designate Jhonkensy Noel For Assignment

The Guardians have acquired left-hander Justin Bruihl from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. The Jays had designated the lefty for assignment earlier this week. To open a 40-man spot, the Guards designated outfielder Jhonkensy Noel for assignment.

Bruihl, 29 in June, signed a minor league deal with the Jays ahead of the 2025 campaign. He eventually earned a roster spot and had a decent season, in some ways. His 5.27 earned run average in the majors doesn’t look nice, but that came in a small sample of 13 2/3 innings. He also had a strong 27.7% strikeout rate and 46.2% ground ball rate in that time. His 10.8% walk rate was a bit high but he was really held back by a .459 batting average on balls in play. ERA estimators such as his 4.16 FIP and 3.42 SIERA were far more optimistic.

His minor league numbers look more like those latter metrics than his big league ERA. He tossed 42 innings for Triple-A Buffalo with a 3.43 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate and 58.4% ground ball rate.

Bruihl doesn’t throw especially hard. His two-seamer averaged just 90.2 miles per hour this year. He also mixed in a cutter at 87.5 mph and a 78.4 mph slider. He nonetheless managed to punch guys out and avoid hard contact. The Jays sent him between Triple-A and the majors this year but he was enough of a factor to be on their ALDS roster against a lefty-heavy Yankee lineup. He wasn’t carried on the roster for subsequent rounds.

Despite some intriguing numbers this year, he got squeezed off Toronto’s roster this week. He exhausted his final option in 2025 and will be out of options going forward. With the Jays also having lefties Brendon Little, Mason Fluharty and Eric Lauer on the roster, they designated Bruihl for assignment.

The Guards are intrigued enough to bring him aboard. Their southpaw relief contingent is currently headlined by Erik Sabrowski and Tim Herrin but those two each walked more than 15.5% of batters faced in 2025. Joey Cantillo could be in the mix but he’s more of a long reliever. With Bruihl’s option status, he’ll have to perform but there’s a path for him to earn a job in the Cleveland bullpen. He has under two years of service time, meaning he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration and can be controlled for five full seasons if he can hold a roster spot.

The unfortunate side effect of adding Bruihl is that the Guards have cut “Big Christmas” from the roster barely a week before the holiday he’s named after. Noel has shown some big power in his career but also has a poor approach at the plate. In his 351 big league plate appearances, 32.8% of them have ended in a strikeout while he has only drawn a walk 4.8% of the time.

Despite hitting 19 home runs, his .193/.242/.401 batting line translates to a 79 wRC+. He’s not a good defender nor is he a burner on the basepaths, so he really needs to hit to provide value. The homers help but the overall offense has been lacking.

Like Bruihl, he exhausted his final option season in 2025. That was going to make it harder for the Guards to keep him on the roster, especially with guys like Chase DeLauter and George Valera reaching the big leagues this year.

He’ll head into DFA limbo and see if the Guards can line up a trade or if anyone wants him on waivers. If he lands somewhere else, he can be controlled for five full seasons. Since he has less than three years of service and doesn’t have a previous career outright, he will not have the right to elect free agency if he is passed through outright waivers unclaimed.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...-designate-jhonkensy-noel-for-assignment.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

MLBTR Podcast: The Mets Sign Jorge Polanco, And The Braves, Blue Jays And Royals Make Moves

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

• The Mets signing Jorge Polanco (2:40)
• The Braves making three signings: Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski and Ha-Seong Kim (17:15)
• The Blue Jays signing Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce (31:40)
• The Royals extending Maikel Garcia, signing Lane Thomas and trading Ángel Zerpa to the Brewers for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears (46:10)
• The Tigers making three signings: Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan and Drew Anderson (57:25)

Check out our past episodes!

• Winter Meetings Recap – listen here
• An Agent’s Perspective with B.B. Abbott – Also, Cease, Williams, Helsley, And Gray – listen here
• Some “Classic Baseball Trades,” Nimmo For Semien, And Ward For Rodriguez – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025...e-braves-blue-jays-and-royals-make-moves.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Bo Bichette Reportedly Open To Playing Second Base

Bo Bichette is telling interested teams that he’s willing to sign as a second baseman, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That’s not especially surprising but theoretically opens his market.

Bichette’s defensive fit has been the biggest question of his free agency process. He has played 6184 career regular season innings, all of them at shortstop. Public metrics haven’t looked favorably upon his work. Statcast has graded Bichette as an average or worse defender for virtually his entire career. Defensive Runs Saved was more positive over his first few seasons but has had him in the red in three of the past four years. Going back to 2023, he’s fifth from the bottom at the position with -15 Outs Above Average. DRS has him tied for eighth worst with a -11 mark.

It’s more a problem of range than any concern about his hands. He has only committed 11 fielding errors over the last three years, which isn’t many for a player who has logged almost 3000 innings at the infield’s most demanding position. He’s tied for ninth with 16 throwing errors in that stretch. He ranks middle of the pack in arm strength and is a below-average runner who doesn’t have great mobility. Statcast has graded him particularly poorly on batted balls by right-handed hitters, which a move to the opposite side of the diamond could mitigate.

Bichette could probably play an average or better second base. He made 30 appearances there in the minor leagues and more famously played there five times during this year’s World Series. Those were his first games back after a six-week absence due to a sprained ligament in his left knee. Bichette was clearly hampered physically and would have been a designated hitter if the Blue Jays didn’t have George Springer. Toronto needed to find somewhere to play Bichette to get his bat back in the lineup, but they kept Andrés Giménez at shortstop.

[Related: The Best Fits For Bichette]

Giménez is a superior defender even if Bichette is fully healthy. Very few middle infielders can match Bichette on the other side of the ball. He’s a career .294/.337/.469 hitter who has been a well above-average offensive player in every season besides 2024. He had a remarkable performance in the World Series, collecting eight hits (including a monster Game 7 home run off Shohei Ohtani) despite the knee pain.

There aren’t many teams actively seeking shortstop upgrades. The Padres, Rays, Guardians, Brewers, Marlins and Pirates could all improve the position. None of them are going to meet a potential $200MM+ asking price. Toronto would be better suited with Giménez at shortstop and Bichette at second base, though GM Ross Atkins suggested early in the offseason that they’d be willing to keep their old infield arrangement if Bichette wanted to stick at shortstop. Aside from the Jays, the Yankees and Tigers might’ve been the only teams that could plausibly offer Bichette a huge contract to play short.

Fielding interest as a second baseman could bring in teams like the Giants, Angels, Red Sox and Dodgers. It’s sensible to hear teams out even if only to expand the market. Last offseason’s top free agent shortstop, Willy Adames, expressed a similar willingness to move to second or third base. He wound up staying at his usual position with the Giants but commanded a seven-year contract despite San Francisco being the only high-spending club in need of a shortstop.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/bo-bichette-reportedly-open-to-playing-second-base.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays To Sign Jorge Alcala To Minor League Deal

The Blue Jays and right-hander Jorge Alcala have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Ari Alexander of 7News Boston WHDH. The Nova Sports Agency client will also receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.

The Jays and Alcala will be looking for a bounceback. He has had some major league success but 2025 was a poor season for him. He bounced from the Twins to the Red Sox and Cardinals this year, tossing 55 innings between those three clubs, allowing 6.22 earned runs per nine. His 23.7% strikeout rate was decent but he walked 11.7% of batters faced and allowed 13 home runs.

The Cards could have retained him for 2026 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting Alcala for a $2.1MM salary next year. Unsurprisingly, his poor campaign prompted them to move on. He was non-tendered and became a free agent, which allowed the Jays to get him on this deal.

Looking further into the past, there are more reasons for optimism. Over 2020 and 2021, he tossed 83 2/3 innings for the Twins with a 3.55 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. He averaged over 97 miles per hour on his four-seamer. He recorded one save and 11 holds for the Twins.

The next two seasons were mostly washed out. Alcala spent significant time on the injured list due to various arm issues in 2022 and 2023. He only tossed 19 2/3 big league innings over those two years combined. He bounced back in 2024 by pitching 58 1/3 innings for the Twins with a 3.24 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate. His four-seamer averaged 98 mph as he recorded another 15 holds.

The Jays have made a few moves to add to their bullpen this offseason. They signed Tyler Rogers, acquired Chase Lee from the Tigers and selected Spencer Miles from the Giants in the Rule 5 draft. Alcala gives them a bit of extra depth without taking up a roster spot.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-to-sign-jorge-alcala-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Nine Teams Exceeded Luxury Tax Threshold In 2025

Major League Baseball has finalized its calculations of teams’ competitive balance tax payrolls for the 2025 season. As first reported by The Associated Press, nine teams surpassed the $241MM base threshold. In a separate post, The AP lists the finalized CBT numbers for all 30 teams.

The payments are as follows:

• Dodgers: $169.4MM
• Mets: $91.6MM
• Yankees: $61.8MM
• Phillies: $56.1MM
• Blue Jays: $13.6MM
• Padres: $7MM
• Astros: $1.5MM
• Red Sox: $1.5MM
• Rangers: $190K

Teams pay escalating penalties for exceeding the threshold in consecutive seasons. The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Rangers have all paid the tax in at least three straight years — subjecting them to the highest escalator fees. The Astros went over the line for the second straight season. The Blue Jays, Padres and Red Sox had gotten below in 2024 and are categorized as first-time payors.

This is the second straight year in which nine teams paid the CBT. The Braves, Giants and Cubs had gone over the line in ’24 but dipped below this year, which resets their status going into 2026. Atlanta’s active offseason puts them in position to go back into tax territory next year, when the base threshold climbs to $244MM. San Francisco and Chicago each have projected CBT numbers more than $40MM below that right now.

While public estimates from RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts offer an excellent approximation of teams’ payroll commitments, the official numbers are not available during the season. It’s not uncommon for rounding errors in those calculations to vary by a few million dollars. That generally isn’t a big deal but can matter for teams that are hovering very close to the tax line. Each of the Red Sox ($249MM payroll), Astros ($246MM) and Rangers ($241.38MM) were believed to have gone narrowly beyond the $241MM cutoff, but that wasn’t 100% established until this evening — particularly in the case of Texas.

The Dodgers ($417MM), Mets ($347MM), Yankees ($320MM), Phillies ($314MM) and Blue Jays ($286MM) all had payrolls above $281MM. That was the third tier of penalization and marked the point at which a team’s top draft pick is dropped by 10 spots. The Mets were the only of those five that didn’t make the playoffs. Their top pick drops from 17th to 27th. The Yankees, Philadelphia, Toronto and L.A. all have their first-round pick dropped to between 35th and 40th.

Teams that paid the CBT are entitled to the lowest level of compensation for losing free agents who declined a qualifying offer. They receive a draft choice after the fourth round for each qualified free agent who walks. They’re charged the heaviest penalty — their second- and fifth-highest picks in 2026 and $1MM from their ’27 international bonus pool — for signing a qualified free agent from another team.

San Diego and the Mets receive a pick after the fourth round for losing Dylan Cease and Edwin Díaz, respectively. Toronto (Bo Bichette), Houston (Framber Valdez) and Philadelphia (Ranger Suárez) would receive the same if their free agents sign elsewhere. The Dodgers surrendered their second- and fifth-round selections for Díaz. Toronto is slated to do the same for Cease, but if Bichette walks, they’d give up that compensatory pick instead and get their fifth-rounder back.

The Dodgers’ combined payroll and tax bill for the 2025 season lands north of $586MM. The two-time defending champions’ tax hit alone is higher than the payrolls of the bottom 12 teams in the league. There were 14 clubs that had a CBT number above $200MM. The Braves, Cubs, Giants, Angels, Diamondbacks and Mariners were the other six teams above the median. All but Seattle spent more than $200MM.

On the other end, the Marlins ($87MM) and White Sox ($92MM) were the two teams with payrolls below $100MM. The Rays ($103MM), Pirates ($109MM) and Athletics ($118MM) rounded out the bottom five — followed by the Guardians, Nationals, Twins, Brewers and Reds.

Overall, the league will collect just under $403MM in taxes. Teams must make the payments by January 21. The first $3.5MM will be used to fund player benefits. Half the remaining money goes to players’ retirement accounts, while the other half is used for revenue sharing distribution from MLB to teams.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/nine-teams-exceeded-luxury-tax-threshold-in-2025.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays Interested In Alex Bregman

Add the Blue Jays to the list of potential suitors for free agent Alex Bregman. Toronto officials have been in contact with Scott Boras, the third baseman’s agent, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Red Sox, Cubs, and Diamondbacks have also been connected to Bregman.

Toronto has already been a major player in free agency this offseason, though the additions have come on the pitching side. The club snagged one of the top starters on the market in right-hander Dylan Cease. They locked down reliever Tyler Rogers on a three-year deal. In a year with several intriguing arms arriving from overseas, the Blue Jays landed one of the highest-upside options in Cody Ponce. Toronto has been tied to some of the biggest bats on the market, including Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Bo Bichette. Bregman now joins that esteemed group.

Boston is reportedly pushing for a Bregman reunion. The third baseman opted out of a three-year, $120MM deal with the club after one season. He had a strong campaign with the Red Sox, providing middle-of-the-order thump to go with steady glove work. Chicago is back in the mix after coming up short last year. The Cubs reportedly offered Bregman a four-year deal this past offseason, though the total value fell short of his agreement with the Red Sox. The Diamondbacks recently joined the race for Bregman. Arizona seems like a long shot to land the stud free agent, but the club does have a vacancy after trading Eugenio Suárez at the deadline.

Toronto’s current plan at third base seems to be a combination of Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, and Davis Schneider. Clement will be penciled in at second base with Bichette hitting the market. Barger is the top option for third base duties, at least against righties. Schneider could pick up second base reps against lefties, with Clement sliding to third. Infielders JoJo Parker and Arjun Nimmala are among Toronto’s top prospects, though they’re unlikely to contribute at the big-league level for a few more years.

The Blue Jays’ third basemen ranked 10th in OPS last season. Clement and Barger split the role fairly evenly, with Will Wagner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa occasionally mixing in. Barger emerged as a crucial cog in the middle of the lineup, launching 21 home runs in his first extended stint at the highest level. Clement bounced around the infield, seeing time at all four spots. He played in a career-high 157 games, providing league-average numbers at the plate. Clement also set a postseason record with 30 hits. Third base isn’t a position that seems like a glaring weakness, but a longer-term view of the roster makes Bregman a more sensible fit. George Springer and Daulton Varsho are both free agents after 2026. Their potential departures would open up outfield and DH opportunities for Barger, Schneider, and company.

While Clement and Barger are solid players, Toronto would have no issue reshuffling the lineup to make room for an addition like Bregman. The 31-year-old has a career 133 wRC+. After three straight seasons with at least 23 home runs, Bregman hit 18 in 114 games in his lone season in Boston. A quad strain cost him a month and a half, but he was on track to maintain his standard power numbers. Bregman was worth +3 Outs Above Average this past year. He’s now at +18 over the last five seasons.

The additions of Cease and Rogers, among others, pushed Toronto’s estimated payroll to roughly $272MM, per RosterResource. That’s already $14MM above the club’s 2025 mark. It’s well beyond the Blue Jays’ $217MM payroll from 2024. It’s a new level of spending for a squad that fell just short of bringing home a title this past year.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-interested-in-alex-bregman.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Several Teams Interested In Yoán Moncada

Infielder Yoán Moncada is currently a free agent after playing out a one year, $5MM deal with the Angels. He was an above-average hitter in 84 games in 2025 but missed time due to right thumb and right knee injuries. According to Francys Romero of Beisbol FR, several teams have expressed early interest in signing Moncada, including the Angels, Pirates, White Sox, and Blue Jays.

The 30-year-old originally signed with the Red Sox out of Cuba for a $31.5MM bonus in February 2015. He made his debut late in 2016 before being traded to the White Sox as their key return for Chris Sale. Moncada had a 105 wRC+ in 231 plate appearances in 2017 but fell below average in his first full season in 2018. He broke out in 2019 with a .315/.367/.548 batting line in 559 PA, along with 25 home runs. Granted, the ball was juiced that year, but Moncada’s output was still 39% better than average by wRC+. The White Sox were confident enough to give him a five-year, $70MM extension in March 2020, which covered the 2020-24 seasons and contained a club option for 2025.

Moncada slumped during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, posting a 94 wRC+ while seeing a drop in power and spending two weeks on the injured list. He rebounded in 2021 with a line of .263/.375/.412 and a 120 wRC+. The power wasn’t quite back to his 2019 levels, though he looked like a more mature hitter overall, dropping his strikeout rate to 25.5% while posting a career-best 13.6% walk rate.

Unfortunately, Moncada has struggled with injuries and inconsistency ever since. From 2022-24, he batted .236/.291/.387 with an 88 wRC+ while playing in just 206 out of 486 possible games. In 2024, he spent most of the season on the 60-day IL with a left abductor strain, making just 45 plate appearances with a 118 wRC+. After the season, the club declined their $25MM club option on Moncada in lieu of a $5MM buyout, making him a free agent.

This year with the Angels, he had a 117 wRC+ in 289 PA over 84 games. His strikeout rate of 26.0% was high, while his 11.1% walk rate was better than average. His .214 ISO was his highest since his 2019 breakout season, as was his .448 slugging percentage. Although he is nominally a switch-hitter, most of his damage came as a lefty facing right-handed pitching. He posted 125 wRC+ in 262 PA against righties, but just a 37 wRC+ in 27 PA against southpaws. Meanwhile, both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average saw Moncada as a liability at third base. His -13 OAA was worst in the league among third baseman with at least 300 defensive innings.

Altogether, Moncada showed above average offense but was weighed down by injuries and newfound defensive struggles. As a free agent, he is more or less in the same position as last offseason, with a one-year deal being his most likely outcome. The current market has Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez as the top options at third base. Kazuma Okamoto is still available, with his posting window closing on January 4. The next-best options after that are utility players, so teams needing an everyday third baseman could look to Moncada as a low-cost flier.

Among the clubs with reported interest, the Angels might be the best fit. Anthony Rendon is expected to retire after an injury-riddled tenure in Los Angeles. After Moncada, Luis Rengifo got the most time at the hot corner in 2025, though he is a now a free agent. The club acquired infielder Vaughn Grissom from the Red Sox earlier this month, and he has not played third base in his big-league career. Another one-year deal with Moncada would fill the third-base vacancy and set Grissom up to compete for second base time, where the incumbent Christian Moore was unimpressive offensively in 2025.

Looking at the Pirates, the team traded Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds in July and saw Isiah Kiner-Falefa claimed by the Blue Jays in August. Jared Triolo played 260 1/3 innings at the hot corner, but he is more of a multi-positional player and did not hit as well as Moncada. The club is interested in signing Okamoto, but Moncada could be a fallback option for them.

The White Sox recently signed Munetaka Murakami to play first base and have Miguel Vargas as the projected starter at third. Moncada would be an offensive upgrade over Vargas if the club limits his exposure to left-handed pitching. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are known to be interested in signing Bregman. Ernie Clement and Addison Barger are already on the roster if he signs elsewhere. Both are average hitters, while Clement is an excellent defender at third (11 DRS in 2025), so they are a more curious fit for Moncada.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/several-teams-interested-in-yoan-moncada.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays Sign Nic Enright To Two-Year Minor League Deal

The Blue Jays have agreed to a two-year minor league deal with right-hander Nic Enright, according to a report from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

Enright, 28, has had a difficult career to this point despite solid results. A 20th-round pick by Cleveland back in 2019, the righty made his way up the organizational ladder to reach Triple-A with excellent results in 2022. That seemingly put him on the radar for a call-up to the majors, but was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in December of that year. The diagnosis came shortly after Enright was selected by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft and severely limited him throughout the 2023 campaign, although he did eventually begin a rehab assignment while undergoing treatment. He struggled before being returned to the Guardians, but by 2024 was back to posting excellent numbers in the minors.

That earned Enright the opportunity to make his MLB debut this year, and he made the most of the opportunity with a sterling 2.03 ERA and a 23.7% strikeout rate in 31 innings of work. Enright had the look of a quality bullpen piece when on the mound, but his health derailed things once again when the righty underwent Tommy John surgery in October. The timing of that injury will cost Enright the entire 2026 season, which led the Guardians to non-tender him last month despite his status as a pre-arbitration player. That sent Enright into minor league free agency for the first time in his career, and he’s now managed to catch on with the reigning AL champions.

The deal between Toronto and Enright is for both the 2026 and ’27 seasons. While minor league deals are typically for just one year, two-year deals are somewhat common for talented players who are rehabbing from significant surgery. They serve as a way for the acquiring club to take control of the player’s rehab process with the assurance that they’ll be the organization with the first crack at reaping the benefits once the player returns to health. From the player’s perspective, the two-year guarantee offers some security that otherwise would not be afforded to them, saving them from having to go back into minor league free agency coming off a season lost to rehab.

While Enright won’t have an impact on the Blue Jays in 2026, it would hardly be a surprise to see him join the Toronto bullpen at some point in 2027 given his previous results and obvious talent when healthy. The Blue Jays’ pitching staff figures to look very different in 2027, as Shane Bieber and Kevin Gausman will depart the rotation for free agency after the 2026 campaign while Eric Lauer and Yimi Garcia figure to leave a hole in the bullpen when they hit the open market. It’s hard to know exactly how open the competition for Toronto’s 2027 pitching staff will be more than a year in advance, but it’s certainly plausible that those impending departures could help create an opportunity for Enright to join players like Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, and Louis Varland in the team’s relief corps once he’s healthy.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-sign-nic-enright-to-two-year-minor-league-deal.html

 

[Toronto Blue Jays]

Blue Jays To Sign Josh Winckowski To Minor League Deal

Right-hander Josh Winckowski is joining the Blue Jays on a two-year minor league deal, per MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The 27-year-old recently had internal brace surgery and hopes to pitch late in the 2026 season, notes Adams.

Winckowski didn’t break camp with the Red Sox this past season, but was called up in early April. He made six appearances with the club before getting sent back down. The righty hit the IL in May with an elbow issue that ended up being a flexor strain. The injury ended his season. Winckowski was designated for assignment in mid-November. He elected minor league free agency shortly after.

The additional news that Winckowski underwent internal brace surgery this month sheds more light on his potential timeline. The procedure typically allows pitchers to return sooner than they would if they had Tommy John surgery. Winckowski will be building back up as a starter, adds Adams. With several months of recovery still ahead of him, it makes sense that the Blue Jays inked him to a two-year deal.

It’s a return home for Winckowski, who was drafted by Toronto out of high school in 2016. He delivered promising results in the lower levels of the minors, reaching High-A by 2019. Winckowski was then involved in a pair of notable trades ahead of the 2021 season. Toronto sent him to the Mets as part of a package for Steven Matz. Two weeks later, New York flipped him to the Red Sox in a three-team deal that involved Andrew Benintendi going to the Royals.

Winckowski debuted with Boston in 2022. He made 15 appearances (14 starts) for the big-league club, pitching to a 5.89 ERA. Winckowski struggled to miss bats (13.9% strikeout rate) but got ground balls at more than a 52% clip. The Red Sox transitioned Winckowski to a bullpen role in 2023, and the change paid immediate dividends. The righty’s fastball velocity jumped more than 2 mph, and his strikeout rate improved to 22.3%. Winckowski continued to get ground balls at a well-above-average rate. The combination of an improved arsenal and the persistent ability to keep the ball on the ground helped Winckowski post a sterling 2.88 ERA across 60 appearances. He finished with 19 holds as an important member of Boston’s bullpen.

The 2024 campaign was a step back for Winckowski, both in terms of stuff and production. His fastball and sinker velocities fell a bit, and he reverted to underwhelming strikeout numbers. Winckowski was demoted to Triple-A on two separate occasions. The injuries limited him to just 11 2/3 innings with the Red Sox this past season. His health, along with his pending arbitration and the fact that he was out of minor league options, likely contributed to him getting bumped off Boston’s roster. Winckowski will now head to Toronto with the hopes of recovering in time to help the major league squad.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/blue-jays-to-sign-josh-winckowski-to-minor-league-deal.html

 

[JJ]

OH BABY THE JAYS ARE MAKING MOVES AND I'M HERE FOR IT

Look, I gotta say - watching Toronto spend like this after years of being tight with the wallet is pretty refreshing. $272MM projected payroll? That's serious business right there. They're clearly going all-in after coming up short last year.

The Bregman interest is intriguing but man, do they NEED him? Barger put up 21 bombs and Clement was solid defensively. But I get the long-term play here - Springer and Varsho are gone after 2026 and suddenly you've got flexibility to move pieces around. Smart thinking if you can stomach paying Bregman what he's gonna want.

The Moncada stuff though? Hard pass from me. The guy can't stay healthy and his defense at third was BRUTAL this year (-13 OAA, worst in the league). Why would you bring that in when Clement is elite with the glove? Makes zero sense unless they're looking at him as a DH platoon bat against righties, which... okay I guess? But seems like a waste of a roster spot for a team trying to win now.

The pitching depth moves are smart though. Enright and Winckowski are both lottery tickets that could pay off in 2027 when Bieber and Gausman walk. You need those pipeline arms ready to go.

Real question is - are the Jays actually gonna land one of these big bats or are they just kicking tires? Because Cease was a great get but this lineup still needs another impact bat to compete with the big boys.