10 players you’ve already forgotten played for the Blue Jays in 2024

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During the 2024 MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays ended up having many moving parts throughout the year. Part of it came as a result of injuries or ineffectiveness for some of their everyday players. The other part came from the mass exodus of players at the trade deadline that necessitated makeshift replacements to help fill the void. As a result, believe it or not, a grand total of 56 players actually suited up in at least one game for the Blue Jays this past season.

For some impactful players, such as Will Wagner and Ryan Yarbrough, they left a lasting impression that managed to catch the eye of the Jays’ brass and their faithful. But for many others, their contributions became so negligible that you likely have already forgotten that they actually played for the Jays in 2024.

As a result, let’s take a trip down memory lane to recall 10 of those players who failed to make their mark with the Jays this past season despite getting playing time.

José Cuas

Back in late June, the Jays claimed right-handed pitcher José Cuas off waivers from the Chicago Cubs to add pitching depth to the organization. It didn’t take long for Cuas to see his first action with his new team when long-time Jays reliever Tim Mayza was designated for assignment the following week.

Cuas made just four relief appearances in total with Toronto, posting a dismal 9.00 ERA and 2.33 WHIP while giving up three earned runs with four walks and three strikeouts in three innings pitched. He would end up spending the bulk of his time with the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo until he was designated for assignment in early September in favor of another waiver claim in right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Ramirez.

Cuas was claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies a few days later, ending his tenure with the Jays’ organization.

Brett de Geus

In mid-September, the Jays continued their waiver claim fun by nabbing right-hander Brett de Geus from the Miami Marlins. In a corresponding move, Yerry Rodríguez was designated for assignment to make room for the 27-year-old reliever. By joining the Jays, they became de Geus’ third organization of the season at the time.

Just a little more than a week later, he got the call-up to replace fellow reliever Tommy Nance on the roster. de Geus managed to get into two games with the Jays prior to the end of the season. It sure wasn’t pretty as he gave up four earned runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout in just 2 1/3 innings of work, resulting in an ugly 15.43 ERA and 2.14 WHIP. With that, de Geus shouldn’t be back for next season.

Brandon Eisert

Drafted late in the 18th round by the Jays back in the 2019 MLB Draft, left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert surprisingly made his MLB debut with the team in 2024. This was after spending just four seasons in their minor league system. However, he was mainly used as a temporary filler by the Jays over the course of the season. Eisert was called up a total of three times, making just one appearance in each stint with the big league club.

In those three games, Eisert posted a 4.05 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, giving up three earned runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Nevertheless, with the Jays lacking quality bullpen arms for 2025, he could potentially challenge for a spot when spring training rolls around.

Luis Frias

Right-handed pitcher Luis Frias was another waiver claim made by the Jays, this time back in August from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Frias had been one of those prospects that seemed to flourish in the minor league system but was never able to transfer that success to the major league level.

Prior to joining the Jays, he boasted a career 6.55 ERA and 1.89 WHIP with the Diamondbacks over 54 relief appearances. Things actually got a lot worse when he finally got his opportunity to shine with the Jays in September.

Over just four appearances, Frias gave up a whopping eight earned runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings pitched. That left him with a horrific 21.60 ERA and 3.30 WHIP, and he was promptly optioned back to Buffalo in mid-September as the Jays brought up Dillon Tate to take his place.

On Monday night, the Blue Jays announced that Frias cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Easton Lucas

With more action coming from the waiver wire, the Jays claimed a promising left-handed pitcher off of the Detroit Tigers in mid-August in Easton Lucas. Lucas was practically lights out when he joined the Bisons after coming over from Detroit. He posted a stellar 1.37 ERA and 0.66 WHIP with five walks and 21 strikeouts in just 19 2/3 innings pitched over six games, which included three starts.

As a result, the Jays took full advantage of a hot Lucas and brought him up to the big leagues to replace a struggling Zach Pop during the last week of the season. However, Lucas’ magic quickly faded as he was lit up in his two appearances. In total, he gave up six earned runs on six hits with four walks and two strikeouts in just 4 2/3 innings of work for an 11.57 ERA and 2.14 WHIP.

Wes Parsons

One of the early feel-good stories for the Jays in 2024 was when journeyman pitcher Wes Parsons made the Opening Day roster.

Parsons was looking to erase the lasting memories of his disastrous outing that he had with the Jays on the last day of the 2023 season. That very day, he gave up nine runs on 10 hits in just four innings pitched against the Tampa Bay Rays. It led to the Jays facing the Minnesota Twins in the AL Wild Card Series, and we all know how that went.

However, despite getting his chance of redemption, Parsons would end up lasting only two relief appearances in which he struggled to a 10.80 ERA and 1.60 WHIP, giving up six runs on six hits in just five innings of work. The leash for Parsons turned out to be extremely short as he was designated for assignment in the first week of April. He was traded to the Cleveland Guardians a few days later in exchange for International Bonus Pool money ($250,000).

Nick Robertson

Continuing with the amazing trend of waiver action, the Jays were at it again in late September when they grabbed reliever Nick Robertson after he was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels. In the process, Robertson actually joined his fifth team in less than 15 months as he appeared to be constantly on the move. As a result, it tempered the expectations that the Jays and their faithful ultimately had in him.

In the end, Robertson only got into one game with the Jays, pitching a clean inning against the Marlins during their second-last game of the season. As a former seventh-round pick back in the 2019 MLB Draft, the 26-year-old reliever still has the potential if given the right environment to grow and develop his game more.

Yerry Rodríguez

With the Jays hit with injury woes to their pitchers prior to the All-Star break, they made a trade with the Texas Rangers to acquire the services of right-hander Yerry Rodríguez in exchange for minor leaguer Josh Mollerus. The Jays were hoping Rodríguez’s major league experience could come in handy despite his struggles with the Rangers to start the 2024 season.

After showing some signs of promise in his five appearances with Buffalo after joining the organization, Rodríguez got the call in late July when the Jays optioned Ryan Burr to the minors. However, Rodríguez failed miserably in his audition, posting an abysmal 15.43 ERA and 2.57 WHIP, giving up eight earned runs including two home runs, two walks and five strikeouts in just 4 2/3 innings over four appearances.

As a result, he was optioned back to Buffalo in mid-August and was later designated for assignment in September.

Dillon Tate

The Jays finally made a more noteworthy claim when they obtained veteran reliever Dillon Tate from the Baltimore Orioles through waivers. Unlike all of the other previously discussed candidates, Tate has had a proven track record in the majors of being an effective reliever during his time with the Orioles.

However, after missing all of the 2023 season due to right elbow and forearm injuries, his struggles in 2024 eventually led to him falling out of favor in Baltimore. As a result, the Jays were willing to give Tate a chance with hopes that he could regain some of his prior form.

After five solid outings with their Triple-A affiliate Buffalo, the Jays promoted Tate in late September to see what he could offer to the team. In four relief appearances, he registered a 5.40 ERA and 2.10 WHIP, giving up two earned runs with three walks and four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Even though those numbers aren't great, Tate could still be in play for 2025 if the Jays really believe that he could bounce back next season. Especially with Yarbrough headed into free agency.

Mitch White

It might have seemed a long time ago that Mitch White was already gone from the Jays. But in fact, he was actually still with the team earlier this season. It just probably wasn’t long enough for the Jays’ faithful to consciously remember.

Following two sub-par seasons after joining Toronto at the 2022 trade deadline, he actually provided some glimmer of hope this year with a solid 2024 spring training. White went 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 14 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched over six appearances, including two starts.

He also started off the year strong, holding the opposition scoreless over three innings while securing the win for the Jays in his very first outing. But that was when things fell apart for him once again as he yielded runs in each of his subsequent three outings.

White finished with a 5.40 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in his four relief appearances with the Jays before he was designated for assignment. Unlike the previous year, when he remained within the organization after getting through waivers, he was gone for good this time around as he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations.

Bad luck would eventually follow White as he suffered the same fate of being designated for assignment two more times by his new teams over the course of the 2024 season. And by the way, he is a free agent now, in case the Jays want to entertain any ideas of a possible reunion.

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