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.