Blue Jays add five players to 40-man roster

Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, the Blue Jays added five players to their 40-man roster, bringing it to full capacity.

According to an official team release, the Blue Jays added RHP Trent Thornton, RHP Hector Perez, RHP Yennsy Diaz, RHP Patrick Murphy, and RHP Jacob Waguespack to the 40-man roster, bringing the 40-man count to 40.

Thornton was, since his acquisition this weekend, considered a prime candidate to be added to the 40-man roster in order to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. Now, the placement is official.

Perez, 22, was picked up by the Blue Jays in the Roberto Osuna trade this season. With three different minor league affiliates this season, he pitched to an ERA of 3.76 in 115.0 innings, striking out 133 and walking 64 while notching three wins and five losses.

Diaz, also 22, spent this season with the Dunedin Blue Jays and Lansing Lugnuts, pitching to a 3.05 ERA in 147.1 frames, striking out 125 and walking 53 with a 1.127 WHIP. Another speculated candidate to be added, Diaz was ranked as the organization’s 27th highest ranked prospect in 2017.

Murphy, 23, was the Blue Jays’ 24th ranked prospect in 2017, and spent this season with the High-A Dunedin Blue Jays, tossing 146.2 frames of 2.64 ERA ball, allowing just 126 hits and walking a mere 50 while striking out 135. A third-round pick in the 2013 draft, Murphy was reported by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi as the first player to be added to the 40-man earlier Tuesday night.

Waguespack, a newcomer to the organization, was acquired in July from the Phillies in exchange for veteran Aaron Loup. The 25-year-old native of Waco, Texas struggled in his 39.1 innings with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, posting an ERA of 5.03 and allowing 26 runs while walking 10 and striking out 33. With a WHIP of 1.449, he is not ranked on the Blue Jays’ top 30 prospects list, according to MLB Pipeline.

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After it’s all said and done, the team admittedly made some controversial choices, leaving outfielder Forrest Wall (ranked #25 on 2018’s list), Canadian hurler Jordan Romano (#28 in 2018), catcher Max Pentecost (ranked #14 in 2016) and pitcher Travis Bergen (#30 in 2016) off the roster, effectively exposing them to being taken in the Rule 5 Draft by another organization.

Outfielder Dalton Pompey, who has long been a baseball enigma, remains on the 40-man roster, despite a midseason spat with Bisons manager Bobby Meacham. Much to the chagrin of many Blue Jays fans, it appears, barring a trade, that Pompey will remain on the 40-man roster.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, as the Jays could clear roster spots by non-tendering or trading certain players, with Yangervis Solarte most likely to be a victim of the former.  Although the path appears clear, it’ll surely be interesting to see what Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro do to alleviate the 40-man roster traffic that seems ever present in this organization’s blueprints.