Examining the prospects Blue Jays manager Ross Atkins has traded away

2018

Edward Olivares – Outfielder

• Traded to the San Diego Padres with RHP Jared Carkuff in exchange for INF Yangervis Solarte on January 6, 2018

Career MLB Stats: 31 games; 101 PA; .240/.267/.375; .642 OPS; 3 home runs; 10 RBI

Signed by the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2014, Edward Olivares spent four years in the organization’s farm system, starting in the rookie league and making it to A+ league with the Dunedin Blue Jays. An outfielder who spent most of his time in right and center field, Olivares best season with the Blue Jays came in 2017 across the A and A+ league where he played 120 games and slashed .269/.327/.468 with a 795 OPS, 17 home runs, and 72 RBI.

The right-hander would be traded in the 2017/2018 off-season to the San Diego Padres and would spend the next two seasons in the A+ and AA leagues in the Padres organization. He would make his MLB debut this past season with the Padres before being optioned to the alternate training site in mid-August. Ten days later he would be traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for reliever Trevor Rosenthal, where he would make his debut with the Royals a few days later and be used in all three positions in the outfield. The Venezuelan native is under team control for the next three seasons and cannot become a free agent until 2027.

Jared Carkuff

• Traded to the San Diego Padres with OF Edward Olivares in exchange for INF Yangervis Solarte on January 6, 2018

Career MLB Stats: N/A

A late-round selection from the 2016 MLB amateur draft, Tennessee native Jared Carkuff was used as a relief pitcher during his two years in the Blue Jays organization. He would start 2016 in the rookie league and 2017 in A+ ball but would finish the season in AAA with the Buffalo Bisons, appearing in just one game while going 3.1 innings with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout.

Carkuff would be traded to the San Diego Padres along with Edward Olivares and would pitch in almost every level of the Padres farm system (A-AAA) before being released by the organization on May 31, 2018. The right-hander would finish the 2018 season pitching for the Chicago Dogs and the New Britain Bees in Independent ball and hasn’t appeared in professional/organized baseball since. He is currently the pitching coach of the Collins Hill High School baseball team and the wide receiver’s coach for the school’s football team in Suwanee, Georgia.

Conner Greene – Pitcher

• Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals with RHP Dominic Leone in exchange for OF Randal Grichuk on January 18, 2018

Career MLB Stats: N/A

Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 7th round of the 2013 MLB amateur draft, Conner Greene progressed well through the organization’s farm system, starting in the Rookie League in 2013 and making it to AA New Hampshire in 2016. As a member of the Blue Jays, Greene was used as a starter and would pitch to mixed results in the higher levels of the farm system.

Greene would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2018 season and would finally see a bump to AAA, albeit in a new bullpen role rather than as a starter. At the end of the 2018 season, Greene would be DFA’d by the Cardinals and would go on to sign with the Kansas City Royals, where he would pitch again to mixed results in AA and AAA being used as both a starter and as a reliever.

The right-hander would not make the Royals player pool last season (with the MiLB season being shut down) and would become a free agent at the end of the year. He recently signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles for the upcoming season.

Connor Panas – Outfielder

• Traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for LHP Clayton Richard on December 30, 2018

Career MLB Stats: N/A

Another Canadian to find himself traded by Ross Atkins, outfielder Connor Panas was a 9th round draft pick in the 2015 amateur draft for the Toronto Blue Jays. Panas spent three years in the Blue Jays farm system, starting in 2015 in the rookie league and advancing to AA New Hampshire where he spent the entire 2018 season, accumulating 406 plate appearances with a .232/.296/.359 slash line, .655 OPS, and nine home runs.

Panas would be traded to the Padres just before New Year’s Eve in the 2018/2019 off-season and would spend just under half a season with the organization before being released. The Toronto native would sign with the Les Capitales de Quebec in the Canadian-American Association Independent baseball league to finish the 2019 season. Panas’s rights would be traded to the Winnipeg Goldeyes prior to the 2020 season (where he would sign) but would be released two months later. After looking at his social media, it appears that Panas signed with the Caimanes de Barranquilla in the Colombian Professional Baseball League at the end of 2020 and did play in a few games, but is no longer with the team as of right now.

Tune in later this week for Part Two!