Toronto Blue Jays: Five players on the roster bubble for next season

Looking at the Blue Jays current roster situation, it looks like the club will have some flexibility when it comes to how they can stack up the 40-man roster heading into next year.

Right now, the Blue Jays have a full roster but that includes impending free agents like Robbie Ray, Steven Matz, and Marcus Semien. If these players were to not return next season and there were no other roster moves (which is unlikely), the club would have six opens spots as Joakim Soria, Corey Dickerson, and Jarrod Dyson are also heading to free agency this winter. Two more open up when Kirby Yates and David Phelps leave as well, but both were on the 60-day IL so their spots were taken already this year.

That leaves a little bit of wiggle room to add some players to the 40-man from an internal perspective as well as pursue some free agents whether they be returning players like Ray or Semien or from outside the organization (Corey Seager anyone?). The front office could also designate a few more players this offseason like Breyvic Valera or Reese McGuire if they get a little tight in roster space heading into the new year but there are at least a few spots to play with this offseason before it’s time to think about more internal roster moves. They already made one move in designating pitcher Jacob Barnes for assignment a couple of days ago and could very well DFA a few more players as a few prospects potentially on the Rule 5 Draft radar may need protection.

That being said, with all the potential free agent moves to come in a few short weeks and a long winter ahead that should churn out rumour after rumour, there are a few openings across the diamond when it comes to additional bench pieces or bullpen arms, all of which could be filled internally.

While adding a player or two can obviously change the overall dynamic, as of right now, there appear to be a few spots up for grabs given the current roster and a few players should find themselves on the bubble when it comes to making the big league squad out of Spring Training, potentially needing a hot start to find themselves in Toronto to begin the campaign.

Let’s explore five of these players.