Blue Jays: Players who could be dropped before Opening Day

Reese McGuire

Sitting in a similar position last season, Reese McGuire enters the 2022 season out of minor league options and on the outside looking in when it comes to securing playing time. With Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk healthy heading into the campaign, McGuire is the third catcher on the club and needs a spot on the roster otherwise he has to be DFA’d.

This happened to McGuire last year and he ended up passing through waivers and being sent outright to Buffalo prior to Opening Day, a move that would be a stroke of luck for the Blue Jays. Jansen and Kirk would both hit the IL and the Jays added him back to the 40-man roster, where he would appear in 198 at-bats and slashing .253/.310/.343 with a .654 OPS through 78 games.

The only difference between this season and last is that the Jays’ top prospect, catcher Gabriel Moreno, is knocking on the big league doors and the club could call him up over McGuire moving forward. Add in Kirk and Jansen, even if one of those players gets traded, the lefty batter would still be the third catcher and continue to be on the outside looking in. There is a high probability the club removes him from the 40-man prior to Opening Day with Moreno on the radar.

Ryan Borucki

Southpaw Ryan Borucki enters this season in unfamiliar territory, as he enters arbitration for the first time in his career but is also out of minor league options. Making a strong debut back in 2018, Borucki started 17 games for the club and pitched to a 3.87 ERA with 67 strikeouts. He missed most of the 2019 campaign with elbow/arm injuries and was moved to the bullpen for 2020.

The Illinois product bounced back with a strong campaign to the tune of a 2.70 ERA through 21 relief appearances but struggled in 2021, 13 earned runs through 23.1 innings of work that was split between AAA and the MLB while also hitting the 60-day IL with a flexor strain.

Heading into 2022, Borucki is not guaranteed a spot in the bullpen for Opening Day, especially after the recent addition of left-hander Andrew Vasquez. Alongside Borucki is Tim Mayza (who is considered more of a lock to make the active roster) while southpaws Kirby Snead and Tayler Saucedo are also looking to make the roster this year. Factor in right-handers like Julian Merryweather, Trent Thornton, David Phelps, and Anthony Castro also looking to make the team come Opening Day and the competition is at an all-time high, and that’s not including any potential signings over the next few weeks.

If Borucki does not make the active roster, he has to be DFA’d and I would be surprised if a team doesn’t take a flyer on him through waivers.

Kirby Snead

After a handful of games with the Blue Jays last season, Kirby Snead heads into the 2022 campaign looking for a spot on the active roster. One of the top relievers with the Buffalo Bisons last season, Snead allowed only two earned runs through 7.2 innings while posting a 1.174 WHIP and an 8.2 K/9.

I was a bit surprised that the club did not promote him earlier in the season but when he was with the Blue Jays, he was a strong member of the bullpen. If he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, it isn’t a far-fetched idea that Snead would be one of the first names called upon as an injury replacement, especially since he is still on the 40-man.

One reason Snead makes this list is that he could be expendable if the front office adds a player or two this offseason, similar to how the club dropped Connor Overton and Patrick Murphy last season. I wouldn’t be a big fan of this move but if Ross Atkins and co. are able to bring in a veteran arm and require a spot on the roster, it may see Snead be dropped in favour. The one thing the Alabama product has going for him is that he has MiLB options compared to Borucki and McGuire, which could be a difference-maker when it comes to deciding who stays and who goes.

Tayler Saucedo

One of the first bullpen prospects to be promoted from Buffalo, southpaw Tayler Saucedo ended up being a pleasant surprise for the Jays and their relief corps. While he did split time between AAA and the MLB to finish the season, Saucedo ended up appearing in 29 games and pitched to a 4.56 ERA.

The Hawaii product is the unfortunate victim of some really rough outings that impacted his overall line, as four earned run outing in early August and a three-run outing a couple of weeks later pushed his ERA to the higher fours. Prior to the first rough outing, Saucedo had amassed a 2.03 ERA through 13.1 innings while holding opponents to a .192 batting average.

Similar to Snead, this left-hander is looking for a bullpen spot for Opening Day but also flirts with the potential DFA line if the club is looking to add some veteran pieces this offseason. A strong spring will go a long way for Saucedo but the competition will be fierce.

Trent Thornton

A workhorse for the Blue Jays back in 2019, right-hander Trent Thornton has been put in an awkward position where he has the ability to start games but is used more as a reliever at the big league level.

While he did begin his career as a starter, Thornton has transitioned more to a relief-type role with spot start potential but has struggled to keep runs off the board. Last season alone saw Thornton allow 26 earned runs through 49.0 innings, earning a 1.429 WHIP with a 4.78 ERA through 39 appearances. He especially fell out of favour with the Blue Jays fanbase, with social media blowing up (in an unfavourable way) when the righty entered the ballgame.

The former fifth-round pick of the Houston Astros back in 2016 has most likely transitioned to a full-time relief pitcher at this point in his career but is more of a longshot when it comes to securing an Opening Day roster spot.  That being said, Thornton does have two minor league options available but if the front office is more interested in keeping Saucedo or Snead, there is a scenario where I could see the North Carolina product be DFA’d to make room for outside reinforcements.

Late Additions

Prior to the lockout, the Blue Jays added four players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft:

• RHP Hagen Danner
• RHP Bowden Francis
• LHP Zach Logue
• INF Leo Jimenez

With the lockout now over, the MLB and MLBPA decided to scrap the Rule 5 Draft this offseason, all four players are now on the 40-man roster when they may still be a year or two away from making their MLB debut. Francis and Logue are closer to reaching the big leagues, as both are expected to start the year in AAA, while Danner and Jimenez are still in the lower Minor League levels and at this point in their careers, don’t necessarily require a spot on the roster.

That being said, the risk associated with removing any of these four players is that any team could pick them up via outright waivers, which is more of a concern for Logue and Francis compared to Danner and Jimenez, as any selected player needs to remain on the 40-man of the club that selects them. This could result in a Joel Payamps situation like last offseason, as the right-hander was waived and picked up by the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox numerous times.

It will be interesting to see what the club decides to do with these four particular players but the club could decide to DFA one or more if they add some veteran talent this offseason. Wait and see at this point.