Blue Jays: Players who could be dropped before Opening Day

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 17: Ryan Borucki #56 of the Toronto Blue Jays on the mound in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Rogers Centre on September 17, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 17: Ryan Borucki #56 of the Toronto Blue Jays on the mound in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Rogers Centre on September 17, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 17: Tayler Saucedo #54 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on August 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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.