5 former Blue Jays prospects who are thriving in their new homes

Otto Lopez

A former middle-infield prospect, Lopez got a bit of experience with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 and '22 but was never able to do enough to cement himself as a regular contributor. He was Toronto's No. 4 prospect in 2022, but he could never break onto the big league roster.

Only getting 11 MLB plate appearances with the Blue Jays across those three seasons, Lopez was designated for assignment in early 2024 and was traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash. The Giants then cut him loose a couple weeks later, which is how he ended up in Miami.

Lopez has had plenty of success in Miami after getting an opportunity that he wasn't able to get in Toronto. He has an impressive skillset, and is fitting in well with a scrappy Marlins squad.

Last year, Otto Lopez slashed .270/.313/.377 with six home runs, 39 RBI, and 20 stolen bases and put up a ludicrous 14 Outs Above Average in 2024, the third-best second baseman in baseball last year in that field behind perennial Gold Glovers Marcus Semien and Andrés Giménez.

He's hitting .229 this year with two home runs and 11 RBI in 30 games and ranks in the 86th percentile in sprint speed in 2025, so it's clear that he can be an impact player in many different ways.

While he's still a bit of a subpar hitter, he's one of the most important players on a young roster that's been playing some entertaining baseball this year.

Simeon Woods-Richardson

Woods-Richardson was Toronto's No. 2 pitching prospect behind Nate Pearson in 2020 to 2021, and was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 2021 alongside infielder prospect Austin Martin in exchange for José Berríos.

The vast majority of Blue Jay fans would agree that this trade worked out well for Toronto, especially since the Blue Jays were able to lock up Berríos to an extension after acquiring him. Woods-Richardson never played in MLB for the Blue Jays, and ended up making his MLB debut for the Twins at the end of the 2022 season.

He only appeared in one game for the Twins in 2023, but broke into the rotation fully in 2023.

He's posted a 101 ERA+ and 147 strikeouts across 162 2/3 innings in 33 starts since the start of 2023. He has a dangerous off-speed arsenal, as he finished in the 97th percentile last year with a Run Value of 12 on his breaking balls (slider and curveball).

Although his advanced starts aren't as great as the Twins would like, he's still notched a 4.03 ERA across 29 innings this year with a 30/11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.