Blue Jays DFA three relievers ahead of Opening Day

The Blue Jays officially announced their Opening Day roster on Thursday, which featured three players who didn't start the spring on the 40-man roster. We now know the corresponding moves that opened up their spots on the roster.

On Thursday, the Blue Jays announced that reliever Jacob Barnes and outfielders Alan Roden and Myles Straw were selected to the team's roster, while relievers Tommy Nance, Zach Pop and Nick Robertson were designated for assignment.

Blue Jays DFA three veteran relievers to make room for Opening Day additions

While Nance and Pop didn't have any minor league options left, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they were victims of the Blue Jays' roster shuffle along with Robertson. The three will now be exposed to waivers, where they're free to be claimed by any team. If they go unclaimed, then they'll likely all head to Triple-A Buffalo.

Pop came over to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline in 2022, where he had a 1.89 ERA in 17 appearances o Toronto's road the postseason. He hasn't been able to replicate that success since, however, as he has a 5.81 ERA over the last two seasons. He's struggled in limiting the ground ball (1.89 HR/9).

Pop finished the year among MLB’s best in ground-ball rate (55.5 percent) but also had a hard-hit rate of 44.5 percent and a strikeout rate of 15.8 percent. 

Nance came over to the Blue Jays at least year's trade deadline from the Padres, where he had a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings. He made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2021 and had a 4.33 ERA with the Marlins in 2022.

He’s good at limiting hard contact (batters had an average exit velocity of just 87.3 miles per hour last year) but doesn’t miss many bats (strikeout rate of 20.4). He's another guy who projected as a depth arm.

Robertson had already been optioned to Triple-A but now will be exposed to waivers. The Blue Jays acquired Robertson off waviers from the Angels last year, and he threw one scoreless inning with Toronto before the end of the season. He's previously appeared in MLB with the Dodgers, Red Sox and Cardinals, and has a 5.30 ERA in 35 2/3 innings.

Those moves pave the way for Myles Straw and Alan Roden to make the club after strong springs, while Barnes will fill one of the open spots in the bullpen. Roden is playing in right field and batting ninth on Opening Day, while Straw will be coming off the bench.

Ryan Burr, Erik Swanson and Daulton Varsho were all offically placed on the injured list. There's a chance they could all return at some point in April.