Blue Jays leave pair of surprising names unprotected ahead of Rule 5 Draft

While there was plenty of roster shuffling going on around Major League Baseball on Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays were silent as the 6 p.m. ET roster protection deadline came and went. Despite having many options for Rule 5-eligible minor leaguers to add to the 40-man roster and protect them from next month's draft, the Blue Jays opted not to make any moves.

The Jays entered Tuesday with a full 40-man roster and 38 Rule 5-eligible players in the organization, per FanGraphs' RosterResource. Everyone already on the roster remained safe.

During the Rule 5 Draft, which is scheduled for Dec. 11 during the MLB Winter Meetings, Rule 5-eligible players who aren't on a 40-man roster can be selected by other teams. Selected players must remain on the new team's active 26-man roster all season or offered back to the original team. So, while leaving minor leaguers exposed to the draft can sometimes be risky, the Blue Jays obviously deemed this year's crop worth the gamble.

Blue Jays leave Lazaro Estrada and Damiano Palmegiani off 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft

A couple of the more surprising names that the Blue Jays chose to leave unprotected include right-handed pitcher Lazaro Estrada and infielder Damiano Palmegiani.

Estrada, 25, has been pitching in the Blue Jays system since 2018 and had a big comeback season in 2024. The Jays Journal No. 17 Blue Jays prospect, Estrada reached a career-high in innings with 98 1/3 across three levels, making it to Double-A. He finished the year with a 3.29 ERA and 113 strikeouts to 33 walks.

He took his swing-and-miss stuff to the Arizona Fall League, where he struck out 19 batters in 11 2/3 innings, posting a 3.86 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.

Seeing as he hasn't pitched above Double-A, it's a stretch that a team will take Estrada in the Rule 5 Draft. However, there is always a chance that a desperate organization could take a gamble on his strikeout upside in 2025.

After starting hot in Double-A this season, Palmegiani, 24, earned a quick promotion to Triple-A. Unfortunately, he struggled in his first full season in Triple-A. The corner infielder slashed .210/.311/.381 but still hit 19 home runs and drove in 69 in 123 games for the Buffalo Bisons.

The down year came after impressing in a small sample in Triple-A at the end of 2023, when he slashed .284/.427/.554 with four home runs and 22 RBI in just 20 games. That came on the heels of posting an .815 OPS with 19 home runs in 108 games in Double-A. He's currently ranked as Jays Journal's No. 19 Blue Jays prospect.

The Blue Jays felt safe leaving the former 14th-round draft pick off the 40-man roster for the Rule 5 Draft despite his track record of showing some big slugging power in prior seasons.

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