Blue Jays must monitor ex-AL East rival reliever after recent DFA

The Blue Jays' bullpen was not great in 2024, and was partially a reason as to why they finished last in the AL East. Despite having what some would've called a disaster of an offseason before the Anthony Santander splash, their bullpen has improved thanks to the return of Yimi Garcia, the acquisition of Nick Sandlin, and, biggest of all, Jeff Hoffman's arrival. That is all well and good, but there is still room for more chances to be taken, and a recent player designated for assignment should be on Toronto's radar.

The White Sox made the signing of Martín Pérez official this week and, in the process, Ron Marinaccio got the boot from the 40-man roster. That comes at a surprise, as Marinaccio has been quite successful at the major league level since debuting in 2022. He has bounced around Triple-A to the majors in each of those seasons, and has been productive when given the chance; you likely remember him from the Yankees.

Chicago is coming off one of the worst seasons in baseball history, so getting rid of an arm that could have helped them improve does not make a whole lot of sense. Nonetheless, Toronto should keep an eye on him moving forward, as he could be a sneaky low-leverage pickup. They are around the peak position in the waiver claim order, but do not have the first overall selection, and every team below them could also use dirt-cheap pitching depth. They would either have to get lucky here with Marinaccio falling a bit, or they could make a trade for him and preempt the waiver process, which would not be that expensive.

Blue Jays should monitor Ron Marinaccio's market after White Sox DFA

Marinaccio never pitched with the White Sox, and has only pitched with the Yankees in his major league career. Last season, he appeared in 16 games, posting an earned run average of 3.86 with a FIP of 4.92 across 23.1 innings, striking out 25 batters. Opposing hitters put together an average of .209 against him and he walked batters at a rough 10.1% clip to create a WHIP of 1.20.

Pursuing him may not be a terrible idea, as it could improve their overall depth in the bullpen. Other teams get the choice to claim him before Toronto, but they could jump the gun and make a trade for him if they feel like he'll get claimed. It doesn't seem like a move that would hurt them in the long run, and the front office is desperate to continue adding to the team. Why not take a shot?