Blue Jays non-tender deadline: 9 players to be cut loose or offered contracts

As the Major League Baseball offseason churns along, the Rule 5 Draft roster protection deadline is firmly in the rearview mirror. After not making any roster moves on Tuesday to protect Rule 5-eligible minor league players, the Toronto Blue Jays have another roster deadline looming. They won't be able to stand pat on this one.

The Blue Jays and the other 29 MLB clubs now face the non-tender deadline, when teams decide which arbitration-eligible players on the 40-man roster will be tendered contracts for 2025 and, more importantly, which players won't be.

When is MLB's non-tender deadline? Everything fans need to know

With nine players (it was 10, but Génesis Cabrera is already gone) eligible for arbitration this winter, the Blue Jays have some tough decisions ahead of them before the 6 p.m. ET non-deadline on Friday, Nov. 22. Players who aren't offered a contract by the deadline immediately become free agents.

The Blue Jays at least have some easy decisions ahead of Friday's deadline. There are a number of eligible players who are absolute locks to receive contract offers and should be no-brainers for general manager Ross Atkins to retain.

Note: The 2025 projected arbitration salaries are from MLB Trade Rumors.

Blue Jays players who are locks to be tendered a contract

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($29.6M)
• Daulton Varsho ($7.7M)
• Alejandro Kirk ($4.1M)
• Alek Manoah ($2.4M)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the way here. After setting a record last offseason with a $19.9M arbitration win, he's due to top that this winter — unless the Blue Jays can finally get him signed to an extension. Daulton Varsho and his newly minted Gold Glove will undoubtedly be back patrolling center field next year, and Alejandro Kirk will suit up as the primary backstop.

After some well-documented struggles last year, Alek Manoah flashed the form this season that helped him explode onto the MLB stage in 2021. Despite being felled by an elbow injury and going under the knife, he'll be a steal as a possible late-season rotation addition in 2025. Still arbitration-eligible through 2027, Manoah will hopefully be a rotation piece to build around as the current veteran starters age out.

Blue Jays players who will more than likely be tendered a contract

• Erik Swanson ($3.2M)
• Ernie Clement ($1.7M)

Erik Swanson redeemed his understandably dreadful start to the year with a strong finish, posting a 2.61 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings over the season's final two months, and the Blue Jays need all the help they can get in the bullpen. Ernie Clement more than earned his way back to the team for 2025. Despite being due a nice raise from his 2024 $758K salary, the sure-handed infielder did enough to warrant another contract.

Blue Jays players on the bubble who could be non-tendered

• Jordan Romano ($7.75M)
• Dillon Tate ($1.9M)
• Zach Pop ($1M)

The most intriguing of all the non-tender candidates is Canadian closer Jordan Romano, who struggled through an injury-riddled 2024 campaign. Despite posting 105 saves in 118 chances since 2020, the Blue Jays have been non-committal about the 31-year-old's role next year. One of the theories floating around is the possibility of non-tendering and then re-signing the right-hander to a deal worth less than the estimated arbitration salary, an idea hinted at previously by Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.

Zach Pop struggled to a 5.59 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 48 1/3 innings this past season and, with a career-worst 6.7 percent strikeout minus walk rate, won't be offered a contract for 2025. Late-season waiver pickup Dillon Tate and his 5.40 ERA in 3 1/3 innings with Toronto won't be back next year either. He just doesn't have the strikeout stuff to warrant a possible $1.9M contract in a bullpen that needs a serious makeover.

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