Blue Jays use loophole to make sneaky Rule 5 pick for high-upside pitcher

After the MLB Draft lottery, the other big event of baseball's Winter Meetings is the Rule 5 Draft. This draft gives teams the opportunity to select any minor league player not on a 40-man roster from another organization. The catch is that the player must stick on the 26-man roster in the big leagues all season or be offered back to their original team.

While the division rival Boston Red Sox were busy loading up their MLB rotation with a blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade, the Toronto Blue Jays worked through a bit of a loophole with their first selection in this year's Rule 5 Draft. They selected right-hander Angel Bastardo, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, from the Red Sox in the MLB phase of the draft (there's also a minor league phase).

Blue Jays' Rule 5 pick Angel Bastardo won't have to stick on the roster until 2026

Bastardo, 22, began the 2024 season in Double-A. He only made 10 starts before being shut down for surgery. The usual Rule 5 rules won't apply in 2025, as he'll be busy rehabbing. The rules will take effect once he's healthy in 2026. At that point, the Blue Jays will have to keep him on their active roster or offer him back to Boston.

Since being signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2019, Bastardo has a 4.76 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in his minor league career.

While those numbers don't inspire much confidence, Blue Jays assistant general manager Mike Murov said they were attracted to the upside of his fastball and his changeup, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. Bastardo recorded 53 strikeouts in his 45 1/3 innings against Double-A hitters this year. The Blue Jays could use Bastardo in a starting role or bulk-inning role in 2026 or even late in the 2025 season.

According to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, the Blue Jays' sneaky maneuver isn't unheard of in the Rule 5 Draft.

"It’s not unheard of for a team to take a guy rehabbing from elbow surgery and then wait a year before seeing if he can stick," Mayo said. "With the chance of Bastardo’s fastball (which he runs up to 96 mph), a changeup that misses a lot of bats and a slider, coming all the way back once healthy.

All the Blue Jays and their fans can do now is wait to see how this Rule 5 Draft pick pans out once he's healthy, and hope for the best.