Every Blue Jays player who is out of minor league options ahead of the 2025 season

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The Toronto Blue Jays have a ton of work to do this offseason to upgrade a roster that is in desperate need of a makeover. The current 40-man roster is littered with replaceable players who likely won't be enough to carry them to the postseason next year, despite the fact that Ross Atkins and Co. are still aiming for that.

The Blue Jays have a ton of pressure riding on their shoulders now that the Bo Bichette-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era is slowly coming to an end. Both superstars are going to be free agents at the conclusion of the 2025 season.

Armed with an old and experienced roster, the Blue Jays have quite a few players who are out of minor league options ahead of 2025. There's also a ton of them who have been around so long that they no longer qualify for options. Springer, Guerrero, Bichette, Gausman, Berrios, Bassitt, Romano, Green, Swanson and Yariel Rodriguez all fit into the latter category.

Let's take a look around the Blue Jays' 40-man roster and identify which players are out of options. Non-tenders could easily wipe out some of the names on the list, but for now, this is what we're working with.

Every Blue Jays player who's out of minor league options ahead of 2025

Ernie Clement

Of all of the player who make the cut here, Clement is one of the ones in the least amount of danger. The 28-year-old really came into his own in 2024, becoming a fan favorite while having easily the best season of his big league career.

Making it into over 100 games (139) for the first time, Clement his 12 home runs, drove in 51 runs, stole 12 bases in 15 attempts and posted a respectable 95 OPS+. On defense, he bounced around all over the infield and even was a finalist for a Gold Glove at third base. He plays the game the right way on both sides of the ball and is a well-liked figure in the clubhouse and amongst fans because of it.

Clement is a part of the Blue Jays' wild infield logjam, but he's not going to be sent packing. He proved in 2024 that he can provide value in a number of different ways, so he'll be an important roster piece in 2025.

Hagen Danner

Danner made his big league debut in 2023 but left his first game early with an injury. The catcher-turned-pitcher didn't resurface at the game's highest level in 2024, but he put together a strong showing in Triple-A Buffalo.

Danner, 26, made it into a combined 34 games (one in Single-A, 33 in Triple-A), earning seven saves while sporting a 3.15 ERA in 35.1 innings. He struck out 36 batters and walked 13 along the way, which are both regressions from a solid 2023 campaign in the minor leagues.

As of right at this moment, Danner has a strong case for cracking the 2025 Opening Day roster, but that's if the Blue Jays don't add any outside pieces this winter.

While it's always a mystery how Ross Atkins operates his club, there's little to no chance we make it to 2025 without a new-look bullpen. In that instance, Danner would be one of the player squeezed out. If he is exposed to the waiver wire, there's a good chance he'll get snagged by another club in need of a high-strikeout reliever.

Tyler Heineman

Atkins is apparently comfortable with an Alejandro Kirk-Tyler Heineman pairing behind the plate entering '25, but he shouldn't be. Kirk put together a strong second-half showing in 2024 once Danny Jansen was traded, so he should be good to go. Heineman, on the other hand, went 1-for-10 in five games after the Blue Jays acquired him yet again.

No disrespect to Heineman, but the Blue Jays need to be aiming higher in their search for production in their lineup. Kirk will be the starter in 2025, but that doesn't mean the backup can be a virtual black hole on offense. Maybe Blue Jays fans were just spoiled with the Kirk-Jansen battery, but the Jays need to bring in a player with more of a bat than Heineman.

Leo Jimenez

Jimenez deserves a huge round of applause for how he handled himself in his first go-round in the big leagues. The middle infielder got a ton of playing time down the stretch when Bo Bichette landed on the injured list and did more than enough to earn a roster spot in 2025 in the process.

Jimenez, 23, is far too young with far too much upside for the Blue Jays to try and pass him through waivers instead of giving him a roster spot next season. He posted a promising 97 OPS+ through 63 games in 2024 while playing solid defense at both shortstop and second base. He showed all throughout his minor league career that he's got a ton of potential on offense, so once you pair that with his slick glovework, he's an obvious part of the Jays' future.

Tommy Nance

The Blue Jays acquired Nance for pennies on the dollar in early August and he wound up functioning as an oft-used middle reliever for John Schneider. Nance, 33, has a huge, sweeping curveball that's a whole lot of fun to watch, but he's also prone to being entirely too hittable.

In 20 games, the right-hander posted a 4.09 ERA with an ERA+ right at 100, which is league-average. It remains to be seen whether he fully earned a roster spot next year, but he's another player who could make the cut if the Blue Jays make zero outside additions this winter.

Zach Pop

For reasons unknown, Pop was one of the more frequently used options out of the Blue Jays' bullpen in 2024 and he struggled essentially the entire season. He made it into 58 contests and finished the season with a 5.59 ERA, 5.53 FIP and 73 ERA+. His strikeouts were down and his H/9 went up, which does not mix well.

Pop, 28, is a rather obvious non-tender candidate, but even if he is kept around due to his age and past showings, he is far from a lock to make the 2025 Opening Day roster. His 1.54 ERA through 11 Triple-A appearances this season provides a bit of hope, but he's been extremely inconsistent throughout his stint on the Blue Jays, so it's anyone's guess how he factors into their plans moving forward.

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