4 Blue Jays players who won’t be on the roster by July 1st

As the 2023 trade deadline approaches in just a few weeks time, many teams have been starting to gear up for the battle for potential assets, along with the reshaping of their rosters, in preparation for the playoff push in the coming months. Among them are the Toronto Blue Jays, who are right in the thick of things, with a 37-30 record, battling for the AL wild card spots with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Angels as their closest competitors.

In doing so, the Jays will be looking to make improvements on their roster in preparation for the stretch run, whether that be trading for players to help the ballclub, or removing players from their roster that may no longer be helping the team. Here, we will take a look at four current Blue Jays that may find themselves losing their spot on the major league roster by the end of the month.

Adam Cimber

Two years ago, when the Jays’ bullpen was in shambles as games were being blown left and right, Jays’ management knew they had to act fast to help resolve the situation before the season was lost. In doing so, one of their key moves was the acquisition of Adam Cimber from the Miami Marlins. Using his unique, funky delivery to baffle hitters and limit strong contact, Cimber was able to help stabilize the Jays’ bullpen along with Trevor Richards, and provided the necessary boost to keep the team in playoff contention until the very end. After joining the team in late June in 2021, Cimber pitched to a stellar 1.69 ERA, 266 ERA+, 0.964 WHIP, giving up only 7 earned runs, two home runs, walking five and striking out 30 over 37.1 innings pitched.

However, after a strong follow-up season in 2022, things have begun to unravel for Cimber for the 2023 season. After starting the year on a high note, his struggles began midway through April, as he surrendered runs in three of four outings, before eventually landing on the IL with a right rhomboid strain. The injury was thought to be a blessing in disguise, giving a chance for Cimber to reset and come back stronger than ever. Unfortunately, since coming off the IL near the end of May, his reliability has been even worse than before. Overall, his stats line now stands at a 6.75 ERA, 1.554 WHIP, 14 earned runs including five home runs, 22 hits, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched. His funky delivery is no longer fooling anyone and has been hit hard as a result of it. If he doesn’t turn it around very soon, his spot in the Jays’ big league bullpen could be in jeopardy.

Nathan Lukes

It may be a bit unfair to put Nathan Lukes into this category, after all, has he really gotten enough time to show what he could do and bring to the ballclub? However, sometimes that’s life being the 26th man on the roster. Despite making the team’s Opening Day roster, Lukes hasn’t really received a lot of playing time in total. For the season, he has gotten into 22 games for the Jays, but with most of them being pinch running and defensive replacement duties. Overall, he is hitting .158, with an OPS of .491, with four runs scored, one triple, one RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts in 22 plate appearances. At least he has been decent in the field, with no errors committed and one outfield assist over 36.2 innings played.

However, it is still hard to judge on whether Lukes can have an impact on the ballclub in the long run based on Jays’ manager John Schneider’s usage of him. But with the trade deadline quickly approaching in just a little over a month and a half’s time, the Jays are definitely looking to upgrade their roster. In particular, they will most likely be seeking a power bat that could strengthen the bench, one that could be used in pinch-hitting situations late in games, along with getting spot starts in the field when needed. When that time comes to add such a player, which could be pretty soon, given the Jays on and off struggles with offence the past month, look for Lukes to be the one losing his spot on the roster as a result of it.

Yimi García

Back during the 2021-22 offseason, Yimi García was signed by the Jays through free agency with a very economical two-year, $11 million deal to help bolster the backend of their bullpen. Together with Jays’ closer Jordan Romano, they formed a “dynamic duo” to close off many games for the ballclub during the 2022 season. He posted a strong 3.10 ERA to go along with a 1.049 WHIP, 122 ERA+, giving up 21 earned runs, 16 walks and 58 strikeouts in 61 appearances. Having signed through to the end of the 2023 season, the Jays appeared to be set for another year of bullpen dominance by the dynamic duo.

However, 2023 has been a nightmarish season for García thus far. The calmness, reliability and consistency seen from the previous year have completely vanished this year, with fans expecting that something was going to happen almost every outing. So far, he has pitched to a 5.53 ERA, 1.446 WHIP, giving up 31 hits, 17 earned runs, nine walks and 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings with two blown saves and two losses. More importantly, because of his unpredictability, he has lost his setup role to Erik Swanson, who has been dynamite since joining the ballclub via the Teoscar Hernández trade. The strong play of Tim Mayza, Swanson, Pearson, and especially Richards recently has taken the spotlight away and helped mask some of the troubles García has been having, but eventually something will have to give. If the Jays intend to be strong contenders this year, they should start their work in improving the bullpen soon for the stretch run, and to do so, it could start with cutting bait with García.