Blue Jays lose pair of veterans to minor league free agency

The Toronto Blue Jays are preparing for an offseason that is sure to consist of plenty of roster turnover. Ryan Yarbrough is the only player headed for unrestricted free agency, but a plethora of arbitration-eligible players are also non-tender possibilities.

On the minor league front, a pair of Blue Jays have already elected free agency. According to the Blue Jays' transaction logs, catcher Brian Serven and right-handed pitcher Paolo Espino both hit open the market.

Neither of these moves are organization-altering, but they're still notable because each player spent a bit of time on the Blue Jays' big league roster this season. This will be the first time Serven hit free agency while Espino is well-versed in the process of being a free agent and working to find a new home.

Two Blue Jays elect minor league free agency

For the 29-year-old Serven, his time on the Blue Jays' big league roster officially comes to an uninspiring close. He appeared in 28 games, going just 10-for-63 (.159) with a .465 OPS and 35 OPS+ along the way, reigistering four doubles and three RBI too.

Serven developed a bit of a reputation as Bowden Francis's "personal catcher" in the second half of the season, but this was not enough to keep him around in the big leagues. The Blue Jays elected to acquire Tyler Heineman for the third straight season instead of keep Serven around, so the latter was DFA'd near the end of the season.

Down in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons, Serven hit a much more respectable .265 with a .769 OPS through 40 games, recording nine extra-base hits with 15 runs driven in and 17 more scored. He has a reputation for being a sound defensive backstop, so he shouldn't have any problems latching on witih a new organization on a minor league deal.

Then there's Espino, who made it into just 8.2 innings for the Blue Jays. He made three appearances, including one start, recording three strikeouts and five walks, surrendering eight runs on 14 hits (8.31 ERA).

The 37-year-old also did better with the Bisons, but he didn't exactly light it up down there. He made 20 appearances (19 starts) down in Buffalo, going 2-7 with a 4.88 ERA in 86.2 innings. Espino is not a player who should see time at the game's highest level, but he's developed a reputation as a strong clubhouse presence and mentor to some of the younger players. Like Serven, he's not going to have any issues finding a new club, but it's not going to be on an MLB contract.

More from Jays Journal: