How are members of the 2023 Blue Jays doing on their new teams?

Whit Merrifield

Merrifield, one of the more respected utilitymen in baseball, had a solid year-and-a-half stint with the Blue Jays. He was an All-Star in 2023 and was always a solid contributor on both sides of the ball. All told, he had a .274 average and 98 OPS+ across 189 games in Toronto.

Merrifield signed a one-year deal with the Phillies in February and has been off to a dreadful start so far. Through 10 games, the nine-year veteran is 3-for-28 (.107) with a .274 OPS and -21 OPS+. Blue Jays fans had a tough time with the club choosing Isiah Kiner-Falefa over a reunion with Merrifield, but that decision is looking like an excellent one as of right now.

Wes Parsons

Parsons made a pair of appearances for the Blue Jays this year as well, but we'll still count it. The right-hander was a nice depth piece last season but struggled through a total of three big league outings with Toronto, posting a 15.00 ERA in nine innings of work.

He was traded to the Guardians last week and has two scoreless outings under his belt so far, striking out five batters and walking none across four innings of work.

Hyun Jin Ryu

Ryu came to Toronto at an important time for the Blue Jays, as his signing started a shift towards competitiveness prior to the 2020 campaign. He dealt with his fair share on injuries during a four-year stint with the club, but he was solid as a rock in 2020, 2021 and 2023. All told, Ryu made 60 starts and had a 3.97 ERA, 4.02 FIP and 110 ERA+ as a Blue Jay.

The 37-year-old returned to South Korea and re-signed with the Hanwha Eagles on an eight-year, $12.8M contract (yes, you read that right). He had long stated that he'd prefer to end his career back in South Korea, but his current deal will take him through his age-44 season. So far, he has made four starts and has a 5.85 ERA with 19 strikeouts and seven walks through 20 innings pitched.

Trent Thornton

Thornton got plenty of looks in the big leagues with the Blue Jays but couldn't find consistent success. He made four relief appearances for the club last year, posting a 1.69 ERA across 5.1 innings but was eventually stashed in the minors and traded to the Mariners for McCoy around the deadline.

Since the trade, Thornton has 32 outings under his belt for the Mariners and has a 1.82 ERA in 34.2 innings. Blue Jays fans lost their minds on social media when we suggested Thornton was turning himself into a solid contributor over in Seattle, but that 223 ERA+ and sub-2.00 ERA doesn't lie.