Three prospects the Blue Jays need to protect from the Rule 5 Draft

Tomorrow is the deadline for the Blue Jays to have their 40-man roster finalized in order to protect players from being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, set to take place on December 7th.

The Rule 5 Draft returns after it was skipped last year due to the lockout. Players signed before the age of 18 with five seasons under their belt as well as players signed over the age of 19 and with four seasons of service time are eligible to be selected, with the Blue Jays having a strong list of players who meet the criteria this winter.

As of right now, the Blue Jays' 40-man roster sits at 39 players and looking ahead, I believe there are three players that are dedicated locks that require protection from the draft this year, with a few "on the cusp" types that could also fit the bill. Before the draft was cancelled last year, the Jays added four players to their roster: RHP Hagen Danner, RHP Bowden Francis, LHP Zach Logue, and INF Leo Jimenez.

The Blue Jays will need to protect at least three players from the Rule 5 Draft before tomorrow's roster deadline

Heading into this offseason and tomorrow's deadline, the Jays will need to make some moves sooner than later if they want to protect the following three players.

INF Orelvis Martinez

Currently ranked as the Blue Jays' #2 top prospect, infielder Orelvis Martinez is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after being signed in 2018.

Martinez has been working his way up the Minor League ladder since 2019 when he started in Rookie League ball for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays. This past year, Martinez spent the entire campaign in AA with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and posted a .203/.286/.446 with a .732 OPS and a 96 wRC+ through 433 at-bats. The righty-batter also added 30 home runs, breaking the Fisher Cats' single-season home run record while finishing second in the Eastern League.

Defensively, Martinez split his time between shortstop and third base, starting 60 and 43 games at the respective positions. He committed 18 errors on the season, 13 of which came from playing shortstop, and finished with a .937 fielding percentage at the position while also finishing with a .948 fielding percentage at the hot corner.

It's no secret that the 20-year-old Dominican product has the power but he also racked up 140 strikeouts last season compared to 40 walks, so there is still room for improvement. Given his raw power, protecting Martinez is a must this offseason as I don't believe he would pass through without getting selected.

Martinez will likely begin the 2023 campaign in AAA and could be knocking on the MLB door towards the end of the season. With Matt Chapman eligible for free agency next offseason, third base could be open for Martinez moving forward.

RHP Yosver Zulueta

The start of Yosver Zulueta's career with the Blue Jays was rough for the right-hander, as the hard-throwing Cuban product underwent Tommy John surgery right after being signed in 2019 and then missed the entire 2021 season after tearing his ACL during his first start of the year.

Healthy heading into 2022, Zulueta found himself in four different levels of Minor League ball this season, starting in A-ball and gradually rising to AAA. Overall, he made 21 appearances on the season, 12 of which were starts.

After he was moved to AA in late June, Zulueta moved to the bullpen and primarily worked in relief after two starts with the Fisher Cats, hitting the high 90s with his fastball and striking out at least one batter in every relief appearance. Collectively, the right-hander amassed a 3.72 ERA through 55.2 innings with a 13.6 K/9 while walking 32 batters, earning a 5.2 BB/9 in the process.

Zulueta joined fellow prospect, Ricky Tiedemann, at the MLB All-Star Future's Game during the All-Star break this past season, with the Jays prospect coming out of the pen in the second inning and getting a ground ball out to end the inning, earning the win.

Heading into 2023, it will be interesting to see how the Jays plan to use Zulueta. If they keep him in relief, he could easily find himself in the Blue Jays bullpen, especially given his fastball. Zulueta is a lock to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, as he will easily be selected if left unprotected.