These out-of-option players should be on the Blue Jays' radar

One of the rites of spring training is the roster whiplash cased by players who are out of options — something the Blue Jays front office will be well-versed in this year.

And while Ross Atkins and co. will have to spend some time this spring fretting over what to do with the five out-of-options players in their camp, they'll also have one eye on what's going on with the out-of-option players in the other 29 MLB camps.

A quick refresher for the uninitiated: every player who is on an MLB 40-man roster is given three minor league options, which allows for them to be optioned to the minors (and removed off the 26-man MLB roster) without losing their spot on the 40-man roster. So if a player is out of options in spring, they'll either need to break camp on the 26-man roster or be designated for assignment where they'll be exposed to waivers.

When a player is placed on waivers, the other 29 teams have the opportunity to claim him, with the claiming priority being based on reverse winning percentage. Since the regular season hasn't started it goes off last year's standing, which means the Blue Jays would be seventh in the claim order.

That high spot could work in the Blue Jays' beenift, as only one of the six teams in front of them (the Nationals) seems to have their eyes set on competing this year, so there's a greater chance most of the teams in front of them would pass on some players.

With all that in mind, here's a look at 10 players who should be on Toronto's radar if they get designated for assignment by their current team. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

Alexander Canario, New York Mets (OF)

Canario's already had a busy offseason, as the Mets acquired him in a trade last week from the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations. The Cubs designated Canario for assignment to free up a roster spot for Justin Turner (it all comes back to the Blue Jays somehow).

The Cubs acquired Canairo from the Giants in 2021 as a part of the Kris Bryant trade, and he's gone 12-for-42 (.286) with two home runs in 21 MLB games.

Canairo has legitimate power (.847 OPS across seven minor league seasons), but he also has a 30 percent strikeout rate in the minors and had an eye-popping 42.2 percent strikeout rate in his small MLB sample size.

The Blue Jays have plenty of options for their backup outfielder spot, but none of them have the pop that Canario has. Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes and prospect Alan Roden are the finalists for the fourth outfielder. Schneider, Lukes and Roden all have minor league options left, while Straw is in camp as a Non-Roster Invitee.