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.

Kody Clemens, Philadelphia Phillies (INF)

After spending parts of the last two seasons with the Phillies, Clemens could be on the outside of the Phillies' roster crunch this spring.

Although the former Tigers prospect hit just .219 in 43 games last year, he showed off some power, as he hit five home runs, nine doubles and one triple in 114 at-bats which helped him have an OPS+ of 92.

Clemens also has some positional versatility, as he's played 17+ games at first base, second base, third base, and left field in his career along with one game at shortstop.

Clemens' quest to make the Phillies' roster got some help at the end of February when utility man Weston Wilson was diagnosed with a strained oblique that will keep him out through Opening Day. Wilson was viewed as the favorite to earn the final spot on the Phillies' bench, which means that Clemens will now be competing with Cal Stevenson and Buddy Kennedy, among others.

While Clemens isn't a complete player, he could be a versatile utility infielder off the bench with some pop. The Blue Jays would likely only go after a player like Clemens if they like him more off the bench instead of someone like Orelvis Martinez or Leo Jiménez.

Roansy Contreras, Baltimore Orioles (RHP)

Contreras is in camp with the American League East rival Orioles and is being stretched out as a starter... but Baltimore's rotation is seemingly already set and he's not in it.

And things don't get easier for him in the bullpen considering Baltimore's 'pen is pretty much set thanks to the return of Félix Bautista. All this points toward Contreras hitting the waiver wire for the sixth time since the 2024 season ended.

After closing the year with the Angels, Contreras was acquired by the Rangers, Reds, Orioles, Yankees and Orioles (again) during the offseason, which kind of sums up his MLB career. He's been good enough to have never gone through waivers unclaimed (4.72 ERA in 234 2/3 career innings) but also never been good enough to stick in one place.

The longtime Pirate spent most of 2022 as a starter before moving to a swingman role in 2023 and '24. Toronto's starting rotation is pretty much set, but Contreras could find a home in Toronto's bullpen as a swingman or long relief option.

Jerar Encarnación, San Francisco Giants (OF)

Encarnación broke into MLB with the Marlins in 2022 and roamed in the baseball wilderness last season getting another chance with the Giants.

He hit three home runs in 21 games with the Marlins in 2022 but had a dismal .182 batting average and struck out in 41 percent of his at-bats. Miami let him going after 2023 and he started last year in the Mexican League where he 19 homers in just 93 at-bats.

That performance helped him earn a spot with the Giants, where he hit .352 in in 33 Triple-A games to earn an MLB call-up. He hit .248 with five home runs in 35 games in San Francisco.

Encarnación hits the ball hard (his 115 mph single was the Giants hardest-hit ball last season) but struggles with strikeouts and doesn't get on base at a great clip (.277 on-base percentage). He's a one-dimensional player, but it's a dimension the Blue Jays could benefit from.

Toronto already has its defensive alignment set in the outfield, so he could leave his glove at home every day and just bring his bat and destructive swing.

All that being said, Encarnación has gone 8-for-14 (.444) with 10 RBI this spring, so there's a chance he might not even hit waivers. But if he does, the Blue Jays would be smart to consider adding him to a lineup that's begun to look dangerous.

Eric Haase, Milwaukee Brewers (C)

Like Encarnación, Haase is a bit of a longshot to be DFA'd before the end of spring after he signed with the Brewers on a one-year, $1.35 million contract in the offseason. But the Brewers also added top prospect Jeferson Quero to their 40-man roster in the offseason, which could bring about the end of Haase's Milwaukee tenure.

Backup catcher is one of the obvious areas the Blue Jays could use an upgrade, as it's currently a battle between a glove-first catcher in Tyler Heineman (who is on the 40-man roster but out of options) and an offense-first catcher in Christian Bethancourt.

Haase was designated for assignment at the end of spring training last year when the Brewers added Gary Sanchez, but Haase ended up playing in 30 MLB games with the Brewers where he hit .273 with five home runs.

Even if Haase doesn't end up on waivers, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Blue Jays add a catcher who gets squeezed off another roster.

Triston McKenzie, Cleveland Guardians (RHP)

A one-time top prospect in Cleveland's vaunted pitching factory, McKenzie looked like the real deal in 2022 when he recorded a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings on a Guardians team that surprised everyone in baseball by winning the American League Central.

Unfortunately for McKenzie, it's all gone downhill since then. After only managing to throw 16 innings in 2023 due to a teres major strain and a UCL sprain, he was ineffective last season with a 5.11 ERA in 75 2/3 innings.

The Guardians have roster crunch in their starting rotation (thanks in large part to them flipping former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz to the Pirates for Luriz Ortiz) and McKenzie could end up being the odd man out thanks to his lack of options.

While there's always the chance Cleveland elects to keep him in their bullpen, he's struggled so far this spring (four earned runs allowed in 2 2/3 innings), so Cleveland might just end up cutting bait with him.

Zach McKinstry, Detroit Tigers (INF/OF)

Another utility infielder battling for the final spot on his team's roster, McKinstry can play all over the diamond but only boasts a career OPS+ of 77.

He hit .215 in 118 games for the Tigers last year on their road to a surpsing postseason berth before hitting .429 with a solo home run in the postseason.

The biggest thing he could bring to the Blue Jays is that aforementioned versatility, as he's played every position but first base and catcher in his MLB career. He played 48 games at shortstop last year to go along with 38 games at third base, 28 games in the outfield and 18 at second base.

McKinstry is the classic case of a player who is solid at everything but not great at anything, and, like Clemens, would only make sense on this roster if Toronto's front office likes him more than the internal utility options.

He's fighting for the final roster spot with Wencele Perez, Spencer Torkelson, Ryan Kreidler and Justyn-Henry Malloy. McKinstry's road to a roster spot got a little easier when Matt Vierling went down with a shoulder injury, but there's still a chance Detroit could look to go in a different direction.

Oswald Peraza, New York Yankees (INF)

A top-60 prospect in baseball in 2022 and '23, Peraza hasn't found his footing with the Yankees over the past three seasons and could end spring training with another organization.

He hit .306 with a home run in 18 games in 2022 but took a step back in 2023 when he hit just .191 with two home runs in 52 games. He got in four games with the Yankees last year and went 2-for-10 with a home run.

Peraza's inclusion on this list is suprising enough considering the Yankees have an open spot at third base, but it seems like that competition is, as of now, between Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera.

That said, Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke during the Yankees' spring training game on Monday and alluded to the team potentially adding a third baseman from outside the organization, which would be a death blow to Peraza's chances to making to the team.

Adding Peraza to the roster would be twofold for the Blue Jays, as it would add to their infield depth while also giving him the opportunity to haunt his former team 13 times a season.

Nick Pratto, Kansas City Royals (1B/OF)

A first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Pratto made his MLB debut in 2022 but seems to have been lapsed in the Blue Jays organization. He played in 95 games in 2023 and finished the year with seven home run and 35 RBI with a .232 batting average. He didn't appear in MLB in 2024.

The biggest problem from Pratto has been the swing and miss. He has a 30 percent strikeout rate in four Triple-A seasons and struck out in 45 percent of his MLB at-bats in 2023.

While he's played the outfield a bit in his career, he's primarily a first baseman. Kansas City has Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Jonathan India as first base/DH options, so Pratto doesn't have a clear path to MLB playing time with the Royals.

The Blue Jays will likely mix and match at first base behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but Pratto would stand out among those options if he's brought into the fold.

Carlos Vargas, Seattle Mariners (RHP)

One of the hardest throwing relievers in all of baseball, Vargas began his minor league career with Cleveland before he was traded to the Diamondbacks in 2022 who subsequently traded him to Seattle in exchange for Eugenio Suárez.

Vargas' lone MLB action came in 2023 when he allowed three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks. He had a 3.54 ERA in Triple-A last year and cut his walk rate in half (7.7 percent) but that seems to have come at the expense of his velocity, as his sinker was more than one mile per hour slower than the year prior.

Vargas has plenty of potential but he's one of eight players battling for two open sports in Seattle's bullpen. Toronto has three bullpen arms in camp who don't have options, but Vargas is arguably more intriguing than any of them.