TORONTO – The newest low season signposts got here and went as anticipated for the Toronto Blue Jays, who watched Bo Bichette decline the $22.025-million qualifying provide forward of 1 deadline Tuesday and added Ricky Tiedemann to the 40-man roster earlier than one other.
Bichette joined fellow free brokers Dylan Stop, Edwin Diaz, Zac Gallen, Michael King, Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez, Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez in rejecting the provide, an indication every expects to do much better on the open market. Gamers leery of how being a professional free agent – guaranteeing their former workforce a compensatory draft choose and costing a non-incumbent signing workforce a draft choose – will have an effect on their market typically settle for, which Trent Grisham (Yankees), Shota Imanaga (Cubs), Gleyber Torres (Tigers) and Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) did.
The procedural manoeuvrings do little to vary the trajectory of Bichette’s free company, one of many pre-eminent questions going through the Blue Jays this winter, as he was at all times going to be one of the coveted gamers accessible on this free-agent class.
If he departs, the Blue Jays will get a compensatory choose after the fourth spherical as a result of their 2025 payroll was above the Aggressive Stability Tax, or CBT, threshold of $241 million. As such, they’ll additionally forfeit their second- and fifth-highest draft picks plus $1 million from their worldwide bonus pool in the event that they signal a professional free agent.
Stop, Suarez, Gallen and Valdez are, to various levels, certain to be on the radar because the Blue Jays hunt for no less than one beginning pitcher this winter – maybe their high precedence – whereas additionally searching for to bolster their bullpen with leverage arms.
Tiedemann, the 23-year-old lefty who was a consensus top-100 prospect earlier than lacking all final season recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure, affords an intriguing wild-card of their pitching combine. He’d been on a fast-track to the majors earlier than elbow points derailed him in 2024 and was pushing towards recreation motion when this previous season ended.
Including him to their 40-man roster – pushing them as much as 38 – forward of Tuesday’s deadline for submitting reserve lists doesn’t essentially imply his arrival to the majors is imminent, nevertheless it does shield him from publicity in subsequent month’s Rule 5 draft.
Gamers within the farm system now eligible for choice embody shortstop Josh Kasevich, outfielders Yohendrick Pinango and Victor Arias and catcher Edward Duran.
Starter Chad Dallas and relievers Connor Cooke and T.J. Brock – all coming off Tommy John surgical procedure – are eligible, too, making them potential candidates for a artistic workforce with roster area. The Blue Jays made the same choose of an injured participant throughout final yr’s Rule 5 draft in righty Angel Bastardo, who needs to be prepared for subsequent spring.
