Blue Jays notebook: Scott Boras speaks, John Schneider explains José Berríos’ early hook and Alek Manoah’s role, Jordan Hicks expected to sign elsewhere

If the Blue Jays miss out on Ohtani and Soto, it wouldn’t be shocking if they continued to express interest in Bellinger’s services, especially with the Yankees addressing their outfield needs, almost certainly taking them off the board.

John Schneider chats José Berríos, Alek Manoah

No other decision was debated more intensely than Schneider’s call to pull Berríos after three dominant innings in Game 2 of the wild-card series in Minnesota, opting for left-hander Yusei Kikuchi from out of the bullpen. That move, of course, didn’t play out favourably.

One angle, in particular, the Blue Jays skipper wanted to touch on during Tuesday’s media availability was his role in the matter and how some wondered if that final decision was his to make alone.

Another hot-button topic that arose was Manoah, whose name has been speculated as a potential change-of-scenery candidate by many insiders this winter. But, as the Blue Jays have said repeatedly when asked, Schneider reiterated the 25-year-old righty is slated to enter next spring in competition for the No. 5 starter’s role.

Translation: Toronto doesn’t plan to trade Manoah unless a team makes them an offer they can’t refuse.

But that doesn’t mean the front office isn’t seeking to improve its starting pitching depth beyond the 2022 American League Cy Young finalist. While their primary focus is on the position-player market, management must create a security blanket beyond the major-league roster to protect against a break-in-case-of-emergency situation in 2024.

Jordan Hicks will likely sign a lucrative deal elsewhere

Now this shouldn’t come as a shock, but the Blue Jays are unlikely to re-sign Hicks in free agency this winter. And, as TSN’s Scott Mitchell reported on Wednesday, the 27-year-old flamethrower will probably receive a lucrative contract from another organization.

The Jordan Hicks trade served its purpose, to some degree, at least, as the right-hander filled in for the injured Jordan Romano during the regular season and fortified the bullpen during the franchise’s exciting, albeit brief, stretch run.

But considering Toronto’s front office hasn’t typically shelled out high-priced dollar figures to relievers, it makes sense for both sides to part ways after half a season.

Rule 5 Draft Wrap-up

One final piece of business in Nashville that occurred before the Winter Meetings wrapped was the annual Rule 5 Draft, which was uneventful for the Blue Jays, at least on the major-league side.

It did, however, feature a few transactions involving the minor league portion, as the organization selected outfielder Alexis Hernandez from the Boston Red Sox organization. The 21-year-old, considered a quality defender, hit three home runs and 24 RBIs while slashing .267/.380/.379 over 46 games across two levels (complex league, single-A) last season.

Additionally, Toronto lost a pair of minor leaguers: infielder Angel Del Rosario (Twins) and first baseman/outfielder Trevor Schwecke (Phillies).

Since the franchise didn’t make any selections during the major league phase, the 40-man roster still stands at 37 players.