Blue Jays on the 40-man roster bubble

The only other position player on the bubble is catcher Nick Raposo. Raposo was claimed by the Jays in August and slashed .246/.361/.311 with a home run in 72 plate appearances with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Tyler Heineman could also end up being designated for assignment if the Blue Jays acquire a big-league catcher.

Shifting gears to pitchers, there are eight relievers who could be waived this off-season, many of whom were late-season waiver claims. Starting with Nick Robertson, the 26-year-old had a 4.05 ERA and a 4.44 FIP in 13.1 innings pitched this season, mainly with the Cardinals. His fastball sits at 94.5 mph while he struck out 25.5% of batters and had a 3.6 BB%. He’ll have an option year in 2025, so he’s an okay depth option.

Tommy Nance was another reliever claimed by the Jays and he posted a 4.09 ERA and a 3.98 FIP in 22 innings pitched. If he is to survive on the 40-man roster this off-season, Nance will have to make the 26-man roster out of Spring Training or he’ll have to be designated for assignment as he has no options left.

Lefty Easton Lucas was claimed in August, and pitched six games with the Buffalo Bisons with three starts. The 28-year-old pitched well, as he had a 1.37 ERA and a 2.50 FIP in 19.2 innings pitched, along with a 28.8 K% and a 6.8 BB%. Lucas struggled in his 4.2 innings with the Jays, but he has two option years remaining.

Brett de Geus was one of the last relievers the Jays claimed off waivers during the season. He pitched three scoreless innings with the Buffalo Bisons but struggled mightily in his 2.1 innings pitched with the Jays, surrendering four earned runs in two outings. It is worth noting that the 27-year-old averaged 96.4 mph on his fastball and has two option years remaining.

The Blue Jays claimed Michael Petersen off waivers from the Miami Marlins in November. Last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Marlins, he had a 5.95 ERA and a 5.56 FIP in 19.2 innings pitched, but had an impressive 1.64 ERA and a 2.29 FIP in 33 innings pitched with the Dodgers’ Triple-A team.

Like de Geus and Petersen, Zach Pop also spent time with the Miami Marlins, with the Blue Jays acquiring him before the 2022 trade deadline. Pop showed promise with the Jays after the trade, but missed a large portion of the 2023 season due to injury. Pop spent most of the season in the Blue Jays bullpen, posting a 5.59 ERA and a 5.53 FIP in 48.1 innings pitched. He’s out of option years, but the Blue Jays decided to tender him.

Left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert only had a cup of tea with the Blue Jays last season, posting a 4.05 ERA and a 4.37 FIP in 6.2 innings pitched. However, with the Buffalo Bisons, the 26-year-old had a 3.86 ERA and a 4.09 FIP in 53.2 innings pitched, along with a 29.1 K% and a 9.3 BB%. Eisert has two option years remaining.

The other relief prospect on the bubble is Hagen Danner. Last season with the Bisons, the 26-year-old had a 3.15 ERA and a 4.24 FIP in 34.1 innings pitched, along with a 23.3 K% and an 8.9 BB%. The talent is there, averaging a heat in the upper 90s with nasty off-speed stuff, but he’ll have to make the 26-man roster out of Spring Training as he has no option years remaining.

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