Three Canadian-born players with something to prove in 2025

The most impressive tool with Julien can also be somewhat of a negative as well. He walks at an insanely high rate, with his BB% in the high teens throughout his career (he had a 15.7% in the Major Leagues in 2023). The selective approach also means that he takes a lot of strikes, which seemed to catch up to him a little bit in 2024. His .124 isolated power number in the Majors and .167 mark in triple-A were the lowest of his early career. However, his triple-A slash line of .242/.395/.409 provides hope that he can still emerge into a quality lead-off man at the highest level. He will also need to find a way to achieve better results against left-handed pitchers, who held him to five hits through 29 at-bats, and the Twins had to keep him out of the lineup when a southpaw was on the mound.

This offseason is a big one for the 25-year-old, who will undoubtedly get another shot to start in the big leagues early next season. Finding a balance between his patient approach and being selectively aggressive will be the key to him developing into a star, which will only shine brighter if he can put up some better numbers against left-handers.

Matt Brash – Seattle Mariners

Reliever Matt Brash exploded onto the scene in 2022, immediately proving to be an excellent bullpen piece for the Mariners. After an electric 2023 where he held a 13.63 K/9 and 2.26 FIP through a league-leading 78 appearances, his 2024 season was wiped away after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. This June appears to be a possible return timeframe for Brash.

The Kingston, Ontario native has drawn rave reviews for his slider, which some have said is the best pitch in baseball. When paired with his upper 90s fastball, he’s as lights out as they come as a high-leverage reliever. When he’s healthy and ready to return to the mound, he will slot in as a set-up man for elite closer Andrés Muñoz.

The 26-year-old appeared in one game for Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and would likely be a big part of the bullpen for the next installment. Brash would pair nicely with the Guardians’ Smith and Erik Sabrowski to form a dominant bullpen trio that could surprise many at the next tournament.

Michael Soroka – Free Agent

It’s been a long and frustrating road for Michael Soroka. Once a promising young starter for the Atlanta Braves, a torn Achilles in 2020 followed by a complete re-tear while almost fully recovered led to him being out of action for almost three years as he underwent three surgeries. He returned to the big leagues in 2023, only to once again be shut down after suffering an arm injury late in the season.

The pride of Calgary, Alberta was traded to the Chicago White Sox last offseason, starting out the 2024 campaign in their rotation. The right-hander went 0-10 on the year and was moved to the bullpen in May, which was the most losses for a winless pitcher since Terry Felton went 0-13 in 1982. However, Soroka found success on the mound once he moved into a relief role.

Soroka engineered a 2.75 ERA and a whopping 39% strikeout rate coming out of the bullpen in 2024, thanks in part to him being able to rear back and throw his fastball in the upper 90s. His strikeout rate was the second highest among relievers who faced at least 150 batters, trailing only Oakland A’s breakout closer Mason Miller. His time in the bullpen was a sample-sized 16 appearances, thanks to another shoulder injury that sidelined him for two months between mid-July and September.

There will undoubtedly be a team that is intrigued enough by Soroka’s bullpen numbers to sign him this offseason. Depending on the landing spot and a clean bill of health, this could be the year that the 27-year-old makes it back after a promising start to his career.