Jays exercise right to bear arms
The Blue Jays filled the five remaining holes in their 40-man roster with a handful of pitchers Tuesday night, protecting the handful of arms from next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Major League Baseball teams had until 8 p.m. ET to finalize their rosters ahead of next month’s selection process. They selected right-handers Trent Thornton, Yennsy Diaz, Hector Perez, Patrick Murphy and Jacob Waguespack.
The decision to protect more pitchers comes as no surprise to fans following the club’s off-season discussion of priorities. General manager Ross Atkins has made it clear that pitching is an area where the Jays plan to improve for 2019.
Thornton arrived the Houston Astros on Saturday in exchange for versatile infielder Aledmys Diaz. Atkins has said the organization is looking to parlay its infield depth in particular into improvement on the mound.
Anumber of interesting Jays prospects will still be left unprotected come time for the Dec. 13 Rule 5 draft, on the final day of baseball’s winter meetings in Las Vegas. Among them:
Outfielder Forrest Wall, rated No. 25 in the system by MLB Pipeline.
Right-hander Jordan Romano, ranked 28th. Catcher Max Pentecost. Left-hander Travis Bergen, plus righthanders Corey Copping, Jon Harris and Jackson McClelland.
Romano and Pentecost were both passed over in last year’s Rule 5 draft.
The Jays could create space on the 40-man roster — to sign free agents, trade for help or make Rule 5 claims of their own — by parting ways with the likes of Yangervis Solarte, Mark Leiter Jr., Dalton Pompey and Jonathan Davis. Solarte — whose contract option wasn’t picked up — could be non-tendered by the Nov. 30 deadline to make offers to arbitration-eligible players, which would open a spot.
Three of the pitchers protected Tuesday were acquired since late July:
The Thornton-Diaz swap was prompted by the Astros’ own Rule 5 crunch. The 25-year-old Thornton went 9-8 with a 4.42 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies this past season. Astros president and general manager Jeff Luhnow told the Houston Chronicle at the time of the trade that Thornton, drafted in the third round by Houston in 2015 and now the Jays’ No. 22 prospect, was “on the radar of a lot of teams” at the time. The righthander hasn’t pitched in the big leagues, but is expected to factor into the Jays’ rotation plans next year.
Perez, ranked No. 11 in the system, also arrived from Houston. The 22-year-old was part of the deal that sent closer Roberto Osuna to the Astros ahead of the July deadline. Perez had a combined 3.76 ERA in three stops between Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2018 and is expected make the jump to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons next year, with an eye on cracking the big leagues in 2020.
Waguespack was in the Phillies organization, drafted in 2012, and arrived in exchange for reliever Aaron Loup. Waguespack, a 25-year-old reliever turned starter, stands six-foot-six. He had a 5.03 ERA in seven games (six starts) for the Bisons at the end of last year and is expected to return there.
Murphy has battled several injuries since he was drafted by the Jays in the third round in 2013, but that seems to be behind the 23-year-old. He had a 2.64 ERA in 142 2⁄3 innings for the Dunedin Blue Jays this past season and was voted pitcher of the year in the Florida State League. He made one start with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats to end the year and is expect to start next season in Manchester.
Diaz is another homegrown talent who has yet to spend any significant time above the high-A ball. The Jays added the 22-year-old early in the 2014 signing period. He owned a 3.05 ERA in 1471⁄3 innings between Class-A and Class-A Advanced this year.