Blue Jays make flurry of moves, update 40 man roster on Opening Day

Many of the moves were formalities, such as putting Daulton Varsho on the IL to start the season, and adding Jacob Barnes, Alan Roden and Myles Straw to the roster.

But other moves had to be made. Barnes, Roden, and Straw didn't previously occupy 40-man roster spots and so the Blue Jays needed to make a series of corresponding moves in order to make room.

So who got left out?

Pitcher Tommy Nance has been designated for assignment. This was to be expected. Nance, who was beat out by Barnes for the final spot in the bullpen, was out of options, and would have had to have been exposed to the waiver wire. The Blue Jays now have seven days to trade, release, or outright him.

Nick Robertson was also DFA'd. This was also expected. While he still had options, Robertson was lower down on the depth ladder for the Blue Jays and hadn't gotten much game action either this spring nor last year.

The final player DFA'd was Zach Pop. This move was slightly more surprising. Although he too was out of options, he was scheduled to start the year on the IL with an unknown timetable for returning. While he had had some success for the Blue Jays, it felt like he was on borrowed time.

Nevertheless, it feels somewhat surprising that the Blue Jays cut two pitchers to make room for position players.

Other moves include putting Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr on the IL, both of which were also expected.