Toronto Blue Jays leave top prospects unprotected following Rule 5 deadline
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The Blue Jays took a risk with their Rule 5 selections.
While Toronto had three roster open and several prospects different prospects to choose from, in the end, only Ricky Tiedemann was left protected.
The Blue Jays had earlier added catcher Brandon Valenzuela.
Top 30 prospects left unprotected include outfielder Yohendrick Pinango (No. 7), outfielder Victor Arias (No. 9), shortstop Josh Kasevich (No. 12) and catcher Edward Duran (No. 13).
Today (6pm) is MLB's Rule 5 protection deadline. Ricky Tiedemann is really the #BlueJays' only must-add (w/ 3 open spots).
SS Josh Kasevich, P Chad Dallas, OF Y. Pinango, C E. Duran, OF V. Arias, P TJ Brock are on the 40-man fringe. Jays may just bet they'll go undrafted.
SS Josh Kasevich, P Chad Dallas, OF Y. Pinango, C E. Duran, OF V. Arias, P TJ Brock are on the 40-man fringe. Jays may just bet they'll go undrafted.
Arias was always going to be the toughest choice as the outfielder has seen his stock rise while's he climbed up the prospect ladder in the last couple of seasons.
His development has been slow however. After spending two summers in Rookie-level DSL, he started 2025 in High-A and eventually reached Double-A.
While that sounds intriguing for many teams, the fact that he has yet to play in Triple-A is likely a deterrent and should keep him in the Blue Jays system.
Kasevich is another prospect who's selection to the 40-man might have been a foregone conclusion. He plays a premium position and has both power and good defence.
However, an injury-riddled 2025 likely turned away many potential suitors who are unwilling to a Rule-5 risk on a player with so much injury history.
Pinango is an interesting case. Having gotten into 84 games in Triple-A Buffalo, he is the type of player that is ripe for Rule 5 selection.
He did struggle at the highest minor league level though, hitting just .235. However, a Rule 5 selection wouldn't be totally shocking.
Blue Jays still big on Tiedemann
The Blue Jays roster protections show that the team is still high on Ricky Tiedemann, despite the right hander missing all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
However, with so much uncertainty surrounding the pitching rotation, Tiedemann reaching the big leagues in 2026 is not entirely out of the question.
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