Toronto Blue Jays outright of Yariel Rodriguez suggests a number of potential scenarios
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Two seasons of middling strikeout rates and hefty walk totals suggests the Toronto Blue Jays are ready to move on from Yariel Rodriguez.
After it was reported that the Blue Jays outrighted Yariel Rodriguez off their 40-man roster, he has already cleared waivers and is back in Toronto's system.
We can deduce a few things from the Yariel move:
1) 29 teams passed on claiming Rodriguez ($17M over next 3 years)
2) Blue Jays would have been OK to see him leave for no return
2) Jays prefer to have Rodriguez off the 40-man, freeing up valuable space for someone else
1) 29 teams passed on claiming Rodriguez ($17M over next 3 years)
2) Blue Jays would have been OK to see him leave for no return
2) Jays prefer to have Rodriguez off the 40-man, freeing up valuable space for someone else
Terms of Rodriguez's contract likely why he went unclaimed on waivers
Unsurprisingly, no team was willing to claim away this remaining contract on waivers, and thus Rodriguez has now been outrighted off the 40-man.
He is still in the Toronto organization, as Rodriguez doesn't have the necessary service time or a past outright on his resume that he would need to give himself the ability to decline the outright assignment in favor of free agency.
This means that the Blue Jays could still select Rodriguez's contract back to the 40-man at any point, whether in the offseason or during the 2026 campaign.
Next steps for Yariel Rodriguez:
- he remains in the Blue Jays' organization as of now
- barring a change would arrive at spring training & attempt to earn a job like any non-roster player
- if the Blue Jays want to, they can select his contract onto the 40-man again
- he remains in the Blue Jays' organization as of now
- barring a change would arrive at spring training & attempt to earn a job like any non-roster player
- if the Blue Jays want to, they can select his contract onto the 40-man again
The outright clearly puts Rodriguez in line as something of a secondary option within Toronto's bullpen plans, and likely makes him a trade candidate for the remainder of the winter.
While no team was going to eat all of that $17MM deal, the Blue Jays could explore (or continue exploring, as they've surely checked around about trade possibilities) moving Rodriguez as part of a swap of unwelcome contracts, or the Jays could eat a significant chunk of the $17MM to help accommodate a trade.
$17MM remains on that contract, in the form of a $5MM salary in 2026, $6MM in 2027, and then a $6MM player option for 2028 or (if Rodriguez does opt out), a $10MM club option that the Jays can exercise to retain him for the 2028 campaign.
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