Can't wait for the new season to start.

Agreed with the lack of overall impact with the bats. Schreck and Pinango are the two you hope break through in AAA. Kasevich and Jimenez appear to be future bench roles if they stay in Toronto - wouldn't be surprised to see Jimenez dealt (though I still think he's a major leaguer). McAdoo had a strong second half but still a lot of swing and miss in his profile.

Pinto, if healthy, probably lands in AA. Keys still remains interesting and the underlying data shows there is more to unlock. Arias is exciting and athletic. Big test for Cutter Coffey who had a strong year.

A+ is going to be weak, with the lack of college hitters drafted. Duran and Shaw will be the ones to watch, and Casey should succeed as an over-ager. Toman finally made it to A+, but I really only think he'll succeed as an LHB. He simply can't hit from the right side.

We also have new draftees in Parker, Piasentin, and Bullard - curious who will end up in Dunedin. Jake Cook is a fascinating project.

This may be the most interesting group we've had in the FCL though, with all the prep position players drafted last year as well as a lot of DSL standouts last year. Sanchez, Coronado, Blanco, and Rojas as the ones to watch.

Interestingly, Angel Bastardo was supposed to be a late addition to the AFL but never showed up. Instead, fellow TJ-rehabber Kelena Sauer has pitched in a few games.

Inconsistent results, which aren't shocking, but he's also struggled to maintain a peak of 93 mph on his fastball for more than a few batters.

Bad sign for Bastardo not to be there. I suspect the Jays will just let Boston have him back at some point this winter rather than waste a 40 man slot on him. 1 year of that is probably enough, and finding a slot on the 26 man roster would be very difficult without at least some AFL time. If they feel he needs a few more months of rehab in 2026 they might hold on, also depends what Boston wants in order to keep him here without the Rule 5 restrictions.

Not sure the AFL time matters. He needs to win a job in spring training either way.

We have a lot of players/minor leaguers that are no longer prospects that can help the ML team.

Clement and Lukes were FA signings with an invite to ST and became helpful after long minor league careers.

I consider Barger a regular but not D Schneider. Both should be useful especially Barger due to his power. Schneider could also have power 11HRs in 188 ABs.

Prospects Kasevich could handle D at the ML level while playing 2B,SS,3B. Schreck looks ready and can probably contribute next year.

We have a lot of pitchers home grown and FAs at AA/AAA that are close. We may add more FAs on minor league contracts. Braydon Fisher was a success.

I don't fear the rule 5 draft any more. You hardly ever lose an impact player. Adding Leo Jimenez and Macko in hindsight was too soon IMO because they were in A ball at the time of selection.

A big challenge this winter is what AAAA players to sign. Last year went well with Lauer plus Ali Sánchez was a good #3 catcher. That's about all you can hope for - a few relievers, backups, stuff like that. If you get lucky you get a Lauer who was worth 2.2 bWAR last year, far beyond the $1.8 mil the Jays paid him. It'll be interesting to see who they sign. It is very, very difficult to guess which are worth signing but the general rule is there are no bad minor league contracts. Just need to figure out where they can play. Same with hitters as with pitchers. I'm mostly focused on pitching as you need guys to eat innings between the starters you are hoping can join the Jays.

AAA SP: Estrada, Van Eyk, Lucas, Macko, Tiedemann, Bloss, and others (losers in the fight for the 5th slot, like Francis probably will be) - so the rotation will be fairly full it seems, but Estrada, VanEyk, and Lucas all could be shifted out easily imo and tried out in the pen.

AA SP: Stanifer, Watts-Brown, are probably locks here, with many others shifting from A+ or staying in AA. They might put some minor league free agents here but few good ones would sign to pitch in AA without a lot of extra cash coming.

Lower than that is mostly wishful thinking. No decent minor league free agent will sign to pitch in A+ or lower, and it is rare for a prospect to climb from A+ to the majors in one year (Yesavage the exception to the rule).

They'll chase a backup catcher to work with Valenzuela, a couple of backup infielders and outfielders too who will know they most likely won't get the call. Filling minor league teams has to be a challenge, especially when the team has a good ML club thus few openings thus making it unlikely these guys will get a shot. Sign with the A's, Rockies, White Sox, or Pirates and your chances of getting a call to the majors is high one would think. Of course the Jays can also offer a ML level salary despite playing in Buffalo which those teams cannot do.

Kasevich can get on base in the minors.
Does that translate to MLB with the bad umps?
That's the big question.
People compared him to Clement with the bat which doesn't seem a bad thing right now.
The current hitting philosophy--get an A swing in each AB--could benefit him. 
He just hasn't been healthy, so it's hard to project him in any way. 

Watts-Brown was traded. Bloss is going to miss a chunk of the year due to injury.

Van Eyk, Estrada and Macko are probably all relievers in the long run.

They added Valenzuela, so no need for a 3rd  catcher this year.

The Jays used a lot of minors/waivers guys last year. (Stefanic, Kennedy, Bruihl, Urena, Turnbull, Borucki, IKF, etc)I think 2026, will see more prospects getting chances. (Macko, Lucas, Bastardo, Tiedemann, Bloss, Pinango, Schreck, Kesevich, Estrada, McAdoo,

Bastardo's best pitch is a change up. He's got a starter's arsenal.

Valenzuela is planned to be the 3rd but I'd have a backup plan just in case. Catchers get hurt, sad fact of life, so you need quality backups available, plus you want a good vet to teach Valenzuela in AAA the ins and outs to be a ML catcher someday.

Thanks Marc on the guys traded/let go - easy to lose track. It'll be interesting to see how the minors is shuffled by the Jays in '26. Also will be interesting to see if McAdoo and others get their first ML shot and what they do with it. I'm betting on Kesevich and Schreck getting shots in '26 myself (injury fill-ins, not necessarily at their #1 position).

A huge amount of Buffalo players elected free agency. A few NH players too.

Checking Buffalo's site....

Free agents...

• RHP Andrew Bash, RHP Adam Kloffenstein, RHP Robinson Piña, RHP Elieser Hernández, LHP Joe Mantiply, LHP Ryan Borucki
• CF Dasan Brown, C René Pinto, 1B Buddy Kennedy, C Phil Clarke, DH Eloy Jiménez, 2B Michael Stefanic
• AA: 3B Alex De Jesus, CF Gabriel Martinez, RHP Bobby Milacki, SS Eddinson Paulino
• A+: RHP Edinson Batista

That seems to be it for minor league free agents so far.

No surprises on that list. I do hope they re-sign Dasan Brown, would love for him to continue to toil away in the organization and grind it out. He was always so raw and lost a lot of development time, but is the best defensive CF we have in the minors and continues to improve his base-stealing. Could still make it as a 4th OF one day.

So removing those FAs we would slot in something like this next year in AAA:

CF Clase 24
RF Schreck 25
LF Pinango 24
3B McAdoo 24
SS Kasevich 25
2B Jimenez 25
1B Tirotta 27
C Valenzuela 25
DH Loperfido 27

UT Palmegiani 26/Hornung 25
OF Bohrofen 24
IF Rivera 25
C Sharp/Stone/Gillilland 24


And AA looking something like

CF Arias 22
RF Hernandez 23
LF Micheletti 24
3B Keys 23
SS Coffey 22
2B Pinto 23
1B Freethy 23
C Duran 22
DH Goodwin 24

UT
OF
IF Toman 22
C Sharp/Stone/Gillilland 24

uglyone - only problem is Jimenez is out of options so he'd have to be exposed to waivers to be sent down. Wonder if he has any shot here as a backup IF in '26 - I don't see it myself unless a lot of guys are traded away.

Clase is out of options as well.
They're just opening day backups who get dropped if everyone is healthy.

Players to protect from Rule 5:

Locks: R. Tiedemann, V. Arias (eligible milb FA)
Maybes: Y. Pinango (eligible milb FA), J. Simon (hard-throwing lefty), J. Kasevich (hurt last year, hasn't looked great in AFL)

Not many decisions.

If Bo goes what are the options?

1. Clement to 2B, Barger to 3B, Lukes/Schneider/Loperfido for a corner OF while Santander has the other corner
2. Clement to 3B, Schneider/Jiménez at 2B (depending on defense or offense desired in a game)
3. Sign a free agent 2B/3B/LF/RF - pick your poison and shuffle accordingly (Barger & Clement both play everyday somewhere)

#3 requires the Jays to find a damn fine bat somewhere - Murakami a possibility, go nuts with Tucker for RF (140 OPS+ bat but damn expensive and many are after him), Bregman at 3B (again, expensive but good), Bellinger (OF/1B) who they've wanted for years, Kazuma Okamoto (Japan 3B/1B but weaker than Murakami but stronger on defense), Eugenio Suarez (3B power, tons of K's). Or do a trade for someone (no idea who).

Ideally sign Bo then just do touch ups on offense. Guys like Murakami and Suarez are tempting with 'WOW' power but defense is a factor. I suspect a trade is coming, it'll be interesting to see what rumors show up and if one does happen. Wonder if Cleveland could be talked into trading José Ramírez ... nah.

The Jays top ten will be released by BA on Wednesday.

BA listed their top 40 AFL prospects today, no Blue Jays listed. The AFL was generally disappointing for the Jays other than Cutter Coffey.

BA also have a story on breakout prospects for each AL team. Jake Cook is the player listed for the Jays.

BA's top ten prospects has been revealed.

1. Yesavage
2. Nimmala
3. Parker
4. King
5. Stanifer
6. Tiedemann
7. Sanchez
8. Schreck
9. Bloss
10. Cook

Thanks, Gerry.

Sanchez had a 156 wRC+ in the DSL last year with a very good 10.3 BB% and 17.4 K%. He just turned 18 a month ago. It will be interesting to see whether he can continue to post elite offensive numbers in 2026 and beyond.

There are four hitters on the list, three of them haven't played above A ball and two haven't played professionally in North America. Schreck is described as an everyday player on a second tier team. Other than Schreck developing there is not much short term offensive help on the farm.

I count 5 hitters on the list: Nimmala, Parker, Sanchez, Schrek, and Cook, unless you count Cook as a pitcher. He was drafted as an outfielder.

Sorry five, point still stands, just make it three of the five who haven't played pro in NA.

Catcher: Alejandro Kirk (30)
First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (30)
Second Base: Andres Gimenez (30)
Third Base: JoJo Parker (22)
Shortstop: Arjun Nimmala (23)
Left Field: RJ Schreck (28)
Center Field: Jake Cook (25)
Right Field: Addison Barger (29)
Designated Hitter: Anthony Santander (34)

No. 1 Starter: Trey Yesavage (25)
No. 2 Starter: Johnny King (22)
No. 3 Starter: Gage Stanifer (25)
No. 4 Starter: Ricky Tiedemann (26)
No. 5 Starter: Jake Bloss (28)
Closer: Louie Varland (31)

Blue Jays Best Tools
Best Hitter: JoJo Parker
Best Power Hitter: Juan Sanchez
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: RJ Schreck
Fastest Baserunner: Jake Cook
Best Athlete: Jake Cook
Best Fastball: Trey Yesavage
Best Curveball: Johnny King
Best Slider: Gage Stanifer
Best Changeup: Trey Yesavage
Best Control: Fernando Perez
Best Defensive Catcher: Brandon Valenzuela
Best Defensive Infielder: Arjun Nimmala
Best Infield Arm: Arjun Nimmala
Best Defensive Outfielder: Jake Cook
Best Outfield Arm: Jake Cook

updated

No. 1 Starter: Dylan Cease (33)
No. 2 Starter: Trey Yesavage (25)
No. 3 Starter: Johnny King (22)
No. 4 Starter: Gage Stanifer (25)
No. 5 Starter: Ricky Tiedemann (26)
Closer: Louie Varland (31)

Chat
Anonymous
Does Marc Tramuta’ hire as Director of Amateur Scouting has changed the overall philosophy of the org when it comes to drafting/developing?
Geoff Pontes
Yeah the proof has been in the pudding this was a good draft and they took a lot of athletes, nice to have some tools in this system.

Anonymous
You think Gage Stanifer can become a midrotation starter?
Geoff Pontes
I have him as No. 4 starter at the moment, but with an improvement in command I think that's possible.

Fitz Magic
Johnny King is a strikeout machine but also walks alot. Control is obviously a concern but I'm more concerned with finding a 3rd pitch, can he stay a SP?
Geoff Pontes
I think with his power and feel for spin there's a pathway to add onto his arsenal. I think you have to take 2025 for what it was, a really promising debut where King struggled at times to find the zone but never got hit. That's something to build off of. Will he start? I'm not ruling it out.

John
How much does King’s FB movement translate to higher levels, and do evaluators see his FB/CB combo as SP2 potential with better strike-throwing?
Geoff Pontes
I don't know about SP2 but that fastball and breaking ball combo will play. My guess is he adds some sort of slider/cutter variant in the next few years potentially even both.

Anonymous
How good is Johnny King and is he on the level of other top young arms out of HS like Ryan Sloan?
Geoff Pontes
For me personally I think he's right there with Sloan, I think I like his fastball more than Sloan's maybe by a full grade.

David Cone
The Tiedemann TJ in July 24 hurt, did you hear any updates? 40 man add is positive but was hoping he’d throw in the AFL like Painter did last year.
Geoff Pontes
He'll likely be handled with care early on this season.

Ian
What’s the outlook for Ricky. When does he look to return and how ready is he?
Geoff Pontes
I think we see him in spring and maybe he's held back for a month before pitching at an affiliate. They're taking it very slow and conservative with him. My understanding is it will be a lot of shorter outings, 1-2 innings at first.

David
Is Ricky Tiedemann destined for the bullpen due to his injury history and offerings at this point?
Geoff Pontes
In the short term yes, but I still think he can start.

Anonymous
Does JoJo Parker have the necessary hitting ability and maturity to make a big jump in year one like Konnor Griffin?
Geoff Pontes
He doesn't have the athletic engine to be Griffin. I think you're looking more at a Colt Emerson type with a touch more power and a little less defense. An above-average hit/power third baseman is a good ceiling role fit for Parker.

David Cone
Jojo being a 25 draft pick from Mississippi can he replicate the 24 draft pick from Mississippi & also shoot to the top of the prospect rankings in short order?
Geoff Pontes
I don't think he's that type of player. Doesn't have the upside or athletic ability Griffin does.

Anonymous
How should we set our expectations for Parker this season? What would a successful first pro season look like?
Geoff Pontes
He hits in the Florida State League and ends up in Vancouver by the all-star break.

William Ashley
Does JoJo Parker have a path to playing SS long term in MLB or is the defense a real concern? What kind of offensive upside can we expect?
Geoff Pontes
Defense is a concern but I think he could move to third and be solid there.

Fitz Magic
Arjun lit the world on fire in Apr & May but was dog bleep the rest of the year. Interesting reversal from 2024. Any reason for the drop & starts 2026 where?
Geoff Pontes
He really started catching everything far too out front, so it was a lot of weak contact off the end of the bat. While his whiff rate climbed a little over the bad period he didn't strike out a ton. Both times he's struggled now it's been timing stuff in the swing. I have a feeling Nimmala generally is going to be up and down.

Jordan M
If you had to put a number (1-10) for the chance of Arjun Nimmala becoming a Willy Adames type player, what would you say?
Geoff Pontes
6, I think I liked Nimmala's overall bat more at this point but thought Adames had the better hit tool.

Anonymous
How concerning was the stuff we saw from Arjun last year?
Geoff Pontes
Not as concerning as you'd think based on the performance. It was a bad contact and timing issue, not a making contact and missing issue. That's fixable, the rest of the supporting skills are still above-average or better.

Anonymous
Yesavage has 60 control? LAD/NYY chases aside, he doesn't throw enough strikes. The 2nd time around MLB, he may find hitters tougher to fool. Rebuttal welcome.
Geoff Pontes
That was a typo in the report, it might be fixed now. I have him with average (50) control, as noted in the report. You'll also see that our tweet around 10 AM had the correct 50 control grade. So we agree!

Anonymous
I know that BA was fairly high on Trey Yesavage when the Jays drafted him, but does his postseason performance raise his ceiling for you even more
Geoff Pontes
No I think we still view him the same as we did. Mid-rotation arm with big strikeout upside.

Anonymous
Which prospects have a legitimate chance of impacting the 2026 roster?
Geoff Pontes
Well I'll put Yesavage in the free space on the bingo card haha. After that it could be Tiedemann in relief later in the season and RJ Schreck as well. Bloss could also see some time late in the season once he's fully back. The lingering one is Pinanago who they brought back as a MiLB FA but left unprotected for R5. Will be interesting to see what happens there as the bat is ready but he's only passable defensively.

Anonymous
Who are some names to throw out as breakout candidates?
Geoff Pontes
The team loves Jake Casey (son of Sean Casey) and I think Hechavarria and Buckman are good names on the pitching side. What we get from Bullard and Piasentin could be interesting.

Anonymous
Jake Casey looked real solid after the draft in Dunedin, do you expect to see him added to the back half of the 30?
Geoff Pontes
100% he will be on the Top 30. The team and scouts liked him, so he'll probably fit into the 21-30 range.

Anonymous
How excited as a Jays fan should I be about Juan Sanchez, future top 100 prospect?
Geoff Pontes
Pretty excited he's the first legit looking IFA hit in awhile. I'd say since Orelvis but that went really bad the last two years.

Anonymous
You're killin' me, Geoff, Juan Sanchez won't be a part of a future Jays' lineup?
Geoff Pontes
Calm down he's only going to be 21 at that point. He's a mid-season callup and will hit 50 home runs in 50 games. Canada will be then be renamed "Sanchezian"

Anonymous
Does Juan Sanchez have 30 HR upside
Geoff Pontes
Yes! I think so the high end power is there, just simply a matter of getting to it consistently, which will come.

Anonymous
Thoughts on Juan Sanchez, Jared Spencer and Jake Cook?
Geoff Pontes
Love Sanchez's combination of feel to hit and power, I'm less sold on him sticking on the left side of the infield. Spencer was a flier, he's dealing with a serious injury and there's no expectations at the moment. Cook I think is the sleeper name from this last class, there's a lot to like, even if he likely never hits for much power.

Anonymous
Jake Cook intrigues me, is there any reason he wasn’t assigned to an affiliate like many of the other draftees for the Jays?
Geoff Pontes
My understanding is they had some stuff that wanted to work on. I think it's important to keep in mind he also played more baseball the last year than he had since high school.

Anonymous
What's the likelihood of Cook being able to parlay his otherworldly speed into stolen base success? I'm jazzed about his potential to be a force atop a lineup.
Geoff Pontes
We shall see, he's had so little time as a position player I wonder if it's an experience thing. We'll see but he's the fastest player I've ever scouted. I was getting sub-3.6 home to first on bunts.

Anonymous
What are one pitcher and position player to watch for in the 26 season coming from both int signings and the 2025 mlb rule 4 draft?
Geoff Pontes
Jake Cook on the position side and Micah Bucknam on the pitching side.

Anonymous
The Jays put 2nd round $$$ into Blaine Bullard in the 12 round. Anything to add to his optimistic pre draft report?
Geoff Pontes
Elite athlete with bat-to-ball skills and defensive ability. He's not that different from Jake Cook archetype wise. Need to see if he can hit and perhaps add a little power.

Anonymous
Who’s a prospect that’s not currently in the top 10 that you expect to make in next year
Geoff Pontes
Blaine Bullard, I think if he hits he could make a pretty sizeable jump.

Anonymous
Any word on when Jared Spencer will return? Also, what are your kind thoughts on Silvano Hechavarria?
Geoff Pontes
Spencer is TBD but it wouldn't shock me if we don't see him until 2027. I like Hechavarria pretty good fastball with ride and run and average velocity. Average slider and changeup. He has a shot for three 50 pitches with above-average command, that could play at the back of a rotation.

Ian
Thoughts on Jared Spencer? Had 2RP hype before the shoulder injury. If that’s right he seems like a high ceiling arm
Geoff Pontes
Yes, but there's a lot of worry about him ever returning to health. He's a high risk/high reward type with a low percentage of getting back to what he was.

Anonymous
Who are some lower level pitchers who can have a Gage Stanifer esque rise this year?
Geoff Pontes
I don't think that there is one, maybe Messina can do that.

Anonymous
What happened to Carson Messina? There was lots of praise about his fastball-breaking ball combo going into the year. Is he injured, and what is his outlook?
Geoff Pontes
Health was the issue there, still has some upside and could develop into a back of the rotation type.

Anonymous
Thoughts on Sean Keys? I see him getting quite a bit of hype and it looks like power was beginning to take off at the end of the season
Geoff Pontes
The underlying numbers were really good all year, he had some weird bad luck stuff (a lot of Vancouver hitters did), he's still on the Top 30 for the combo of contact, swing decisions and power.

Anonymous
Is it possible the struggles of Sean Keys can be attributed to his big jump from low level D1 to pro ball, and is his in game power promising?
Geoff Pontes
I think a lot of it was bad luck on balls in play. The underlying data was really strong.

Anonymous
Geoff, did you see Victor Arias after his promotion to New Hampshire? Was he close to the top ten?
Geoff Pontes
Yes, I saw him for a handful of games but I've seen a lot over the last few years on the backfields and in Dunedin. Nice player. The groundballs are an issue and he had shoulder surgery late/after the season, I'm not positive on the date of the surgery. I don't think he'll get taken in the rule 5 but as a rule I don't put currently unprotected players in the R5.

Gerd
Geoff, Adam Macko or Fernando Perez? Who are you taking? (who will have the better career?)
Geoff Pontes
Perez, I think he has a chance to stick as a starter, even if it's more in the No. 5-6 type of depth role.

Anonymous
What's your opinion on Victor Arias & Hechavarria's future outlook? Also, have you heard anything about Bastardo? Was supposed to pitch in the AFL but didn't.
Geoff Pontes
Bastardo I'm told they just decided to take it easy, the Jays took a fairly conservative approach this year with their cache of injured pitchers. I think Arias is a good fourth outfielder and Hechavarria is a No. 4-5 type of starter.

Anonymous
Curious to know what the scouts thoughts on Silvano Hechavarria are
Geoff Pontes
Back end starter with above-average command and three average pitches.

Anonymous
What are your thoughts on Silvano Hechavarria and Austin Cates? Both impressed me down in A-ball, but do you think they stick as starters as they move forward?
Geoff Pontes
Hechavarria I do and Cates I feel ends up in the pen.

Anonymous
Thoughts on Yondrei Rojas? The stats were bonkers this year with ground balls, swing and miss, no hard contact, good control
Geoff Pontes
The stuff is so good, he'll end up in a rule 5 preview but I don't think he'll get taken. Then again he blows up our stuff model.

Gerd
Josh Kasevich had an injury filled season but even when healthy in the AFL he didn't show much. How much has he slipped in your rankings this year?
Geoff Pontes
Quite a bit, it was disappointing and he's really just struggled to stay on the field. He was left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft and probably goes unselected.

Anonymous
Any chance either Schreck or Pinango debut next year?
Geoff Pontes
I think both will debut, they were reluctant to protect Pinango, I wonder if that's because his style of player is rarely taken in Rule 5. He probably is up first if still with the Jays.

Anonymous
Does Johan Simon have the potential to be a factor in the Jays' bullpen at some point?
Geoff Pontes
Possibly as a groundball machine type. His sinker is just impossible to elevate.

Anonymous
I'm intrigued by what appears to be yet another emerging arm in the system, Troy Guthrie. Does the organization intend to develop him as a starter?
Geoff Pontes
It's very low power (sitting 88-90 T92) but he has solid fastball shape and extension. It's an upper-70s two-plane curveball and a changeup. Command is the carrying tool, we'll see if he can build up and add velo.

Anonymous
Do you know anything about Jordan Rich, wasn’t really anything out there and it’s interesting he signed as a high school kid
Geoff Pontes
Good athlete, runs well, has some loft in the swing already and played high level high school ball. He's an interesting sleeper.

David
What does the underlying data look like on Connor O’Halloran and could he be a riser? Blue Jay born in Canada!
Geoff Pontes
It's a low-90s four-seam with moderate ride from a really low release height (5 feet flat) and decent plane but well below-average extension. Mixes a low-80s cut-slider. Pretty meh data.

Anonymous
Is there any hope for Landen Maroudis?
Geoff Pontes
It's up for debate. If he can get back to the guy that was 93-96 mph with two good breaking balls in 2024 spring training I'd say so but he hasn't shown that since.

Anonymous
With the FCL Bluejays winning a championship for the first time, who are some names to monitor from that team
Geoff Pontes
Yorman Lincourt, Andres Arias, Troy Guthrie.

Anonymous
Jays had big hopes for Enmanuel Bonilla giving him over 4 million and he can’t get over the Mendoza line. Any hope there, what happened to him?
Geoff Pontes
He can't make enough contact and the holes in his swing are getting exposed.

Anonymous
What’s the notes on Andres Arias
Geoff Pontes
I don't know if he makes enough contact but the team really likes the all around skills, there's some sneaky pop in there too.

Anonymous
Love the prospect chats and been an annual subscriber for 20 years now. I wanted to ask about DSL Jays. Are there any others beside Sanchez that caught your eye
Geoff Pontes
Elaineiker Coronado has really interesting plate skills, only ran an 8.1% zone whiff this year.

Anonymous
Outside of Juan Sanchez was there any DSL names to keep track of?
Geoff Pontes
It's probably a limited power profile but Elaineiker Coronado

Anonymous
What is your outlook on Coronado? Is there anything in there that could let him get to some power and lift the profile?
Geoff Pontes
We'll see on the power but more than likely this is a hit tool driven profile and you hope he gets to 40 power.

Anonymous
Do you know anything about Seojun Moon?
Geoff Pontes
Not a ton outside of good size, feel for spin and remaining velocity projection. Likely will sit outside of the T30 but maybe gets a mention in the 31-40 section. It's just hard to know how it will translate, but he looks like an interesting prospect. Though $1.5 million is a pretty big number.

Anonymous
I know this is (potentially) down the road, but any thoughts on Angel Montas?
Geoff Pontes
Very large LHH with big power, high likelihood of playing 1B. He’s still a couple classes away from signing

In Addition to Mendoza and Castro the Jays signed Tanner Andrews, a 30 year old reliever. He looks to have had a good year in 2024 for strikeouts in the PCL but became a free agent (too many walks). He didn't sign for 2025 until June but then because of injuries threw only 16 innings with fewer strikeouts and fewer walks.

There is a list of 50 top 2026 Int'l players. I don't know which ones are linked to the Jays.

lost a bunch of international money by signing Cease not all listed for '26 class will be signed could br pushed to '27

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sBLsqrXhFNMw7mZKmXFgnuyZofbzZcEumECa9Szmrns/edit?gid=1232036318#gid=1232036318

BA's 2026 MLB International Prospects Bonus Board

18. Juan Caricote, C, Venezuela
Born: Nov. 5, 2008. B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 185.
Team: Blue Jays

Caricote has a good balance of skills in the batter’s box and behind the plate. He projects to stick at catcher,
where he’s an advanced receiver comfortable handling high-end velocity. He’s athletic and agile, helping him block
balls in the dirt. It’s not elite raw arm strength, but he projects to have at least an average arm once he’s
physically mature. Caricote has a lean build for a catcher with a loose, fluid swing from the left side and the
strength projection to grow into a 15-plus home run hitter.

MLB's 2026 International Top 50 Prospects

30. Michael Mesa OF Dominican Republic 16 6'2 195 L/L 12/17/2008

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

David Ortiz is arguably the greatest left-handed hitter to hail from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but the
capital city has also produced All-Star Juan Soto and former top prospect Samuel Basallo. A gifted lefty batter in
his own right, Mesa has since moved to San Cristóbal to train with Jaime Ramos – a member of MLB’s Trainer Partnership
Program – but was born in the DR’s most populous city and could wind up being its best hitter in the ‘26 class. He’s
known as a hard worker away from the field, one who maximizes his already considerable skill set.

Working with a clean bat path and a good bit of loft in his swing, Mesa makes a ton of hard contact. He has long arms,
and while there’s some wiggle in his set up, his power plays as above average when he gets his leg kick on time. Mesa
showcases the type of “whippy” swing that evaluators often think could lead to even more extra-base prowess as he continues
to refine his approach.

A left-handed thrower, Mesa is a no-doubt outfielder as he gets his pro career underway. He takes solid routes to the ball
and should have at least an average throwing arm in time, but he’s likely to be bumped to a corner outfield spot as his physical
frame fills out. He might not be a burner on the basepaths but he can glide when reaching his top speed and has the look of a
possible 20/20 contributor as a big league regular if everything pans out.

It is my hope that Nimmala gets to and dominates AA next year. Then after a short AAA playing time gets to the ML in 2027. Maybe late July 2027.

I just noticed LHP Luis Torres could be good. He will be 21 in Feb2026. Seems to have good stuff and also good results. Only pitched 1.2 innings in 2025. Put on the 60 day IL in July 2025 so he may miss all of 2026.

Dahian Santos also has a mystery injury. Put on the 60 day IL March 2025. I don't know when he will be back in 2026.

Francys Romero@francysromeroFR

Cuban RHP Alieski Torres (18) has officially signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Bonus deal: $200,000.

He left Cuba in 2024 and progressed at Chiqui Mejías’ academy in Bonao, Dominican Republic.

His fastball sits 90–94 mph, with a chance to develop his slider and changeup.

"With this signing, it’s projected that the Blue Jays have about $400,000 in bonus pool money remaining. Romero reported before the Seo-jun signing that they had about $2.1 million left. The final day they can sign free agents in this period is December 15, before the 2026 period opens on Jan. 15, 2026. They’ll have to use this money because it doesn’t carry over to the following season."

https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-sign-international-free-agentprospect-alieski-torres

signed C Isay Veras S/R 5'9 180 04/18/08 DR

https://www.instagram.com/moyabaseball/p/DR44QgrkR89/?hl=en

Great news mendocino. Thanks!!

All players available for Rule 5 draft

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/every-player-eligible-for-the-2025-mlb-rule-5-draft/

Blue Jays
Alex Amalfi RHP AA
Bo Bonds RHP A+
Chad Dallas RHP DNP
Chris McElvain RHP A+
CJ Van Eyk RHP AAA
Connor Cooke RHP DNP
Conor Larkin RHP AA
Dahian Santos RHP DNP
Devereaux Harrison RHP AAA
Geison Urbaez RHP AA
Hayden Juenger RHP AAA
Hunter Gregory RHP AAA
Pat Gallagher RHP AA
Rafael Sanchez RHP AA
Richard Gallardo RHP DNP
Ryan Jennings RHP AAA
T.J. Brock RHP DNP
Tanner Andrews RHP AA
Yondrei Rojas RHP AA

Johan Simon LHP AA
Trenton Wallace LHP AAA

Edward Duran C A+

Adrian Pinto IF A+
Cade Doughty 2B AA
Carlos Mendoza 2B AAA
Josh Kasevich SS AAA
Manuel Beltre SS A
Peyton Williams 1B AA
Riley Tirotta 3B AAA
Rodolfo Castro SS AAA

Alexis Hernandez OF A+
Je’Von Ward RF AA
Victor Arias CF AA
Yeuni Munoz OF A
Yohendrick Pinango LF AAA