blue jays designated for assignment

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MLB Trade Rumors

Blue Jays Designate Paul DeJong For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | August 19, 2023 at 2:00pm CDT

The Blue Jays announced that shortstop Bo Bichette has been reinstated from the injured list, with fellow shortstop Paul DeJong designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

DeJong, 30, was only just acquired from the Cardinals at the deadline less than three weeks ago. Bichette had just suffered a knee injury and the club quickly struck a deal to get DeJong from the Cards to cover the shortstop position. Unfortunately, DeJong’s time as a Jay has been abysmal. He has just three hits in his 44 plate appearances, all singles, with no walks and 18 strikeouts in that stretch. Now that Bichette is healthy enough to rejoin the roster, DeJong has quickly been jettisoned.

It’s the latest downturn of an incredibly inconsistent career for DeJong. In 2017, his rookie season, he launched 25 home runs and slashed .285/.325/.532 for a wRC+ of 123. The Cardinals believed in him enough to sign him to a six-year, $26MM extension with a couple of club options. Unfortunately, his offense declined in each season after that, hitting a nadir in 2022. He struck out in a third of his plate appearances last year and finished with a batting line of .157/.245/.286, a season in which he was optioned to the minors for over two months.

He seemed to right the ship somewhat here in 2023. Prior to the trade, he had hit 13 home runs in 81 games. He was still striking out at a 28.4% clip but his .233/.297/.412 line translated to a wRC+ of 95. That means he was still 5% below league average but it was miles better than his wRC+ of 55 last year. It was also plenty passable for an above-average defender at shortstop, which is the consensus around DeJong.

It was a sensible shot for the Jays to take on short notice. With Bichette suffering his injury just days before the deadline, they quickly grabbed DeJong, sending minor league reliever Matt Svanson the other way. There is no replacing Bichette, who is one of the better shortstops in the league, but DeJong could have been a fine stopgap if he maintained his near-average offense and solid glovework. If he had done so, he may have even been moved to second base once Bichette was back, with Whit Merrifield capable of playing the outfield. But as mentioned, DeJong’s production absolutely cratered after switching jerseys and the Jays have decided to simply cut their losses.

With the deadline now passed, the Jays will put DeJong on waivers in the coming days. He’s virtually a lock to clear, given his struggles and contract. He’s making $9MM this year, with about $2.13MM still to be paid out and then a $2MM buyout on his 2024 option. At the time of the trade, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals are covering the buyouts and half of DeJong’s remaining salary.

No club will want to take on that kind of salary for a player struggling as badly as DeJong. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and therefore seems bound to be released in the coming days. At that point, any club could sign him for the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Cards and Jays are paying.

The Jays will now proceed with Bichette back at shortstop as a combination of Merrifield, Santiago Espinal , Cavan Biggio and Davis Schneider covers second base. They currently sit half a game behind the Mariners for the final Wild Card spot with about six weeks left on the schedule.

133 Comments

8 months ago

Well, that was short-lived.

The self proclaimed Yankee hater is now gone? What happened?

What happened? Bo healthy + DeJong awful = Paul DeSolong

@SteveC Well played, sir.

Ah, so many of us around. I hope you aren’t one of those Yankee/cubs fans who never speak I’ll of their team no matter how bad they are Captain-Judge99.

Now DeJong is now DeGone, that’s too bad because he hates the Yankees so much, the Jays could of used all his motivation.

@avenger65- did I know the Yankees were going to be this horrible? No I didn’t. I definitely thought the Cubs were going to be a lot worse then they are, but not expecting any miracles though from them.

KInda pointless to keep DeGone around for his Yankee hating motivation since the Yankees are all but officially out of the playoff race at this point.

If u couldn’t tell that the Yankees were gonna be this bad u need a reality check bud … The tankees have most of there money tied up into Cole,judge , Stanton … Can’t win with just that !! And too give 30 Plus too one pitcher and not fix the rest of ur rotation things that’s deff not the way too win … They have a long way too go .

Yankees hahaha.

Not in talks- When was the last season the Jays finished with a better seasonal record then the Yankees? Blue Jays hahaha.

Captain judge Judy -2023. Yankees hahahah.

That would be 2016. Not all that long ago except for the feeble-memory ones.

Yeah… humans are numbers don’t you know? Ole Pauley Shore went 3/44 in a blue Jay’s uniform good for a .068 batting average and matching slugging as they were all singles… it’s been a rough time finding any consistency at all for DeJong…

He’s like the leaning tower of Cheesa!

Blue Jays traded for him and then threw him out once Bichette was healthy

What a dog eat dog world Professional Sports is

Too bad the Orioles could not have offered Mateo to the Jays, but I guess that would have been weird

Just completely ignoring how he performed?

Ya Dejong was Deterrible

I looked it up after I posted

Apparently he was using a toothpick as a bat

Glad they had Dejong sucking for them. Mateo still provides us with some usefulness as a PT player, pinch runner, and D replacement.

It wasn’t a toothpick he was using for a bat, it was a Whiffle bat. I saw him hit and pretty sure it said Whamo on it.

3-for-44 as a Jay, I assume this factored heavily.

To further emphasize just how bad DeJong has been he had been 1 for his last 26. You can give a player the chance to figure things out in April, but not so much in the waning days of August in a pennant race

That and he doesn’t have a picture of the GM of the Jay’s wearing a dress like he does John Mozeliak

What an insane comment. Show me anywhere you can work but not show results. Please. Anywhere.

The Fed Government and most State governments are the top 2 that come into mind. DMV and then train agencies are next.

@ golden bear I wasn’t thinking government jobs or union jobs. I was thinking jobs in general. There are always exceptions but those jobs aren’t the rule.

Don’t leave out PG&E…Lol

Well you did say “anywhere.”

How about any teachers/professors who have acquired tenure?

Oh, I’ve got it, weather(wo)men! No one in that field has a very good success rate simoly due to the nature of the job!

Train Agencies HAHAHAHA!

As a Californian (soon to be leaving), this is the winner! What a scam of a company. Frequently bankrupted, overpaid Execs, and have the backpockets of the Governor as well as CALpers.

retired/advisory role: I can show you plenty. Anyone whose parent(s) own their own company. Of course they would hire their own children no matter how inept they are.

“Show me anywhere you can work but not show results.”

lotta folks around here would suggest New York Yankees as the poster child for this

As usual this ended up being way more than I ever thought it would.

To work for the Yankees you can’t be coming to work looking like the Astros First Baseman? Chin hair and all? So id say the results speak for themselves… a bunch of baby Faced Men?

Yankee front office.

Anybody I know who works in “finance.” All they do is make a couple of phone calls, shuffle some numbers around in a spreadsheet, and then go have three cocktails for lunch and take a nap. It’s sure ain’t working and there aren’t any results other than moving some money from one pocket to another. I can tell you that.

What a weird trade to make. Total overreaction and panic move, would have been okay with Espinal filling in for Bo.

It wasn’t a weird trade the Jays needed a shortstop and they gave up basically nothing to get him. What did they lose? I am a Cardinal fan I don’t recall the prospect the Cardinals got for him.

They got what will probably end up being an average reliever, Matt Svanson

King of cards remember you saying you wouldn’t be surprised to see someone pick up Dejongs 12 million option lmao.

Yeah I would say it was 50 50 the option would be picked up back when I made the comment. Then he played poorly for the Cardinals and played even worse for the Jays.

And I told you there was zero chance. 2 million wisely spent for the cardinals buying him out at the end of the year.

Wow you said zero chance I said a chance and it didn’t happen. You won the internet today. But I will live to fight again and claim vengeance for my pride that will surely never recover.

Someone’s mad online for being wrong ouch.

Wasn’t wrong knucklehead. I said there was a chance. If DeJong had went 20 for 44 instead of 3 for 44 as a Jay he would still be a member of their team.

3 for 44 pretty much sums it up

DeJong might have been released even if he wasn’t dealt because the Cardinals just called Winn up.

No big deal.

24 yr old reliever in A ball

Who? Wyin? If that’s what you think, time to check Baseball Reference.

You said you wouldn’t be surprised if his 12 million option woulda been picked up before the trade deadline.

Yes and then he went what 3 for 44 as a Blue Jay? And even after I said that he started playing poorly for the Cardinals before he was traded.

I said I wouldn’t be surprised. I didn’t say it would happen dude. He played very very bad since I said that.

He coulda hit well he still wasn’t ever going to have that 12 million option picked up. Teams don’t pay 12 million for back ups. And he wasn’t going to get traded to someone as a starter. Think about it.

Dude he had been a starter all year he just happened to go cold right around that time we were talking.

Get over yourself man. Seriously.

But they do pay around $10M (when subtracting the buyout) for starting shortstops who hit slightly above league average and play above-average defense, which is what he was before his slump.

He was a starter on the Cardinals no playoff team needs a SS, zero chance his option was ever going to be pick up. Instead of pretending to know things just ask me in the future I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. Won’t need to hurt your brain thinking.

That has nothing to do with whether any team expected to contend next year will need a decent starting shortstop. He very well could’ve been the starter on a good team next year had he kept playing as well as he had in the first half of this season. Even if not for the Blue Jays themselves, there was always the possibility of picking up the option and then trading him.

Of course, the slump and the DFA make all of this moot, but at the time of the trade or at least back in June, it was a very real possibility.

But they wouldn’t have called Winn up in the first place if they still had DeJong and he was still performing as well as he was before the trade. Winn only got the call-up due to DeJong being traded, Donovan being out for the rest of the year, and Gorman also going on the IL.

Even if DeJong wasn’t traded and still went 3 for his last 44 with no extra-base hits, it might not have happened due to his track record from the first half, as it would probably be more likely for him to recover from his slump than it would be for Winn to succeed right away.

I think DeJong got traded partially because of Winn.

On a different team than the Jays I feel like the option getting picked up made more sense. The Marlins did and still do need a shortstop the Jays only needed one temporarily.

Zero chance, his option was ever going to be pick up. Zero! Just like i told you before the deadline.

You are a genuine loser. This conversation was over a month ago. DeJong has played like hot garbage since then.

Zero chance. Stay mad. If you don’t like being called out for being wrong, don’t argue with people when they tell you what’s going to happen in the future and were right.

I never said it would definitely be picked up. Never said that I said there was a chance and after I said that DeJong played bad for the Cardinals and then played even worse for the Jays.

You are a loser man. I don’t remember anything you say I don’t care enough to.

You definitely argued and were wrong. You don’t care but keep responding makes sense.

I wasn’t wrong stupid I said there was a chance I didn’t say it was definitely getting picked up.

I thought the Marlins would trade for DeJong not the Jays. Once the Jays traded for him I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be picked up because they have a shortstop long term.

You are a world class loser. Get over yourself.

Breaking: Blue Jays apologist and genuine tool Iverbure brings nothing to a baseball conversation.

Yep. On-brand.

Zero chance his option was going to get picked up just like I said. If you would like your exact quote or you saying it let me know. It would cost you money for me to embarrass you with your own words though. Again. If you don’t want people to call you out for being wrong, stop trying to predict things like trades and value of players.

Sorry didn’t have time to reply to you, too busy getting the best scores daily on immaculate grid daily.

People like you in society are the worst, you go your entire life thinking you know a lot about something and then a guy like me comes along and listens to you talk for 5 minutes and points out several errors you’ve said because I’m a human lie detector and you get mad and stomp your feet away like a petulant child.

You’re typing something while saying nothing at all. If I wanted to find useless I’ll seek you out. But while you’re here, learn something by reading my comments. You most certainly need it.

I’ve forgot more about baseball than you’ve ever thought of knowing. Any time you want to test your baseball knowledge let me know we can bet whatever amount of money you want.

I cant get over how bad Atkins is.

Dejong sucked, but they gave up nothing

Atkins is bad, the team needed a bat, no bat acquired.

I thought that they should have sold chapman and reloaded in the offseason personally. They got dejong cuz they believed bo injury was much worse

Well Chapman has been the 2nd best Jay behind Bo. They should have just done a full rebuild at that point. Next year they should.

I can’t get over how bad your takes are. All 3 progressively got worse in a short period of time, takes a real lack of knowledge to be that comedically bad

SO LONG ? DEJONG ? Well with the MLB app blowing up with the Yankee no hit alert, he can take solace with that.

Just like DeJong’s stay with the Jays, the Yankees being no hit will be short lived also.

Where’s the guy that said Bichette would have to earn his spot back from DeJong????

Hahaha. I do like Dejong as a person but I would have DIED laughing reading that nonsense.

Good. Now if only teams would smarten up a bit more and start DFA’iing more useless players. Yankees need to DFA most of their team and dump Cashman.

Cardinals we’re rolling out a Chunichi Dragons level roster this season. Wainwright 2023 makes DeJong’s 2023 look like 1908 Honus Wagner. Bow tie FTW.

It’s now pronounced DaGong

In sum, the Blue Jays did nothing significant to boost offense at the deadline. Blue Jays fans should not be happy with this regime’s handling of this squad.

There weren’t any impact bars available. I know you’re a new fan to baseball and aren’t knowledgeable enough to know who was available, but take this opinion from a much more knowledgeable fan. Meat, if you need any more information on baseball I’m sure you will ask me. Replying to me is you begging and asking for help by the way. So go ahead and reply. I know you will. And again, by replying that’s you acknowledging I know more than you and you need me to educate you.

This post is cringe

Yet I can’t stop laughing.

Zero impact bats. You laugh at your lack of baseball knowledge embarrassing

Can you educate me on what an “impact bar” is? Is that like a Cliff Bar or a Biker Bar?

Marty, Marty, Marty! Rogaine!

there were bats at the deadline just none moved due to the extreme price. honestly just about everyone is tradeable the real question is how much do you want to give up for player x.

wow that didn’t last long but I can see another team giving him a look

Rosters expand in September. He’ll get few weeks to work on mechanics and he’ll be back to see what they have before October.

Giants in 3,2….

Yup Fahrah already got DeJong’s agent number on speed dial

Well said. On the mark.

The Jays lineup today is…..something

Cardinals messed up a good start from Edman by prioritizing the “incredibly inconsistent” DeJong – poor choice.

Edman also got plenty of playing time, hasn’t hit all that well this year, and then got hurt for a while. Even if Edman had stayed healthy. DeJong had clearly been outplaying him up until he was traded.

Paul stopped hitting once pitchers adjusted to the whole “don’t throw a fastball right down the middle to this guy” approach. He’d tweak here and there, but nothing every really changed after the opposition adjusted and hasn’t seemed to be able to.

He had some really good moments as a Cardinal. But I think he’ll be lucky to be on anyone’s 40 man roster next year.

For about a week and a half in April or May it was Camelot for DeJong – hottest player in baseball for about 10 days…….and then he turned back into a pumpkin. He MIGHT get an ST invite from someone over the winter, but I don’t see anyone claiming him yet this season

Cavan Biggio’s career so far mirrors Dejong a little. Great rookie year and 2020 then a constant decline afterwards.

2019 was juiced ball then short season 2020. After that he was figured out and fizzled out.

I hate to see it. I always liked him. He’ll be getting that $2 million buyout for next season. I’m guessing he signs a minor league depth contract somewhere next year.

It’s hard to feel sorry for anyone who made $24 million playing baseball though. I’m sure he’s already set for life.

To echo some points above, Atkins did nothing to help the Jays offense at the deadline which pretty much closes the door on a deep playoff run. So retool or rebuild was the right thing to do. Atkins did neither.

The BlueJays have a great pitching staff but need to get Vaddy Jr, Kirk, and Manoah on strict diet and training regimens. Makes you wonder why they haven’t had them on MLB professional level diet and training regimens. That is very poor development and management on behalf of the Jays executive to allow these 3 core players to falter like they have because of food.

Dejong seems élite defensively but lacks any real sense of offensive hand/eye coordination. Seems off and weird to me. He’ll play in the big leagues again but someone needs to bring him on like a project and work with him.

Because todays young players are allowed to do anything they want and if you say anything you are either a racist or fat shaming (Manoah). Guerrero is probably playing injured which will eventually come out when the Blue Jays season is over. I think the league adjusted to Kirk but Kirk hasn’t made the necessary adjustments to the league.

The Blue Jays were not going to reload/rebuild at the trade deadline when they were in solid position of the 3rd Wild Card (if my memory serves.) I think all of baseball would have been flummoxed and perplexed if the Blue Jays had sold pieces off at the deadline.

Jays are currently outside of the playoff picture which further illustrates the deadline acquisitions or lack thereof for certain needs.

To be fair, DeJong looked like an offensive upgrade at the time of the trade.

He’s a plus defender. If Bo goes down again, who’s the back up?

Espinal or Matt Chapman, sadly.

Barger or Martinez most likely

First of All…GET RID OF APPLE TV !! Secondly, DFA Guillermo Hernandez and Dave Hudgens too !!

3 for 44 with 0 walks and 18 strikeouts. Seems that corner he turned in St.Louis turned out to be a circle…

Mets PLEASE. He literally kills them every at bat. Hes better than Arrauz and Guillorme

The Rays can now use a shortstop for the coming decade.

Now that all depends on just how many underage ladies that Wander hung out with? Usually it isn’t just one, so you might be correct with that statement. Maybe Franco does 7 or 8 years on a 10-12 prison year sentence? So the Rays get him back a few years earlier.

Since they are already paying half his salary and his buyout, do the cards pick him back up lol?

yes… throw him in CF, who knows what can happen

They have no need to do so with the team going nowhere. They’re better off as they are giving an early audition to Masyn Winn.

Cardinals can sign him again, and now Toronto can pick up the half they owe!! and they got a minor league pitcher!! lol. #itsaMomove

He will find another team maybe the dodgers find his power stroke again and see I got my world series ring .

Pretty sure that’s it for DeJong, 3 for 44, yikes

Rays?? Too soon???

Rays should claim him.

The absolute dumpster fire that is the SF Giants where Zaidi and Kapler need to be immediately FIRED they might as well pick up some of these names like DeJong after they clear waivers to try and shake up their roster not much risk here as they suck anyway. They had been rumored to sign him anyway at the trade deadline now can get him for next to nothing. This will be the fourth out of the last five seasons that they miss the playoffs even with the extended team format. Heard that Buster has moved back to the Bay Area Manager or GM (President of Baseball Ops)? would be an excellent choice.

i could see buster being a good mangers (catchers usually do) but gm/pbo not sure on that, being in the top position is just more than picking players and negotiating, there’s hiring the right staff from top to bottom, owner interference, and other day to day operations im not thinking of. not saying buster couldn’t do it (heck the man could have a mba as far as we know) i just wouldn’t put him there as a new hire, let him take an advisory role at first to let him get some real world experience of the job.

Things haven’t looked up for DeJong since he penned Mr Roboto

Cardinals will bring him back and have Winn sit on the bench with Baker.

the astros should sign him. can’t be that much worse than pena.

Time to hang ‘em up, Paul. You should be set for life $$ wise.

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Blue Jays outfielders Tapia, Zimmer designated for assignment

Rizzo, yankees agree to 2-year, $40m us deal; angels acquire tyler anderson: reports.

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Outfielders Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer were designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Tapia hit .265 with seven homers and 52 RBIs in 128 games for the Blue Jays last season.

Zimmer was primarily used a late-inning defensive replacement.

Also Tuesday, infielders Addison Barger, Spencer Horwitz and Orelvis Martinez were selected to the major-league roster along with right-hander Yosver Zulueta.

Left-hander Foster Griffin was released from the big-league roster.

Rizzo staying with Yankees

Anthony Rizzo is staying with the New York Yankees, agreeing Tuesday to a two-year contract worth $40 million US.

Rizzo gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and the deal for the first baseman includes a $17 million team option for 2025 with a $6 million buyout. Rizzo had opted out of his previous contract with New York, giving up a $16 million salary for 2023.

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Since joining the Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, Rizzo had provided needed left-handed power for New York and has taken advantage of the right field short porch at Yankee Stadium.

Now 33, Rizzo hit .224 with 75 runs batted in and had 32 home runs for the fourth time in his career. While the Yankees led the major leagues with 254 home runs, just 77 were by left-handed batters.

His agreement is the first major off-season move for the Yankees, who are attempting to re-sign star right fielder Aaron Judge.

Anderson rejects $19.65M qualifying offer

Free-agent left-hander Tyler Anderson has agreed to a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels worth $39-$40 million US, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

The figure is important since Anderson turned down the Los Angeles Dodgers' $19.65 million qualifying offer to remain a free agent. Whether he signs for more or less than $40 million determines the type of draft pick compensation the Angels would send the Dodgers in next year's supplemental draft.

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Anderson, 32, fashioned a career year with the Dodgers. He went 15-5 with a 2.57 earned-run average in 30 games (28 starts) this past season, earning his first all-star nod. It was his only season with the Dodgers after signing a one-year deal worth $8 million last year.

Lifetime, Anderson is 44-43 with a 4.16 ERA in 147 games (141 starts) with five teams. He was selected No. 20 overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 2011 draft.

With files from The Associated Press & Field Level Media

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Blue Jays' Mitch White: Designated for assignment

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White was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

White had permitted six earned runs with a 6:4 K:BB across 10 innings in a long-relief role for the Jays. The 29-year-old holds just a career 4.99 ERA over 62 appearances (22 starts) at the big-league level, but with an ability to serve as rotation and/or bullpen depth, it's possible there will be some interest via trade or waivers.

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Blue Jays acquire LHP Griffin from Royals, designate RHP Romo for assignment

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Foster Griffin throws during a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Monday, July 27, 2020, in Detroit. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-hander Jonatan Bernal on Saturday.

Griffin was immediately optioned to triple-A Buffalo.

Griffin had a 12.46 ERA in five appearances for the Royals this season. With triple-A Omaha, the 26-year-old held a 4-0 record with a 1.93 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

The Blue Jays made two additional moves following the trade.

Right-hander Jeremy Beasley was called up from triple-A Buffalo and will be active for Saturday night's game against the Royals.

The Blue Jays also designated right-hander Sergio Romo for assignment. The veteran pitcher signed with Toronto on June 29 after he was placed on unconditional release waivers by the Seattle Mariners.

Blue Jays designate Trent Thornton for assignment

By ethan miller | jul 21, 2023.

After five seasons with the Blue Jays spanning 108 games and 35 starts, the Blue Jays made the tough decision today to designate long-time Jay Trent Thornton for assignment, per club announcement.

OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired LHP Génesis Cabrera from the Cardinals in exchange for Minor League catcher Sammy Hernandez. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Trent Thornton has been designated for assignment. pic.twitter.com/4APL4AHT0y — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 21, 2023

The funky-throwing Thornton was acquired back in 2018 for Aledmys Díaz and was called up in 2019 as the team's fifth starter, and then had been shuffled back and forth from Toronto and Buffalo from 2020 up until this season, making 53 appearances for the Bisons in the process.

Thornton now relies heavily on his curveball, which baseball savant says is in the 98th percentile for spin , as well as a mid-low 90s fastball that, like his curveball tends to have a lot of movement. Thornton's issue this season has been giving up contact, as he's allowed 35 hits in 33.1 innings, to go along with 19 walks issued. He's had some struggles giving up hard contact in the past, but has seemed to eliminate a lot of that this season, now being a victim primarily of walks and singles.

While Thorton has given up a ton of base runners he's done an effective job of leaving them on base, as his 1.69 ERA with the Jays and 4.18 ERA with the Bisons show. However, he does have a WHIP of 1.5 or higher for both clubs, which is quite a bit higher than his numbers in both AAA and the major league level last season so the ays might have had to come to the tough decision that his numbers won't improve. Thornton is only 29 however, and with tons of Major League experience, it wouldn't be a shock to see "butters" dealt with in the coming days.

With the DFA of Thornton, it frees up a 40-man roster spot for the newly acquired Génesis Cabrera . With the Blue Jays featuring an impending battle roster spots with Hyun Jin Ryu and Chad Green reaching their returns from injury, this move seems as if it could be the first of many for the Blue Jays before the season's end.

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Blue Jays designate veteran righty for assignment

T he Blue Jays announced on Sunday that the club has designated right-hander Jay Jackson  for assignment. In a corresponding move, the club selected the contract of right-hander Wes Parsons . The move brings Jackson’s 2023 season to an end. The 35-year-old hurler signed with Toronto on a one-year deal back in March and was already  slated to become a free agent following the 2023 campaign, though the move means that Jackson won’t join the club as they embark on a postseason push this October.

In 25 appearances with the Blue Jays this season, Jackson has posted a 2.12 ERA, good for a whopping 200 ERA+ in 29 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander’s peripherals are less impressive, with a 4.20 FIP and 3.89 SIERA, though even those figures are still better than average. The strong performance in 2023 continues a run of three seasons in the majors where Jackson has been an effective reliever: since returning from Japan prior to the 2021 season, the veteran righty has posted a 2.73 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 50 appearances with the Giants, Braves, and Blue Jays. Jackson is among several solid middle relief options who figure to be a part of the coming free agent class, like fellow righties  John Brebbia and  Keynan Middleton .

In Jackson’s place, the Blue Jays select Parsons, who last pitched in the majors during the 2019 campaign. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons overseas pitching in the KBO, where he combined for a 3.67 ERA in 196 1/3 innings of work despite his career 5.67 ERA at the major league level. Parsons signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays this past offseason and has made 17 starts at the Triple-A level, recording a 4.52 ERA in 81 2/3 innings of work. Parsons, 31, will start today’s season finale against the Rays and figures to help cover innings as the club prepares for the AL Wild Card series, which begins on Tuesday.

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Toronto Blue Jays News

Blue Jays designate reliable bullpen arm for assignment

The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that right-handers Jordan Romano   and Erik Swanson   have been activated off the injured list. In corresponding moves, they optioned righty Nate Pearson   to Triple-A and designated righty Mitch White   for assignment.

Romano and Swanson were key pieces of the Toronto bullpen last year but they haven’t been able to contribute to the club thus far in 2024. During the spring, Romano had some inflammation in his elbow while Swanson had some tightness in his forearm, leading both to start the season on the injured list.

With those two unavailable, the club has turned to Yimi García   and Chad Green   for most of the high-leverage work, with those two filling in admirably. García has a 1.17 earned run average through seven appearances, with 11 strikeouts to go with just one walk. Green, meanwhile, has a 2.35 ERA in his seven appearances, with seven punchouts and two walks.

Despite that strong work from those two, the Jays are surely glad to get Romano and Swanson back. Romano has emerged as the club’s closer over the past three years, which included saving 36 games in each of the past two campaigns while keeping his ERA under 3.00 in each. Swanson had 29 holds and four saves last year while posting a 2.97 ERA on the season. Those two, along with García and Green, give the Jays a strong four-headed bullpen mix to finish out games.

The health of that group has nudged White off the roster. Now 29, White was a second-round pick of the Dodgers back in 2016 and was considered by Baseball America   to be the No. 69 prospect in the league in 2018. The Jays acquired him in a 2022 deadline deal alongside   Alex De Jesus , with prospects Nick Frasso   and Moises Brito   going the other way.

At the time of that deal, White had thrown 105 2/3 big league innings with a 3.58 ERA, 22% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. Unfortunately, the jersey swap corresponded with an immediate downturn in his results. White tossed 43 innings for the Jays in 2022 with a 7.74 ERA and 15.3% strikeout rate. There was a bit of bad luck in there, as his .368 batting average on balls in play and 54.3% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side, which is why his FIP was 3.76 in that time and his SIERA 4.70.

Luck or not, the poor results meant the Jays couldn’t guarantee a rotation spot to White going into 2023. At that time, four rotation spots were taken by Alek Manoah ,   Kevin Gausman , José Berríos   and Chris Bassitt . White went into spring training battling   Yusei Kikuchi for the final spot but dealt with some shoulder and elbow injuries and had to start the season on the IL. By the time he got back, there was no rotation spot for him and he worked a long relief role in the bullpen.

He didn’t take to that move, posting a 7.11 ERA in 10 outings before being designated for assignment. The 29 other clubs passed on the chance to grab him off waivers and he was sent outright to Triple-A. He got stretched out in Buffalo and finished the season in good form, with a 1.89 ERA over his last 33 1/3 innings, pairing a 31.4% strikeout rate in that time with a 10.2% walk rate.

The Jays added him back to the 40-man in November to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency, which put him in a similar spot to where he was a year prior, coming into spring out of options and battling for a spot. The Jays had to put Manoah on the IL this spring, which opened a rotation spot, but   Bowden Francis beat White for that gig. Now that   Yariel Rodríguez has also been stretched out and has seemingly bumped Francis from the rotation, White has been moved even further back. He has only made four long relief appearances this year but his uninspiring 5.40 ERA in those surely didn’t help him.

White has now been bumped off the roster yet again and the Jays will have one week to work out a trade or pass him through waivers. Since he cleared waivers last year, doing so again would give him the right to elect free agency. It’s possible he may garner interest based on his past results and strong finish at Triple-A last year. The fact that he’s out of options means that he needs an active roster spot somewhere, but he has less than three years of service time, meaning he can be controlled for three more seasons beyond this one.

A number of teams around the league are dealing with significant pitching injuries and it was   less than a week ago that the Jays managed to flip   Wes Parsons to the Guardians for international bonus pool space. Parsons is optionable but is more than two years older than White and doesn’t have the same past prospect pedigree.

This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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Toronto Blue Jays Cut Player Who Defended Anti-Queer Post

Anthony Bass had reposted a video on social media that called for a boycott of L.G.B.T.Q.-friendly companies.

By Jesus Jiménez

The Toronto Blue Jays cut pitcher Anthony Bass, 35, on Friday, after he drew backlash and boos from fans for reposting a video on Instagram that called Target and Bud Light “evil” and “demonic” for being supportive of the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

The Blue Jays announced on Friday that they had designated Bass for assignment, effectively cutting him from the team, just hours before he was set to catch a ceremonial first pitch to kick off the team’s Pride Weekend for a series against the Minnesota Twins.

Last month, Bass reposted a video on Instagram that called for boycotting both Target and Bud Light, which have recently drawn the ire of conservatives, Bud Light for featuring a transgender influencer in a social media promotion, and Target for promoting its Pride collection, which included clothes and books for children. The video, which came from a Bible-themed Instagram page, was briefly posted by Bass to his Instagram Story in late May.

After the post caused blowback, Bass told reporters that he apologized for sharing the post because it was “hurtful to the Pride community.” Bass said that he was going to work with the team to “make better decisions moving forward.”

“The ballpark is for everybody,” Bass said. “We include all fans at the ballpark, and we want to welcome everybody.”

The backlash toward Bass was the latest instance of a Major League Baseball team running into issues with the L.B.G.T.Q. community. Last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers were called out by some fans after the team, under pressure from Catholic critics, dropped the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from its Pride Night pregame ceremony. The Dodgers later backtracked on that decision after multiple L.G.B.T.Q. groups pulled out of the event.

Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays faced questions after the team allowed multiple players to opt out of wearing the team’s Pride Night uniforms.

The fallout in Toronto appeared to have settled down until Thursday when Bass, speaking to reporters, defended the message in the post he shared.

“I stand by my personal beliefs,” Bass told reporters . “And everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs, right? Also, I mean no harm towards any groups of people.”

When asked if he thought the post he shared was hateful, Bass said, “I do not.”

“That’s why I posted it originally,” Bass told reporters on Thursday. “When I look back at it, I can see how people would view it that way and that’s why I was apologetic.”

Toronto’s general manager, Ross Atkins, told reporters on Friday that the move to cut the relief pitcher was primarily driven by his performance this season.

In 22 games this season, Bass pitched 20 innings, with a lackluster earned run average of 4.95. In 2022, he recorded a 1.54 E.R.A. in 73 games, both career bests.

“There’s a myriad of variables, and performance is usually the driving one,” Atkins said. “Performance was a large aspect of this decision. Distraction was a small part of it, and something that we had to factor in.”

Since making his major league debut in 2011, Bass had bounced around from team to team. In 2016, he left M.L.B. to pitch professionally in Japan, before returning stateside.

By designating Bass for assignment, the Blue Jays now have seven days to trade him or place him on irrevocable outright waivers.

Jesus Jiménez is a general assignment reporter. More about Jesus Jiménez

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Women’s Pro Hockey League: The fledgling league is booming — except in New York, where the team is in last place . But the players haven’t given up.

Aaron Rodgers’s Achilles’ Heel: The N.F.L. great was supposed to be the Jets’ savior. But since arriving in New York, he has spent more time voicing conspiracy theories  than playing quarterback.

A Key to Knicks’ Season: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo have been buddies since college , a situation that those who study the workplace say can foster success.

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Voice of Problem Gambling: Craig Carton, the bombastic sports broadcaster, shows a different side on a weekly show  that focuses on the stories of gambling  addicts like himself.

American Pizazz Meets Sumo: At Madison Square Garden, New Yorkers got a rare look at an ancient Japanese sport , cheering and booing as though they were watching a Yankees game.

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Each week, host Josh Goldberg will dive into the biggest storylines surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Designated For Assignment Designated for Assignment

• 4.9 • 57 Ratings
• OCT 5, 2023

Just Like That, It's Over

Josh recaps the Blue Jays' disastrous postseason performance in a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. We talk about the team's continued lack of offensive production, John Schneider's decision to pull José Berríos, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s blunder at second base, and what changes might be in store in the offseason. Thanks for listening all season! Music by penguinmusic from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• OCT 2, 2023

The Playoffs Are Here

On this episode, Josh talks about the winding road to the postseason before previewing the wild-card series against the Minnesota Twins. We break down who has the edge in the important positional battles, what the Blue Jays lineup might look like, rotation configuration, and take some of your listener questions. Music by penguinmusic from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• SEPT 28, 2023

Bassitt Saves The Day

On this episode, Josh recaps Chris Bassitt's series-saving gem against the Yankees after consecutive shutouts. We also chat about Brandon Belt wanting noise, Cavan Biggio's versatility, and why Daulton Varsho might be built for the postseason. Music by penguinmusic from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• SEPT 25, 2023

Conquered The Trop

On this episode, Josh recaps a strong weekend performance for the Blue Jays against the Rays at Tropicana Field. We also dive into Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s recent power surge, George Springer's defensive performance, and what Brandon Belt's impending return might mean for the lineup. Music by penguinmusic from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• SEPT 21, 2023

The Blue Jays Handle Business In The Bronx

On this episode, Josh recaps the Blue Jays' important series victory over the Yankees. We also discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s knee injury, continued offensive inconsistencies, Cavan Biggio's continued success, and tee up a big weekend series at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays. Music by penguinmusic from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• SEPT 18, 2023

Expect The Unexpected

On this week's episode, Josh recaps another twist in the wild Blue Jays season, as they sweep the Red Sox after getting embarrassed by the Rangers. We also discuss Vladdy's recent power surge, struggles for Bichette, Springer, and Schneider, as well as thoughts on Matt Chapman's future and the qualifying offer question. Music by penguinmusic from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• © Josh Goldberg

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Blue Jays' Jacob Barnes: Designated for assignment

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Barnes was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Barnes spent the final weekend of the regular season with the major-league club but will lose his spot on the 40-man roster early in the offseason. The right-hander made 29 relief appearances with the Mets and Blue Jays in 2021 and posted a 6.28 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 28.2 innings.

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Nationals' jacob barnes: reassigned to minor-league camp, nationals' jacob barnes: inks milb deal with washington, jacob barnes: testing free agency, cardinals' jacob barnes: takes loss wednesday, cardinals' jacob barnes: added to roster, our latest fantasy baseball stories.

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• Chicago White Sox

Report: White Sox DFA ex-Blue Jay Pillar

The Chicago White Sox have designated former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar for assignment, reports The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal adds the move was made to make room for veteran outfielder Tommy Pham , who agreed to a one-year deal with the ChiSox earlier in the month.

Kevin Pillar designated for assignment so White Sox can make room for Tommy Pham , sources tell @TheAthletic .

The 35-year-old Pillar was in his first season with Chicago, slashing .160/.290/.360 with one home run and four RBI in 17 games so far in 2024. 

The West Hills, Calif., native is best known for his seven seasons spent with the Jays from 2013 to 2019, where he appeared in a total of 695 regular season games, making several spectacular catches in centre field. Pillar hit .260 during his time in Toronto with 55 home runs and 231 RBIs. 

Pillar has also spent time with the San Francisco Giants , Boston Red Sox , Colorado Rockies , New York Mets , Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves over the course of his 12-year big league career.

Pham, 36, spent last season split between the New York Mets and  Arizona Diamondbacks , arriving in a mid-season trade with the D-Backs and helping them reach their first World Series since 2001. Pham slashed .241/.304/.415 with six homers in 50 games down the stretch of the 2023 regular season and hit an additional three home runs in the postseason.

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Shohei Ohtani Silences Boos From Blue Jays Fans With Monster Home Run

• Author: Patrick Andres

In this story:

Toronto Blue Jays fans found themselves on the losing end of one of baseball's most closely watched free-agent sagas this past offseason.

Speculation connecting designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani to the Blue Jays abounded. Drake got involved . Memorably, MLB Network's Jon Morosi incorrectly reported that Ohtani was on a flight to Toronto on Dec. 8—for which he later had to apologize.

When Ohtani agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers , Toronto fans were understandably upset. On Friday, the Dodgers' first game against the Blue Jays since December's events, Toronto fans at Rogers Centre let him have it ahead of his first at-bat.

Shohei Ohtani had gotten a lot of cheers from the crowd in his past trips to Toronto Not anymore apparently pic.twitter.com/M0oikMlV0D — Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) April 26, 2024

Ohtani casually replied with a long home run to deep right field, staking Los Angeles to a 1–0 lead.

Shohei Ohtani goes deep in Toronto! pic.twitter.com/qS6ZeAdAc1 — MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2024

For all the tumult in Ohtani's life off the field this year, his play has not suffered. The two-time AL MVP is slashing .358/.419/.670 with six home runs and 16 RBIs.

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Mets activated Reid-Foley from IL, designate Tonkin for assignment

• Field Level Media

The New York Mets designated Michael Tonkin for assignment Monday for the second time this month and activated fellow right-hander Sean Reid-Foley off the 15-day injured list.

Reid-Foley, 28, opened the season on the IL with a shoulder impingement. He appeared in eight games with the Mets in 2023 and is 7-10 with a 4.58 ERA in 48 career appearances (13 starts) for Toronto (2018-20) and the Mets.

The club also called up LHP Josh Walker after it optioned RHP Grant Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse following Sunday's blowout loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers .

The Mets DFA'd Tonkin, 34, was April 5 before trading him to Minnesota a few days later. The Mets brought him back last week after the Twins DFA'd him on April 13. He is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in six relief appearances overall this season.

Hartwig, 26, appeared in two games and had a strikeout in three innings of work.

Walker, 29, appeared in 14 games with the Mets in 2023, going 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA. He's 0-1 with a 2.79 ERA in seven relief appearances at Syracuse this season.

The Mets open a three-game series at San Francisco on Monday night.