Future Blue Jays Newsletter

It was an unforgettable 28 hours of baseball. And not for the right reasons, unfortunately.

Friday was perhaps the best baseball day of my many trips about the giant baseball-shaped sun. I met one of my sources from the Blue Jays organization before the game, and we had a wide-ranging talk about the state of the farm system, developing pitchers, and life in general. I did say it was wide-ranging, after all.

Shortly after we parted, I met my sons outside Gate 5 at the Dome to make our climb up to the 500s, where we sat in a state of wonder prior to the game. I mean, this was the World Series, after all. I wish it didn’t take a King’s ransom (thanks, Doug Ford) to witness it, but one son was on the cusp of toddlerhood and the other was a few months away from making his debut when the Jays last were on baseball’s grandest stage, so not going was something my wife said I would regret. And as usual, she was right. Even though the game ended in the most painful of ways, we were at the Freaking World Series.

I didn’t quite realize it at the time, but perhaps Barger’s ball that wedged itself under the outfield padding was a sign from the Baseball Gods that the Blue Jays were not going to win the Series. It just wasn’t meant to be. And you can blame IKF all you want, but when your bullpen serves up three late game meatballs, and you go 3-17 with RISP, again, maybe fate wasn’t on your side. Baseball is a team sport of individual performances; if enough of them are successful, you win.

Rather than watch the Dodgers victory celebration, I wisely decided to take our dog for a walk around the block for a very late night walk to begin the whole process of, well, processing. My wife - a stout non-baseball fan - had become totally and completely emotionally involved with the final two games. Having her watch with me was comforting, although when I came back from the dog walk she announced, “this doesn’t mean I’m watching next season.” Hours later, she was watching video of Ernie Clement sobbing, so that play is under review.

As the great Jim Bouton wrote in his tell-all book “Ball Four,” “you spend a lifetime gripping a baseball, when it turns out it was the other way around the whole time.” Despite things not turning out they way I would have liked, Friday was the best day of my many decades of baseball life. Saturday was ok, too. 28 other fanbases would have given anything to have been there.

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One thing became clear from both my pre-game meeting with one of my Blue Jays peeps and the coverage of the team throughout the postseason is how close the players are.

Baseball is a culture and society unto itself; people in the game have been in it for much of their lives dating back to adolescence, so it’s natural that they form strong bonds. My guy talked about the offseason weddings he had been to (Mason Fluharty’s) and was going to shortly (Josh Kasevich’s). Many baseball players tend to lead peripatetic existences, especially in the minors. Almost every year they’re in a different city. Every few years they’re in a different organization. Unless they live in the Tampa/St Pete area, every February they pack their bags for Florida, then head off to that year’s assignment. Those who older often are on their own, their wives, children, and dogs remaining back at the home base they’ve established for their post-baseball lives.

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So, where does the minor league system fit into all of this? The Blue Jays can take pride in the fact that homegrown players like Kirk, Guerrero Jr, Bichette, Schneider, Fluharty, and Yesavage played key roles down the stretch, and that guys that they rescued off the AAA scrap heap like Clement and Lukes were strong contributors.

Blue Jays Director of Player Develoment Joe Sclafani, as you might expect, was ecstatic when I congratulated him on the impact the farm system had:

Appreciate your support throughout even when people doubted what we were doing. (It) has been so incredibly special to watch our guys take advantage of their opportunities (no surprise to us!)

My favorite part is seeing/hearing the comments of adoration from the baseball world on HOW we play the game the right way. We’ve made fans of them too.

While it’s hard to see many changes next season beyond the obvious question marks from an expiring contract point view, which minor league players are ready - or close to it - to step in next year?

The answer is potentially several, at least on the pitching side. While Ricky Tiedemann would seem to be the most likely, it’s worth keeping in mind that young pitchers (he turned 24 in August, so he’s young-ish) have a more difficult time harnessing their command when they return to full-time duty. Older pitchers tend to have better feel for their pitches, and seem to be able to regain it more quickly. That’s why Tiedemann, who underwent surgery in June/24 was only throwing bullpens in September, while Shane Bieber was in the big leagues in roughly the same time span. So, a mid-season debut for Tiedemann would seem a safer bet than a season opening one.

Gage Stanifer made the most progress of any prospect in the system - including Yesavage - and ended the season at AA, where he’ll in all probability return to start 2026. If his development continues on last season’s trajectory, Stanifer will be in Buffalo by mid-season. There is some relief risk with him, which makes me wonder if we might see a late September addition to the big league roster.

Chad Dallas is something of a forgotten man, but he was the organization’s MiLB pitcher of the year (according to MLB Pipeline) two seasons ago, when he held opposing hitters to a .216 average, and after his promotion to AA developed a cutter. Dallas is more of a back-of-the-rotation arm, but he has the potential to eat innings. Making his way back from Tommy John surgery early in the new year, he began throwing bullpens in September.

Austin Cates may be a couple of years away, but he’s made a huge impression on the player development staff. Cates, a 7th round pick in 2024, added a couple of ticks onto his fastball, and has learned to command his splitter to the point where it’s an absolute weapon against lefty hitters. He’s just a name to tuck away for now.

In the bullpen, there are several guys who could cross the Peace Bridge at some point next season. Connor Cooke appeared destined for a big league job before blowing out his elbow in the 2024 UCL epidemic. Ryan Jennings might get some consideration after striking out 82 batters in 57 IP split between New Hampshire and Buffalo, but his 43 walks are a concern. As they say in baseball, “you can’t outrun a bad diet.” If you consistently fall behind in counts, hitters are going to get to you.

TJ Brock also had his UCL repaired, and is throwing off a mound from 60 ft, putting him a little bit ahead in his recovery from surgery last winter.

Tiedemann, Dallas, Cooke, Jennings, and Brock are all Rule 5 eligible.

LHP Adam Macko struggled as a starter in Buffalo after his return from knee surgery. Moved to the bullpen in a bulk role mid-August, he had some up and down results, but saw his ERA drop from 5.19 as a starter to 3.99 as a reliever. His final outing of the season held out some hope for next season, his final option year.

Jake Bloss was on the verge of turning things around before injuring his UCL in May. It’s not reasonable to expect him to contribute in 2026. Many people in the organization are very high on him. The feeling I get from people in the player development department is that the Astros rushed him.

If you would like some longshot options, I’ll give you two: RHP Yondrei Rojas had the best numbers of any relievers in the system, posting a 1.43 ERA and 11.3 K/9 in 30 outings between Vancouver and New Hampshire. LHP Kai Peterson travelled a similar path to Rojas, and has a very deceptive delivery. Both are pitching in Arizona this fall, an indication that the Blue Jays are trying to push their development.

Regardless of what happens with the Rule 5 and 40 man decisions, pitching has become the strength of the Blue Jays system. The facilities in Dunedin lured former big leaguer Justin Lehr to the organization as Director of MiLB Pitching (a post he formerly held with the Giants), and it got Shoehi Ohtani at least thinking about joining.

On the position player side, there is no help on the immediate horizon. Top draft picks Arjun Nimmala and JoJo Parker are still several years away. There are interesting role player guys like Yohendrick Pinango, Jonatan Clase, R.J. Schreck and Riley Tirotta, but they are complementary pieces who would really have to take a huge leap forward before they dislodge any of the incumbents on the big league roster. Victor Arias at AA, and Edward Duran at A+ hold the most promising combination of upside and big league readiness, but it’s not reasonable to expect to see them in Toronto next year. To be honest, watching Alejandro Kirk’s double play ball to end the Series had me wishing that the more athletic Duran - who made big strides in his development last year - was closer. Arias has as much athleticism as anyone in the system, but there are still some holes in his game that makes him look more like a fourth OF type. Jackson Hornung was one of the best hitters in the system after being moved out from behind the plate and finishing the year at AA, but he’s a marginal prospect at best. SS Josh Kasevich was quietly being groomed as a potential SS of the future, but back surgery in the spring, and a nasty infield collision during his rehab set him back considerably.

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Speaking of pitching development, I’ve heard rumblings that some members of the pitching devo staff will get job offers from other teams. That’s not unexpected - ideally, you want everyone in the organization working toward advancement. I would be sad to see former Toronto Maple Leaf (the Intercounty Baseball League version) Ricky Meinhold go, but that’s a name that was mentioned. The Blue Jays split the MiLB pitching coordinator job in two last offseason, with Lehr taking on an overseer role, freeing Meinhold to focus on the administrative aspects of the job. And Ricky knocked it out of the park.

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I know some of you might be wondering why I don’t name my sources. I think the reasons are fairly obvious. Information is power, and most organizations want to tightly seal any and all leaks. When I ask my contacts in the system a question, I always give them an off-the-record option. I’ll ask for a direct quote when I think they can provide me with one. It means I learn a lot, but often the information I glean is of the can’t use variety - it informs my writing, to be sure, but I either have to save it for down the road, or use the “a source said….” And that’s ok by me. As I wrote above, many people in player development are away from their families for a good chunk of the season, and I think they all appreciate the social aspect that comes with connecting someone with an interest in what they do. I’m not going to violate the trust they’ve put in me by quoting them without their permission.

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One thought before I put this issue to bed. Much was made of Trey Yesavage pitching at four levels this year. Yesavage didn’t start at Low A because the Blue Jays thought he was right for that level. Many draft evaluators thought he could start 2025 at AA; one of my sources in the organization, after seeing him pitch in spring training for the first time, thought he could even begin at AAA.

But the Blue Jays had a plan, one that involved spring weather conditions, adapting to pro baseball, and working on Yesvage’s full mix of pitches. As I’ve written before, the analytics staff did research on the effect of the Northwest League April weather on pitch movement, so detailed was the plan that was developed. And as it turned out, the NWL had its warmest spring since it became full season four years earlier. Yesavage’s stay there was brief, because after three starts he’d established that A+ hitters were no match for him, and the organization wanted to challenge him. If Toronto had a warm weather affiliate, he probably would have started there, or at least moved there quickly after starting at Dunedin. I know that maybe I’m nitpicking here (don’t get me started about “Post Season Records”), but I had to get that one off my chest.

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Finally, a big shoutout to all the media members who all became a part of our households. Thanks to Dan, Buck, and the Sportsnet crew for their continued excellence, and from keeping us from having to listen to John Smoltz.

Thanks to writers like Keegan Matheson, Gregor Chisholm, and Mitch Bannon, who put in a fine rookie campaign at The Athletic.

And I can’t thank Blake Murphy and Julia Kreutz of Jays Talk + at The FAN 590 in Toronto enough, and not just because they had me on so often that I can list “regular guest on Toronto Sportsradio” on my resume as I shop my next book to publishers. Their coverage not just of the Blue Jays, but of baseball in general, was the best in the city. My wife and I trained hard last spring for a hiking trip of a lifetime in Peru in July, and Blake and Julia got me through much of those 15-20 K (with packs) treks.

I leave you all with this….