TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays shielded right-hander Thomas Hatch and infielder Santiago Espinal from next month’s Rule 5 draft by adding them to the 40-man roster ahead of a Wednesday night deadline, their latest asset repositioning of the off-season.
Reliever Justin Shafer was designated for assignment and left-hander Tim Mayza, recovering from Tommy John surgery, was outrighted to triple-A Buffalo to make room.
Their 40-man roster remains full ahead of the next off-season signpost, the Dec. 2 deadline to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players. Derek Law, Anthony Bass and Luke Maile – each eligible for arbitration – survived the cut this time, but could be non-tender candidates in the weeks ahead should the Blue Jays need to clear a roster spot for an acquisition.
Out-of-options infielders Breyvic Valera and Richard Urena are also on the bubble, while a handful of other players eligible for the 40-man roster (collegians drafted in 2016 and high schoolers selected in 2015) – such as outfielders Forrest Wall and Josh Palacios and relievers Kirby Snead and Jackson McClelland – are now available in the Dec. 12 Rule 5 draft.
Adding Hatch, acquired from the Chicago Cubs this past July 30 for veteran reliever David Phelps, and Espinal, picked up last year from the Boston Red Sox for slugger Steve Pearce, the 2018 World Series MVP, both protects them from the draft and positions them to eventually reach the majors with the Blue Jays.
Hatch, 25, pitched to a 4.59 ERA and 1.410 WHIP in 100 innings across 21 starts at double-A Tennessee, but performed far more effectively for New Hampshire after the deal, posting a 2.80 ERA and a 0.764 WHIP in 35.1 innings over six starts. He features a fastball that topped out in the mid-90s with a developing breaking ball and changeup.
“We’ve been very impressed with Tom’s advanced feel for pitching,” Atkins said in an interview. “He also has a delivery we feel is very athletic and will be repeatable. He’s shown us he has the weapons to get outs at the highest level, and has shown that consistently in a starting role. He’s a competitor, and we look forward to his continued growth.”
Espinal, 25, posted a .740 OPS in 122 games between New Hampshire and Buffalo this year while playing second base, shortstop, third base and centre field. While he joins Urena and Valera as depth options up the middle, he has three options, and the other two do not, making him more valuable given the looming roster churn.
“Santiago is a dynamic player with the ability to impact the game in multiple ways,” said Atkins. “From his versatility throughout the infield and in centre field, to his abilities on the base paths, to his strong approach and bat-to-ball skills in the box, we feel like he has the ability to provide impact in a number of areas.”
Moving Mayza off the 40-man roster while he recovers from surgery makes sense, but exposing Shafer is somewhat curious given that he impressed at times during 34 big-league appearances this past season, striking out 39 in 39.2 innings. But he also walked 25 during that time and had planned to work with Driveline this off-season to further hone his pitches.
“He’s been a solid contributor supporting the major-league team each of the last two seasons,” said Atkins. “We hoped we would be able to retain him through the off-season and we still have that hope. Ultimately, during the off-season you have to pursue ways to upgrade your roster for the coming season while also adding or retaining players that provide some long-term upside. Those are tough goals to accomplish given the constrictions of a 40-man roster, and it comes with numerous difficult decisions.”
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