Blue Jays appear to make progress on deal with Cuban pitcher Rodriguez

TORONTO – The Blue Jays appear to be making progress toward a deal with Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodríguez, but some logistical hurdles need to be cleared before any agreement becomes official.

On Wednesday morning, Francys Romero reported that the Blue Jays were in agreement with Rodríguez, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic later reported the same. A few hours after his initial report, Romero said the pending deal would be for four years and $32 million.

Meanwhile, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins declined to comment as did the pitcher’s representatives at WME. For context: not only must physicals be completed before deals become official, obtaining work visas won’t be simple for a Cuban pitcher who last pitched in Japan, is currently said to be living in the Dominican Republic and could soon begin working in the U.S. for a Canadian team.

It’s possible those considerations are delaying a formal announcement, with no clarity on what a timeline for resolution might look like. In the meantime, there is no finished deal for Rodríguez, who last pitched professionally in 2022.

Now 26 years old, Rodríguez pitched as a starter in Cuba before signing in Japan, where he eventually transitioned to the bullpen. In 2022, his most recent season, he posted stellar numbers for the NPB’s Chunichi Dragons: a 1.15 ERA with 60 strikeouts compared to 18 walks in 54.2 innings while allowing 32 hits, none of which were home runs.

Following that season, he pitched for Cuba at the 2023 World Baseball Classic – striking out 10 while walking six and allowing two runs in 7.1 innings across two starts – but didn't return to Japan and sat out the 2023 season instead. Eventually, he pitched in front of big-league teams at showcases and generated interest as a free agent.

While Rodríguez would certainly augment the Blue Jays’ pitching depth, he’s far from a sure thing given his time away from competition in 2023 and his lack of recent starting experience. A starting role would also raise questions about his workload, as he threw a career-high 133.1 innings as a starter in 2018 but was down to 54.2 frames as a reliever in 2022. Under those circumstances, the Blue Jays are still likely to view Alek Manoah and Yusei Kikuchi as key contributors rather than surplus players who can be traded.

Regardless of what happens with Rodríguez, the Blue Jays still need to add to a lineup that currently lacks a clear cleanup hitter. They’ve shown interest in a variety of free-agent bats, including Joc Pederson, Justin Turner, Rhys Hoskins, J.D. Martinez and Joey Votto.

Any addition the Blue Jays make will require a corresponding 40-man move, as their roster is now full.

With files from Shi Davidi