TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays non-tendered one player ahead of Friday night's 8 p.m. ET deadline, making veteran reliever Adam Cimber a free agent in a move that opens up some payroll for other needs.
A right shoulder impingement limited Cimber to 22 games in 2023, and he didn't pitch in the big leagues after June 18. Before hitting the injured list, the side-arming 33-year-old posted a 7.40 ERA with 12 strikeouts compared to seven walks in 20.2 innings.
At the same time, Cimber has a track record of success with a lifetime 3.49 ERA in six big-league seasons, including a 2.80 mark in an American League-leading 77 appearances for the 2022 Blue Jays. His health also improved to the point that he was on the brink of a return late in the season, after appearing in four September rehab games with the Blue Jays' triple-A affiliate.
All things considered, the Blue Jays chose to cut him loose instead of offering him a contract that could have landed near $3.2 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Cimber’s now free to pursue a deal with any team while all other eligible Blue Jays were tendered contracts.
Still, the Blue Jays have a strong bullpen in place with Jordan Romano, Chad Green, Yimi Garcia, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza, Genesis Cabrera and Trevor Richards all in line to return for 2024. The front office’s focus now is now on adding position players, and with Cimber off the books they can reallocate what they would have spent on him.
Either way, the Blue Jays have a large and expensive class of arbitration-eligible players even after locking Bo Bichette up to a three-year deal covering his arb years. Via MLB Trade Rumors, here are the team’s projected 2024 arbitration salaries:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: $20.4 million
Jordan Romano: $7.7 million
Daulton Varsho: $5.5 million
Danny Jansen: $5.2 million
Cavan Biggio: $3.7 million
Tim Mayza: $3.3 million
Erik Swanson: $2.7 million
Alejandro Kirk: $2.6 million
Santiago Espinal: $2.5 million
Trevor Richards: $2.4 million
Genesis Cabrera: $1.4 million
Nate Pearson: $800,000
Teams and players exchange filing numbers in January, after which final decisions are reached on 2024 salaries. All players with between three and six years of service time are eligible for arbitration (barring an extension that covers those years) as are select players with between two and three years of service, the so-called 'super twos.'
Elsewhere, the tender deadline prompted some trade activity as usual, with two Canadian pitchers among the more prominent names changing teams. The Rockies acquired Cal Quantrill from Cleveland for minor league catcher Kody Huff while Michael Soroka was part of a five-player return going to the White Sox in exchange for reliever Aaron Bummer, who heads to Atlanta.
Around the league, some prominent players were non-tendered, including Brandon Woodruff, who will miss the 2024 season due to injury, Nick Senzel and Daniel Vogelbach.
Also of interest was the Athletics' decision to non-tender Kevin Smith, one of four players the Blue Jays sent to Oakland for Matt Chapman before the 2022 season. Right-hander Gunnar Hoglund is now Oakland’s lone remaining vestige of that trade while the Blue Jays got 7.9 WAR from Chapman, one of the players they’re currently engaged with on the free-agent market.
Ultimately, the decision to non-tender Cimber was not surprising, but it does offer a little more clarity into the Blue Jays' off-season needs and resources.
It won’t be the spark that ignites baseball’s hot stove, but with as many as four positions to fill the Blue Jays must be busy in the weeks ahead. And as long as the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Juan Soto are out there, the possibilities are wide open for this team.
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