Blue Jays Move Rodríguez to the Minors: What It Means and What Comes Next
The Blue Jays have outrighted pitcher Yariel Rodríguez off their 40-man roster, a surprising development just ahead of the MLB Winter Meetings. Rodríguez has cleared outright waivers, meaning no team claimed him and he remains under contract for the next three years.
What this means for Rodríguez:
- He will stay within the Blue Jays organization and continue earning MLB salary, but he will not occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. This mirrors a situation previously seen with Myles Straw, who was with the Guardians before being traded to Toronto; Straw had to earn his way back onto the 40-man roster.
- Rodríguez remains tradable at any time, just like any other minor leaguer.
- If he isn’t traded, Rodríguez would report to Spring Training as a Minor League player, not as a member of the 40-man roster.
At 28 years old, Rodríguez still carries upside despite not posting eye-catching underlying metrics in tandem with his 3.08 ERA this past season. He’s in Year 3 of a five-year, $32 million contract signed before the 2024 season, with both a player option and a club option attached to the 2028 season and escalators tied to innings pitched.
When Toronto signed the Cuban right-hander, the club saw genuine potential in him as both a starter and a reliever. That potential remained even after he moved to the bullpen in 2025. Although his velocity gains weren’t as consistent or as reliable as hoped, Rodríguez evolved into a valuable middle-relief option for much of the season.
By the postseason, Rodríguez endured two difficult outings against the Mariners in the ALCS and missed the World Series roster.
The road ahead is still uncertain, with several viable paths. Some analysts felt Rodríguez faded late in the year, yet he was a key bullpen piece early in 2025. If the Blue Jays keep him within the organization, he could pitch in Triple-A Buffalo to reestablish a path back to the 40-man roster, buying time for a broader team overhaul.
Alternatively, there’s still a route back to starting, should the Jays prefer to stretch him out while freeing a 40-man slot. Trading him remains possible, but it would likely require the Jays to absorb part of the remaining contract, which isn’t a pressing constraint for a financially flexible club.
Within the Blue Jays’ bullpen, the team is actively seeking upgrades. Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland are expected to anchor the late relief, but Toronto plans to add another high-end arm as the Winter Meetings commence in Orlando. Rodríguez won’t be part of that mix unless major changes occur before Opening Day.
