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National Post
4 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Shohei Ohtani left Blue Jays complex wearing Toronto gear after secret meeting in 2023
Following the 2023 MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays embarked on a wild chase to try to land the biggest international star the sport has ever seen: Shohei Ohtani. Article content Article content And the team must've been feeling understandably good about their chances of signing the Japanese sensation considering he walked out of their training complex wearing a Jays hat with a bag full of team gear. Article content The secretive meeting between Ohtani and the Jays down in Dunedin has been detailed in the coming book The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays: A Curated History of the Jays, by beat reporter Keegan Matheson. Article content According to the book and reported by the Star, Ohtani, his agent, Nez Balelo, and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara flew to Florida to visit the team's state-of-the-art training complex and meet with Jays manager John Schneider, GM Ross Atkins, president Mark Shapiro and owner Edward Rogers. Article content Article content Due to Ohtani's request to keep his free-agency meetings a secret, the entire 65-acre complex was completely closed to players and personnel that day. Article content According to Matheson, the Blue Jays told players and staff that there was a 'Rogers ownership meeting' taking place and that they needed to stay away for the day. Article content 'We're standing upstairs in the suite and (Jays senior manager of security Jason Weaving) is texting us updates. We watched him get out of the car. I'm wearing a sport coat and we're all done up. It was like royalty was coming,' Schneider told Matheson. 'There was no one in the complex. It was bare. Article content Article content Article content While by all accounts the meeting between the team brass and Ohtani went very well, there was a sight towards the end of it that had the Jays optimistic about their chances. Article content The Jays had set up three lockers in the team's clubhouse – complete with jerseys, gear, hats, bags and accessories — to show the star what he could expect should he sign with the team. Article content He walked out of the clubhouse wearing a Blue Jays hat while Mizuhara also was decked out in team gear of his own. The pair even stopped to take photos together before departing.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jays pitching prospect Jake Bloss to undergo UCL surgery
TORONTO — Jake Bloss entered 2025 as an ace up the Toronto Blue Jays' sleeve. The 23-year-old right-hander and No. 6 prospect in Toronto's farm system, according to The Athletic's Keith Law, started the season in Triple A waiting for his next crack at the big leagues. Now Bloss, the key piece of the 2024 trade deadline deal that sent Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros, will undergo ulnar collateral ligament surgery, another blow to the Blue Jays' rotation depth. 'Don't know the extent of the surgery or exactly when it's going to happen,' manager John Schneider said on Tuesday. 'But it's going to happen with Dr. (Keith) Meister.' Jake Bloss: spin doctor 🩺 The @BlueJays' No. 9 prospect racks up five punchouts in three scoreless innings — four using the slider. — Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) March 10, 2025 Just days before Bloss' injury, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins called the righty 'an option right now' to help the MLB club. He'd pitched consecutive Triple-A outings for the Buffalo Bisons without surrendering an earned run in late April. With minor delivery adjustments and refined work in side sessions, the righty had found increased control after giving up 13 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings across his previous three starts. Advertisement On May 3, Bloss left a start against the Iowa Cubs in the fourth inning holding his right arm. The Blue Jays sent him for imaging on his throwing elbow and announced the UCL surgery more than a week later. With Max Scherzer still working his way back from a thumb injury, the Blue Jays have had a hole in the rotation for most of the season. Easton Lucas, Yariel Rodríguez and José Ureña have all chipped in starts out of the fifth rotation spot. In Sunday's 9-1 win in Seattle, Ureña and Eric Lauer combined for 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball. 'I think the number five (spot) will kind of be in flux a little bit,' Schneider said. The patchwork rotation spot has worked, so far, but Bloss represented a rare upside option that could've filled the slot permanently if needed. Bloss was pushed rapidly to the big leagues with the Astros, throwing just 80 1/3 minor-league innings before his MLB debut last year. Not 12 months after Houston selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft, Bloss was starting MLB games for an injured Astros rotation. The Blue Jays elected to start Bloss in Triple A this year, slowing the righty's rapid rise to extend his development time in the minors. The right-hander now has months of recovery and rehab ahead before he can return to a mound and force his way back into the Blue Jays' big-league plans.
National Post
07-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Why the Blue Jays are so high on top prospect Arjun Nimmala: 'He's got a bright future'
He is still 19 years old and thus years away from being considered a potential solution for the Blue Jays ongoing offensive woes. Article content Article content But even with that delayed flight plan for the franchise's No. 1-rated prospect to soar in the big leagues, it's near impossible not to get excited about the accelerated development of Arjun Nimmala. Article content The teenage phenom remains the brightest light in the Jays system — and it may not even be close. Article content Settling in nicely in his first move up the organizational ladder with the Vancouver Canadians, Nimmala certainly has thrived in his first pro exposure north of the border. He has rocked six home runs through his first 22 games, more than any player at any level in the Toronto organization, including the Blue Jays. Article content Article content It's little consolation for the immediate travails of the big club, but the 20th-overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft has done nothing but impress since a brief reset shortly after debuting at the lowest level a year ago. Article content 'The biggest thing for me with Arjun is the adjustment he made,' Jays general manager Ross Atkins said recently. 'I don't see that too often, when someone struggles and then makes a significant adjustment. Was comfortable pulling him out of competition to do so and came right back into the fold.' Article content It was then that the benefits of the Jays player development complex in Dunedin became centre stage for an incredibly talented and bright young prospect to find his way back on an upward trajectory in relatively short order. And a reset session at the facility a year ago not only helped fix Nimmala's technical struggles, but allowed the Jays to gain further insight into his ability beyond the obvious bat-to-ball skills. Article content After his first 29 games with the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2024, Nimmala was batting a meagre .167 with an arresting 43 strikeouts. Article content Article content Rather than let him work through those struggles during games, they placed the teenager on the development list and sent him to the complex where he made adjustments and recalibrated. Article content Through his first 24 games with the Canadians this year, Nimmala is hitting .283 with six homers, six doubles and 13 RBI. That seamless transition to the next level of the minors is just the latest step by the young shortstop. Article content 'It's his cognitive ability,' Atkins said. 'The intellect and his ability to use his brain to impact his baseball skills are the things that stand out to me.' Article content His work has been so impressive that it must be tempting to further hasten Nimmala's progress. But he's listed as the youngest player in the Northwest League, a further testament to what Nimmala has accomplished thus far.
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jays prospect notes: Jake Bloss' injury, Trey Yesavage's ascendance and more
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jake Bloss was on the brink of a big-league return. Then, the Triple-A starter walked off an Iowa mound as Buffalo Bisons medical staff felt his throwing arm. The right-hander had imaging on his right elbow in Toronto, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, and may see a doctor outside the organization. It's a setback for the surging starter, Keith Law's No. 6 ranked prospect in the Blue Jays' system, and the latest blow to Toronto's rotation depth. Bloss' injury came just days after Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins lauded the starter's recent progress and tapped him as MLB ready, perhaps the next arm in line for Toronto's final rotation spot. Prior to his injury, Bloss made minor delivery tweaks and impressed Toronto's development staff with a step forward in command. The precision showed in Bloss' side sessions — Buffalo pitching coach Drew Hayes called it 'as good of side work as I can imagine with any player at Triple A' — and it flashed in Bloss' recent starts before the injury. But now, Bloss has gone from pushing toward the big leagues to hoping for health. Here are other notes and names to watch from the Blue Jays' minor leagues: Easton Lucas cutting up Triple A Remember Lucas' two sparkling outings to start 2025? Toronto's rotation depth would look a lot cleaner with that version of Lucas back in the big leagues, or anything close to it. The lefty's two strong starts to begin 2025 were followed by consecutive shellackings against the Braves and Mariners (14 earned runs in six and 2/3 innings). The league adjusted. So the Blue Jays sent the 28-year-old back to Triple A, where he's looked far closer to the guy who dazzled at Fenway Park. Lucas threw six shutout innings in a Thursday start against the Iowa Cubs, earning eight whiffs. Three of those swings-and-misses came against the cutter — a pitch both old and new. Lucas used the cut fastball 21 percent of the time last year but basically scrapped it ahead of 2025. The 89 mph pitch is back at the recommendation of the Blue Jays' MLB and minor-league coaching staffs, providing Lucas an option between his four-seam fastball and hard slider. Most importantly, it gives Lucas a second hard delivery if he loses four-seam command, as he did against the Braves and Mariners. It's a pitch the lefty threw for nearly 60 percent strikes last year, a higher rate than all but his slider. With Bloss' injury, Lucas is one of Toronto's top options for rotation depth. Even with José Ureña and Spencer Turnbull signed, Lucas may soon get his shot to test the counter-adjustment at the top level. 'You saw it in the first two starts in the big leagues,' Hayes said. 'He's probably not going to be that over the course of a whole season — shutting out the Nationals and the Red Sox at Fenway — but he's got the ability to be pretty damn good. Hopefully we get him back a little closer to that.' Trey Yesavage: Don't get comfortable in Dunedin Yesavage's baseball path is eerily similar to Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman's. Both pitchers were lightly recruited out of high school, broke out at East Carolina University and became Blue Jays first-round picks and top prospects. It took Hoffman nine years to throw strikes for the Blue Jays' MLB club. Yesavage's journey should be much swifter. With 36 strikeouts and a 2.31 ERA in five Dunedin outings, the 21-year-old is clearly ready for a new challenge. He may not be long in Low A, and Atkins basically confirmed it last week. 'We are confident that he is someone that could move quickly,' Atkins said. With the weather warming in Vancouver (high of 21 degrees Celsius on Tuesday) and New Hampshire, Yesavage can soon head north. Khal Stephen, a 2024 second-round pick with a 1.82 ERA in his first six Dunedin starts, may get the plane seat beside him. There's power in the low minors While Toronto's big-league club struggles to put baseball over walls, the Blue Jays have some homer launchers in the lower minors. Arjun Nimmala, Toronto's 2023 first-round pick, draws plenty of attention with the second-most home runs in the Northwest League (six). The high school draft pick is still over three years younger than the NWL's average player. Outfielder Yeuni Muñoz is another young prospect putting up power numbers — at least he was. The Dominican sits fourth in the Florida State League with five homers and third in OPS. But the surge has been put on hold as the 21-year-old hasn't played since April 27, suffering a right quad strain. The strain is described as moderate by a team official, so it may still be a few weeks before Muñoz returns to launching in Dunedin. Potential FCL pitching risers The lowest level of Toronto's affiliates kicked off play Saturday in the Florida Complex League. One name to watch in the FCL is lefty pitcher Johnny King, the Blue Jays' third-round pick in 2024. King has a fastball touching 95 mph and a nasty curveball. His physical makeup (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) and mental maturity make the Blue Jays optimistic King is a future big leaguer. Right-hander Silvano Hechavarria is another potential FCL riser. The 22-year-old Cuban had 57 strikeouts and a 1.84 ERA in 10 Dominican Summer League starts last year. His fastball sits around 92 mph, but can touch 96. If Yesavage and Stephen graduate from Dunedin, Hechavarria could move up to fill a spot. (Top photo of right-hander Jake Bloss during spring training: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images)
Toronto Star
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Blue Jays prospects to watch: the fast risers, those flying under the radar and some still figuring it out
The Blue Jays have one of the lowest-ranked minor-league systems in baseball but the lack of love from mainstream outlets doesn't mean the organization is void of talent. Toronto has six minor-league affiliates with more than 150 assigned players. Even in a weak system, there is bound to be some gold. Here's a brief rundown of some players to watch, with comments from Jays general manager Ross Atkins and minor-league field co-ordinator Eric Duncan. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Fast risers RHP Trey Yesavage, Class-A Dunedin: The 20th pick in last year's draft has gotten off to a blistering start with 36 strikeouts in 23⅓ innings. The No. 2-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is too good for the Florida Coast League but the Jays have kept him there for now because of the climate. Atkins: 'We are confident that he is someone who could move quickly, and weather was a factor in the start process. (It was) a better, stable, consistent environment to start the year.' SS Arjun Nimmala, High-A Vancouver: He got off to such a rough start last year that he put his season on hold in May to work on his mechanics at the player development complex. After returning in June, he responded with 36 extra-base hits and a .911 on-base plus slugging percentage in 61 games for Dunedin. It has been more of the same this year in Vancouver, where Nimmala is batting .295 with a .921 OPS. He's still a couple seasons away but he has the highest upside of any position player in the system. Duncan: 'For his age, 19, in advanced A, making the adjustments he's making, learning how he's learning, and then going out there and playing fast and free … it's a testament to the work that he puts in and the maturity that he has.' OF Jonatan Clase, Triple-A Buffalo: Acquired last year in the deal that sent Yimi Garcia to Seattle, the 22-year-old appeared in seven games for the Jays before arriving this spring buried on the depth chart. The Dominican is batting .321 with 15 stolen bases in Buffalo. As other outfielders such as Davis Schneider, Joey Loperfido and Alan Roden struggle, Clase's hot start puts him on the radar for a promotion later in the year. Atkins: 'It's (working on) decision making, mostly on the defence and baserunning side. Also putting himself in the best position offensively to drive the ball, but (we're) really encouraged by his start.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Figuring it out RHP Jake Bloss, Triple-A Buffalo: The key return in last year's trade of Yusei Kikuchi got off to a terrible start this season, walking nine batters and allowing 19 runs in 11 1/3 innings in his first three starts. The 23-year-old fared much better over the next two allowed four runs over 3 1/3 innings in his last appearance. Viewed as the Jays' top backup starter earlier this year, Bloss might need more time to develop than previously thought. Atkins: 'He's made a couple of delivery adjustments that helped with consistency. Players have to pitch in brutal weather (in Buffalo), I think we had some of the worst weather and not only the weather they were pitching in, but what it meant for routines.' IF Orelvis Martinez, Triple-A Buffalo: Once considered one of the Jays' top prospects until he got busted for violating MLB's drug policy. It's fair to question whether Martinez's previous success was a result of natural talent or the by-product of a banned substance. He has a .191 average and well-below average .614 OPS this season, though he has been better of late with four extra-base hits this month. Under the radar OF Yohendrick Pinango, Double-A New Hampshire: The Jays don't have much power but the 22-year-old is an exception. Pinango, a disappointment last season with an underwhelming .720 OPS across three levels, has 10 extra-base hits and a .971 OPS this year. Duncan: 'He can do some special things with his bat speed and really competes and plays with a controlled violence that I'm a big fan of.' OF Victor Arias, High-A Vancouver: Arias entered spring as the Jays' No. 29 prospect and it might not take long before he starts moving up. The 21-year-old is batting .281 with eight extra-base hits in 23 games. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Duncan: 'He's another guy that can impact the game and do damage in a lot of different ways — at the plate, on the bases and on the field. He's somebody that is similar to Yohendrick that plays with a violence … and is really fun to watch compete.' On the mend LHP Brandon Barriera, RHP Landen Maroudis, LHP Ricky Tiedemann: All three missed most of last season because of elbow injuries, but they were considered three of the most promising arms in the organization before their setbacks. Atkins: 'Barriera and Maroudis are throwing bullpens and getting ramped up … Tiedemann is behind them, just getting stretched out to 120 feet. But I would expect us to see Landen and Brandon in outings within weeks.'
