Yaríel Rodríguez was a key reliever for the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays at times, hauling key leverage innings for the club on its path to the World Series. But he may not factor into the team’s 2026 plans.
The Jays announced Saturday that they outrighted Rodríguez off the club’s 40-man roster.
The move means Rodríguez was designated for assignment and cleared waivers, with 29 teams passing on him. It signals Toronto’s willingness to lose Rodríguez for nothing, had another team claimed him. Barring another move, the Cuban reliever will stay in the Jays’ organization and compete alongside other non-roster invites for a roster spot in spring, but he could still be traded.
At points during the 2025 season, Rodríguez was arguably the top leverage reliever in Toronto’s bullpen. He allowed just one run in 17 May innings and posted an ERA under 2.00 from May through July. But in the season’s final months, Rodríguez’s velocity dropped, and he was ultimately left off the team’s World Series roster.
Rodríguez, signed as a potential swingman ahead of 2024, has three years left on his contract. He’s still owed $11 million across 2026 and 2027, with a $6.3 million player option for 2028.
In the first two seasons of a five-year deal, the righty posted a 3.83 ERA in 87 appearances and 22 starts. That level of production was largely what the Jays expected from Rodríguez, providing bullpen length, occasional starts and flashes of brilliance in late innings. But his 2025 season was filled with inconsistency, with peripheral numbers suggesting he may have been worse than the ERA indicated, and his stuff declined as the year progressed.
The Jays entered the offseason flush with reliable depth relievers after breakouts from Tommy Nance, Braydon Fisher and others. They also now have more rotation options after signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. So an expensive pitcher like Rodríguez is a natural casualty, with a salary that could be used to address other needs.
The right-hander could still factor into Toronto’s 2026 bullpen mix, earning a spot back on the 40-man and 26-man rosters in spring or later in the season. But Toronto may still move the right-hander this winter.
The rest of the league already passed on Rodríguez, unwilling to take on the $17.3 million still guaranteed to him over the next three years. But the Jays could still find a trade partner for Rodríguez if they pay down part of his contract or take back a salary in exchange.
Francys Romero was the first to report that Rodríguez was removed from the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster.
