Three Blue Jays Deadline Adds Best Situated to Help 2025 Roster

After a disappointing first half to the 2024 campaign, the Toronto Blue Jays traded away seven players from the roster – most of whom were on expiring contracts or one-year deals. In return, the Jays added some depth to the farm system outside of Ryan Yarbrough, getting mostly position players in return with a few pitches mixed in between.

The range of players the Jays acquired ranged from players who spent time in the big leagues earlier that year to Rookie Ball pitcher Gilberto Batista, who was part of the trade package from the Red Sox in exchange for Danny Jansen.

Following the trade deadline, a handful of players acquired by Toronto found their way North of the border as the club continued to promote and play internal players in an attempt to see who would stand out from the group from an increased look at the big league level.

3 Blue Jays Deadline Adds Who Will Help in 2025

Here are three players acquired at the trade deadline who could help the 2025 Blue Jays roster (spoiler alert – they all have a Houston connection).

Joey Loperfido – OF

With the Blue Jays looking for more power and an outfielder to fill in for the departure of Kevin Kiermaier, Loperfido checked off a lot of boxes. Splitting time across three levels last season, Loperfido collected 27 doubles and 25 home runs and posted a .880 OPS.

A strong April to begin this year in Triple-A saw the Astros call up the outfielder but he struggled to find the power stroke in the big leagues but was putting the ball in play to the tune of a .333 average before being sent back down to Triple-A.

He would ride the options train a few times for Houston before the trade deadline.

After the move to Toronto, Loperfido finished the campaign in the big leagues but struggled to find consistency – especially out of the gate (5-for-38 through his first 11 games). Towards the end of August, he found a bit of a groove and eventually finished the year with a collective .214 average, 75 OPS+, and four home runs.

The early prognosis heading into next season is that the left field is for the taking barring an outside signing/move and Loperfido stands a good chance of taking that spot if he can find some consistency at the plate.

Cutting down on the strikeout rate will go a long way as well (36.3% mark in the big leagues) but for a team needing some power, Loperfido’s combo of plus speed, solid defence, and the ability to hit the ball over the wall makes him a solid fit for the 2025 roster if he can win the spot out of Spring Training.

His biggest competition will likely be from Nathan Lukes, who finished the 2024 campaign on a high note after missing a good chunk of the second-half of the campaign with a thumb injury, but rumours are floating around that he might be moved this winter. Should that happen, Loperfido’s competition becomes more manageable.

The outfield depth got a boost from the trade deadline in the addition of Jonatan Clase and some internal prospects will be banging on the doors sooner than later playing time (Alan Roden for example). As of right now, Loperfido has a sizeable advantage over the likes of Clase, Roden, and Steward Berroa, and the most to lose heading into the spring.

Will Wagner – INF

When the dust settled after the Yusei Kikuchi deal, one of the intriguing pieces of the deal for the Blue Jays was that of Will Wagner, son of potential Hall of Famer Billy Wagner.

Slotting at #22 on the Astros’ top prospect rankings before the trade, the Texas product started the year in Triple-A and was putting the ball in play at a solid rate – to the tune of a .307/.424/.429 slash line and a .853 OPS. Wagner can poke the ball to all fields and find the holes to continue getting on base while boasting a plus eye at the plate, walking more than he struck out with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (54 and 33 respectively).

Following the trade, Wagner went to Triple-A Buffalo and continued to put the ball in play at an impressive rate, collecting 10 hits in 25 at-bats. It impressed the Jays brass so much that they promoted him to Toronto on Aug. 12 and the lefty batter impressed right from the get-go. He amassed eight hits through his first four games – three of which were doubles – and was cruising before a knee injury sent him to the sidelines in mid-September. Through the cup of coffee with the Blue Jays, Wagner authored a .305/.337/.451 slash line with eight extra-base hits and a .788 OPS.

The expectation is that Wagner will be ready for spring training after undergoing knee surgery and he is in a tougher spot than the others mentioned in this article when it comes to finding playing time.

One area on the roster the Jays are not lacking in terms of depth is the infield, boasting Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, Luis De Los Santos, Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jiménez, and Orelvis Martinez as potential options for the active roster next year. Something will have to give in terms of either a trade or multiple players starting the year in Triple-A but until that is figured out, the picture is a lot less clear for where Wagner fits into the plans.

In all likelihood, there appears to be a competition brewing this spring for second base – whether that is a player winning the spot outright or two players forming a platoon to maximize the offensive production. If Wagner continues to find ways to get on base and boast competitive at-bats during spring training, he will likely force the hand of the Jays staff to bring him back to the big leagues in some capacity for the Opening Day roster.

Jake Bloss – RHP

The Blue Jays were in desperate need of some pitching depth at the higher level of the minor leagues and found a solid player in Bloss.

The 2024 campaign was interesting for the right-hander, as he started the year in High-A, was moved to Double-A in late April/early May, and found himself in the big leagues in mid-June when injuries decimated the Astros starting corps.

Bloss made one start before a shoulder injury put him on the shelf, with the right-hander returning mid-July to make two more starts. In his foray into the big leagues, Bloss amassed a 6.94 ERA and a 7.62 WHIP, with a five-run outing against Oakland being the biggest dragging factor for his stats being a bit elevated amidst the small sample size.

Following the trade, Bloss went to Dunedin to join the Player Development Complex before being moved to Triple-A. In Buffalo, Bloss started out strong – allowing zero runs through his first three starts and 9 2/3 – but gave up eight against the Durham Bulls to finish out August and couldn’t make it out of the second inning. He posted a couple of solid outings and another blowout loss to round out September and finished with a 6.91 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP under the Blue Jays banner.

Heading into 2025, the Jays have a couple of spots in the rotation up for grabs (again – barring an outside signing). Bloss, Bowden Francis, Yariel Rodriguez, and Adam Macko will all be gunning for a chance to start for Opening Day and the Jays will likely add some fuel to the fire in some veteran depth signings as well.

For Bloss, the biggest concern is his control, as he struggled to a 4.94 BB/9 through his eight starts with Bisons. He was solid with his command before the trade and limited the walks during his brief big-league tenure, so the control issues seem a bit out of the norm. There is an argument to be made that he may have run out of gas towards the end of the season but overall, to be a starter in the Majors, he will need to bump the innings numbers up.

Overall, Bloss might be more on the outside of the Opening Day roster picture but you can bet he will be one of the first pitchers in line should someone from the Blue Jays rotation hit the IL.

With Alek Manoah, Chad Dallas, and Ricky Tiedemann all recovering from Tommy John surgery when Spring Training rolls around, Bloss sits high on the depth charts and will set himself from the group if he can hone in the command during the spring and start the campaign on a strong note in Buffalo. Look for him to make his Blue Jays debut later in the campaign.