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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Toronto Blue Jays are pulling out all the stops to win a championship next year, and constructing the best possible roster usually results in certain players getting left behind.
Two offseasons ago, the Blue Jays signed right-hander Yariel Rodríguez to a five-year, $32 million contract as a free agent out of Cuba. He struggled as a starter last year, but was pretty solid this season as a middle reliever, posting an ERA+ of 139.
However, the Blue Jays never envisioned Rodríguez as a long-term reliever, and they've already added two new starters this winter in Dylan Cease and (reportedly) Cody Ponce. Spots on this pitching staff aren't easy to come by, and it appears Rodríguez may have just lost his for good.
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On Saturday, the Blue Jays announced that Rodríguez had cleared outright assignment waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo. Though he remains in the organization for now, there's no doubt that his future as a Blue Jay is in significant doubt now that the club already showed a willingness to lose him for nothing.
In 66 appearances this year (65 out of the bullpen), Rodríguez had an impressive 3.08 ERA and struck out 66 batters in 73 innings. He fell out of favor among the team's high-leverage relievers by the time the playoffs rolled around, however, and he gave up three earned runs on a pair of homers in his 2 2/3 innings in this year's postseason.
According to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Rodríguez could either be traded or, if he's not, he could stay and compete to reclaim his spot on the 40-man and 26-man rosters during spring training.
In the meantime, Toronto could use its new 40-man roster spot to pick someone up in next week's Rule 5 Draft or simply wait until more free agents sign. With Ponce still not officially added, that 40-man roster stands at 37 players as of Saturday.
Rodríguez is set to make $5 million next year, $6 million in 2027, and owns a $6.3 million player option for 2028.
The move proves that prior financial commitments won't stop the Blue Jays from building what they believe is the perfect roster for the upcoming season, but it's also not impossible that Rodríguez could work his way back to being a part of that roster.
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