The Toronto Blue Jays swung and missed on signing Japanese star Roki Sasaki, who eventually signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, just as they did with Shohei Ohtani a year ago. Now, the Jays are attempting to move on with two All-Stars, Anthony Santander and Pete Alonso.
Following another big disappointment in trying to bring Sasaki to Toronto, the Jays are apparently in talks with Santander, who was most recently with the Baltimore Orioles, and Mets standout Alonso.
Greene had been a promising prospect. He was ranked #100 on Baseball Prospectus’ Top 100 Prospect List in 2016. In 2017, Conner pitched in New Hampshire and had a 5.29 ERA in 132.2 innings. He struggled to find the strike zone, walking 86 batters while striking out 92 others. Conner did not have a good time with the Cardinals and was DFA’d following the season. He then went on to play for the Royals, Dodgers, and Orioles before spending the last few years in Mexico. In 2024, he played for the Astros’ Triple-A Sugar Land team.
He’s pitched 25.1 innings in the majors, with a 7.11 ERA.
Prior to the 2017 season, the Jays acquired Leone on waivers from the Diamondbacks. He performed admirably in our bullpen, posting a 2.56 ERA in 65 relief appearances, 23 walks, and 81 strikeouts over 70 innings. Dominic was not as effective with the Cardinals. He had a 5.15 ERA in 64.2 innings across two seasons, with 30 walks and 72 strikeouts. They released him in November 2019. He pitched for Cleveland in 2020 and the Giants for two seasons. He threw 51 games for the Mets, Angels, and Mariners in 2023, finishing with a 4.67 ERA. In 2024, he appeared in 23 games for the White Sox, posting a 6.63 ERA.
He has played for nine different MLB teams over the course of eleven seasons. In 429 games, he has an ERA of 3.94. In 429 innings, he’s walked 192 and struck out 444.
Grichuk? He was a Blue Jay for four seasons, batting.243/.289/.461 with 90 home runs. He may be described as both hot and cool. He had his moments, but he never rose to the level of stardom we expected. His bWAR was 4.4 over those four years.
We won the deal, but the Jays also signed Randal to a five-year, $52 million contract. He was dealt to the Rockies immediately before the 2022 season for $9.7 million, along with Raimel Tapia and prospect Adrian Pinto. Tapia was released. Pinto spent 2024 playing in three minor league levels, hitting.330/.378/.573 in 26 games.
I felt Denver would be a nice fit for Grichuk, but he didn’t hit much better there, with a.275/.321/.448 hitting line and 27 home runs in 204 games over two seasons. In July, he was dealt to the Angels. In 2024, he played for the Diamondbacks and had an excellent season, hitting.291/.348/.528 with 12 home runs in 106 games. He’s currently a free agent.