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Blue Jays – Players who become Rule 5 eligible this winter who could be of interest to rival squads

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With the Toronto Blue Jays season winding down and their playoff hopes in the rearview mirror, all the attention to the squad has shifted to next season and how the club can rebound into a postseason-worthy club in short succession.

Although the offseason is still a couple of months away, one aspect of the roster that the front office will need to determine is who will be protected on the 40-man roster from the Rule 5 Draft – the annual selection process where rival clubs can take eligible players for their active rosters, where they must remain all season, or be returned to the club they were selected from unless a separate trade is worked out.

Each year, teams across the league take a flyer on players that they think can improve their team the next season – notable players in recent memory who were selected in the draft who succeed at the big leagues include Anthony Santander (Orioles), Mark Canha (Rockies), and Garret Whitlock (Red Sox) – while most are returned to the original club by the end of Spring Training.

The Toronto Blue Jays have not been involved with the Rule 5 Draft in quite some time.

The last time the Jays selected a player was in 2018, taking Elvis Luciano from the Kansas City Royals. He stayed on the active roster long enough during the club’s rebuilding year and later kept working in the minor league system before becoming a free agent in 2022 (he now pitches in Japan). The Jays have found success in the draft process in the past – Joe Biagni (2015), Manuel Lee (1984), and Kelly Gruber (1983) – but haven’t dipped their toes into the waters at the big league level in a few years.

Part of the process is protecting players from the draft, which involves the club adding the desired player to the 40-man roster where they cannot be selected (and also starting their options).

Last winter, the team protected Adam Macko from the Rule 5 Draft. While no Jays were selected in the Major League portion (there is a minor league side as well), there are a few players that have been taken by other teams and returned to the Jays when they didn’t crack the Opening Day roster or struggled to stay with the respective club. The most notable is Jordan Romano, who was selected by the White Sox in 2018 and traded to the Rangers but did not find a spot on the active roster to begin the year and was returned to Toronto.

There are a handful of players who are eligible for the draft for the first time this winter and may have the Blue Jays looking to protect them from the draft by adding them to their already full 40-man roster. The Jays will gain some space with Ryan Yarbrough heading to free agency and the possibility of the club non-tendering some players heading to arbitration, decisions the club will need to make this offseason.

Here are some players in the Blue Jays farm system who are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time this winter and could be of interest to other clubs.

*All eligibility information found via FanGraphs*

Trenton Wallace – LHP

While he doesn’t gain the same amount of attention as Ricky Tiedemann, Adam Macko, or Jake Bloss, southpaw Trenton Wallace is one pitcher that Jays’ fans who follow the prospect channels know all too well.

Wallace started the year in double-A and found a rhythm – posting a 2.68 ERA through 17 starts. This saw the 2021 draft pick be promoted to triple-A in late July and he continues to get his feet wet in the Bisons rotation.

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He owns a 6.17 ERA through 23 1/3 innings with a five-spot on August 27th being the biggest outlier of the small sample size. Wallace doesn’t pitch too deep into games, hovering around three to four innings an outing, and has struggled with control at the next level (19 walks) but under the surface, there is still a lot to like from the 25-year-old.

When consistent, he can limit the damage and produce soft contact that gets him out of innings and at the big league level, might be suited for the bullpen in a middle relief role. That might be enticing for another club in the draft, taking Wallace on a flyer to see if he can earn a spot in a big-league bullpen.

Hayden Juenger – RHP

After a step back in the 2023 season, right-hander Hayden Juenger returned to Buffalo this season and has been one of the most dependable arms in the Bisons’ bullpen this year.

Through 49 outings (one behind Mason Fluharty for the team lead), Juenger has authored a 3.90 ERA through 62 1/3 innings and has collected seven holds and two saves on the year. Juenger has been consistent on the mound this year, holding opponents to a 3.0 BB/9 and pitching to a 2.71 K/BB rate while seeing a slight decrease in his strikeout percentages (8.2 K/9).

Of the first-time Rule 5 eligible pitchers within the Jays system, Juenger sticks out amongst the relief corps and should gain some attention this winter which may prompt the Jays to consider protecting him on the 40-man roster.

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Chad Dallas – RHP

A product of the 2021 MLB Draft, Chad Dallas started the year in triple-A to start the year and was a pitcher to watch given the Jays’ lack of pitching depth across the organization.

The right-hander has battled all season long, both with injuries and struggling performance, and is currently on the injured list for the rest of the campaign. With the Bisons, Dallas pitched to a 6.21 ERA through 16 starts and amassed a 1.52 WHIP with an 8.1 K/9 and a 3.2 BB/9.

Any team looking for someone with stellar command and some depth in the rotation or bullpen (to log innings) might take a flyer on Dallas but the injury might scare away some teams this winter.

Damiano Palmegiani – 1B/3B

The 2023 season was a breakout in all sorts of ways for infielder Damiano Palmegiani. The Venezuelan-born, B.C.-raised slugger smashed 23 home runs last year and 24 the year before, with Palmegiani finding ways to launch the ball in almost every level of the Jays system.

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This season has been a bit of a step back for the infielder, who has amassed a .220/.323/.390 slash line as an everyday player for the Bisons. His 17 homers are a bit behind his normal pace but he still has 17 doubles and 51 RBIs to his credit to go with an 11.0% walk rate. The slugger still has some swing-and-miss to his game, evident by his 28.8% strikeout rate, but when he connects on the ball it travels a long way.

Any team looking to bet on the upside of Palmegiani may give him some runway this spring to snag a spot on a big-league roster, especially since he can handle himself at both third and first base with some left-field sprinkled in between. Versatile and athletic, Palmegiani’s power is his calling and some teams may answer this winter in the draft.