The Toronto Blue Jays have added two more pitchers to the organization.
Toronto has been active this offseason, as the Blue Jays have landed Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to their rotation. On Wednesday, Toronto selected Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 Draft from the San Francisco Giants.
Miles projects to compete for a spot in the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Toronto liked his sinker enough to select him, according to assistant GM Mike Murov.
“If he’s able to post on a consistent basis, keep the command and keep the stuff, he’s a useful pitcher on any team,” Murov said about Miles.
Miles, 25, spent the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in the summer of 2024. He’s a 6-foot-3 right-hander was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
This is the second-straight year the Blue Jays have made a pick in the Rule 5 Draft. In 2024, Toronto selected Angel Bastardo, who spent the entire year rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery. He will need to spend the entire 2026 season in the MLB or will be sent back to the Boston Red Sox.
Along with Miles, Toronto also signed left-handed reliever Michael Plassmeyer to a minor league contract. The 29-year-old spent last season in Triple-A in the Texas Rangers‘ system, where he went 9-4 with a 4.43 ERA with 99 strikeouts. He’s 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in his MLB career.
Blue Jays Have Been Focusing on Pitching
Toronto has been focusing on adding pitching depth this offseason.
The Blue Jays signed Cease and Ponce to bolster the rotation and have also been linked to several relievers. The big move is Cease, and he said he wanted to join Toronto as it gives him a chance to win.
“The biggest part really was being able to be a part of a championship team,” Cease said during his introductory press conference. “Obviously, with the run last year, they’ve proven that they have championship-calibre players and obviously a good process. That was probably the number one thing.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider, meanwhile, said Cease’s stuff is something the team has loved for a while.
“We’ve been in love with his stuff for a while, and I think there’s a real opportunity for him to kind of continue to get better with what we can offer him,” Schneider said.
Cease went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season with the San Diego Padres.
Toronto Makes 2 More Selections in Rule 5
Along with the selection of Miles, the Blue Jays made two selections in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.
Toronto selected 22-year-old outfielder Hedbert Perez from the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round. Perez was considered a top prospect in the Brewers’ system. He was ranked as the team’s third-best prospect in 2021. He slashed .211/.311/.405 with 14 home runs, 11 doubles, 44 RBIs, and eight stolen bases between A and AA.
Perez’s dad, Robert, played four years in the MLB, including four years with the Blue Jays from 1994 to 1997.
With their second pick in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the Blue Jays selected right-handed pitcher Travis Kuhn from the Detroit Tigers.
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