However, more surprisingly was the fact that the Blue Jays and GM Ross Atkins chose to keep two spots open on their 40-man roster for potential offseason moves, rather than to protect a couple more promising prospects from the Rule 5 Draft that will be held in December.
Cruz gets a 40-man spot for the first time going into his age-27 season. The Tigers had left the former third-round pick unprotected in the past two offseasons. The switch-hitting infielder, the son of former big league outfielder José Cruz, earned his way onto the roster with a breakout year in the upper minors. Cruz hit .279/.411/.456 while leading all minor league hitters with 102 walks between the top two levels.
The Reds announced that they have added three players to the 40-man roster. Infielders Edwin Arroyo and Leo Balcazar had their contracts selected from Double-A Chattanooga, while outfielder Hector Rodriguez was selected from Triple-A Louisville. All three are now protected from the Rule 5 Draft. In addition, right-hander Carson Spiers was designated for assignment. The club's 40-man roster now stands at an even 40.
Deadline for qualifying offer decisions: Today's the deadline for players who were extended the qualifying offer to make their decisions on whether to accept the QO or head into free agency encumbered by draft pick compensation. The majority of the 13 players who received a QO will reject it without much thought, but there are a handful of edge cases who could at least consider accepting the one-year, $22.05MM deal rather than testing the open market.
That's the day all 30 MLB teams have to submit their 40-man rosters and there are some interesting names currently on the table that the Blue Jays have to make a big decision on. The players that aren't on the 40-man will be left exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in December and Toronto General Manager Ross Atkins will have to weigh which ones he is comfortable losing and which ones he feels he can't let slip away.
Starting with Bichette, the infielder was always going to receive a qualifying offer, given what he's done throughout his career. Last season, the 27-year-old slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs in 628 plate appearances for a 134 wRC+. He'll surely decline his qualifying offer to become a free agent. If he signs elsewhere, the Blue Jays will receive a draft pick after the fourth round.
Some outlets have already published theirs, but we like to wait until Qualifying Offer decisions have been revealed because they can have such a significant impact on a free agent's market. This makes us a little bit late to the party, but allows us to provide a bit more analysis and (hopefully) more accuracy. It's our biggest post of the year and you should keep an eye out for it later today!
