Blue Jays sign four players to minor league deals with spring training invites

TORONTO · The Toronto Blue Jays have signed four players to minor league contracts and invited them to big league spring training. The club announced Tuesday that outfielders Victor Arias and Rudy Martin Jr. and right-handed pitchers Lazaro Estrada and Josh Stephan will join the team as non-roster invitees. All four players will provide organizational depth for the 2027 season without requiring a spot on the 40-man roster. The moves come as the Blue Jays prepare for a winter of roster decisions.

Martin, 30, made his long-awaited major league debut with the Blue Jays this past September, 12 years after being drafted. He went 0-for-2 with a walk in a win over the Baltimore Orioles. The outfielder was claimed off waivers from the Orioles in July and had spent most of his career in the minor leagues, primarily with the Kansas City Royals who drafted him in the 25th round in 2014. In 91 minor league games this year, he hit .274 with 11 home runs and 45 stolen bases.

Estrada, 27, returns to the organization where he has spent his entire professional career since signing out of Cuba in 2018. He was designated for assignment and outrighted at the end of the 2026 season but has now re-signed. Estrada has appeared in 10 major league games over the last two seasons, posting a 1-1 record with a 6.64 ERA. In eight appearances for Toronto last season, he had a 5.54 ERA in 13 innings. He has a career minor league record of 19-26 with a 3.84 ERA in 136 games.

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Arias, 23, has been in the Blue Jays system since 2021 and has yet to play in the majors. He split the 2026 season between single-A Dunedin and double-A New Hampshire. A career .255 hitter in the minors with 32 home runs and 73 stolen bases, Arias is capable of playing all three outfield positions. Stephan, a right-hander acquired from the Texas Rangers in August, posted a 6.64 ERA in seven appearances for triple-A Buffalo after the trade. He has reached triple-A with both Texas and Toronto and has started 99 of his 109 career minor league games.

These signings represent low-cost insurance for a team that dealt with significant pitching injuries in 2026. The Blue Jays used 16 different starting pitchers last season, and several minor leaguers made their big league debuts. "These invites are smart, low-cost insurance," wrote Victor William of BlueJaysInsider.com. "None of them will headline the winter, but one of them could end up starting a game in May when the injury bug bites again." The team's 40-man roster is currently tight, with Rule 5 protection decisions due Nov. 17.

Martin and Estrada both re-signed on minor league deals after electing free agency earlier this month. Estrada has one minor league option remaining. The timing of spring training remains uncertain with a potential lockout expected after Dec. 1. If camp opens on schedule, all four players will compete for the attention of the coaching staff and front office. Garbutt Disposal reported in October that the Blue Jays face arbitration decisions on eight players, including pitchers José Soriano and Louis Varland.

With files from Sportsnet, Yahoo Sports and BVM Sports