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Blue Jays looking to grab some big time players at Rule 5 Draft
Photo credit: MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK
The MLB Rule 5 draft is taking place in 10 days, and the Toronto Blue Jays could definitely use some help from unexpected places, the three players the Blue Jays should pursue in a little over a week are Shane Murphy, Jadher Areinamo and Pete Hansen.
Two of them Murphy and Hansen are left handed pitchers, which is something the Blue Jays bullpen lacked severely last season.
Rule 5 draft could make or break Blue Jays.
Matthew Sookram of the Jays Journal provided a report on the three unprotected prospects, Murphy for the White Sox, Areinamo for the Rays and Hansen for the Cardinals. The two left handed pitchers are the most intriguing, as it solves a big gap in the Blue Jays bullpen.
"Murphy is not ranked in within the White Sox top 30 prospects but had a very Trey Yesavage-like type of season in the minors, as he advanced from High-A to Triple-A this past year. Hansen would fit on this team in the same way Murphy does, developing himself into a lefty specialist out of the pen. He's also a guy that has been a starter in his entire pro-ball career, that started in 2020, but he's a guy that doesn't have an overpowering fastball - like Murphy."-Sookram
Areinamo is someone who will need some more time developing. He has had a solid season in Double-A but needs time against better pitching. He is also swiss army knife in the infield, being able to play third, second and short-stop. And is an excellent base runner stealing 80 bases in 5 seasons.
" He's a utility type player that could be a good bench piece with the upside to develop into an every day player. But if the Blue Jays want to add any of these players, their likely will have to be some cuts made down the road."-Sookram
The Blue Jays are definitely holding out their funds for the big names in free agency, which means finding a few unproven players in the Rule 5 would be ideal to fill the gaps in their lineup without blowing too much money. With any luck they'll be able to find the missing pieces.
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