Toronto Blue Jays have released 6 pitchers this morning

The club's January transaction log shows six pitchers being let go on the same date across multiple affiliates. It's a blunt reminder that roster spots in the winter are as competitive as innings in July.

Samuel Acuna was released out of the DSL group, while Christian Mracna and Grif Hughes were cut from Dunedin on the same Monday. Justin Kelly's release came at Double-A New Hampshire, and Brett Garcia plus JJ Sanchez were released from Vancouver.

What stands out is how spread out the names are, from the DSL level all the way up to the Fisher Cats. That usually points to a broad roster squeeze, not one single coaching staff losing patience.

Mracna's path is a good example of how quickly the margin disappears, since he was activated off Dunedin's injured list late last season and still ended up on the wrong side of the winter shuffle. Hughes is another one who moved levels recently, and now has to restart elsewhere.

Kelly is the toughest one to see at a glance, because Double-A is where you expect depth to matter most. If the Blue Jays feel a pitcher is no longer trending toward the 40-man conversation, this is when they clear the lane.

For Vancouver, releasing Garcia and Sanchez also hints at upcoming adds, whether that's college signings, minor league free agents, or internal promotions. You can only carry so many developmental arms before innings get rationed and progress stalls.

This is not the only players that were released as the Blue Jays also cut ties with 3 catchers in their minor league system which was announced this morning.

None of this is a splashy headline, but it's part of how organizations keep the system healthy.

Also read on Toronto Baseball Insider :
The Toronto Blue Jays announce that they have released 3 catchers