The Toronto Blue Jays are just a couple of weeks away from Spring Training, and the current roster will look a bit different when the players start to show up in Dunedin. While familiar faces like Cavan Biggio, Spencer Horwitz, and Jordan Romano will no longer be around, the Jays have added some depth to the organization through signings and trades, including Andres Gimenez, Nick Sandlin, Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman, and Max Scherzer.

A handful of players on MiLB deals will also head to TD Ballpark. All are trying to impress in the spring and find somewhere to play this season, whether in the Jays organization or elsewhere. This number will likely grow in the coming weeks as players continue to find clubs willing to take a chance on them.

With additional depth never a bad thing at the low cost of a MiLB deal, here are four players the Blue Jays should consider for a minor league deal and add some more depth for the spring and potentially the regular season, whether in triple-A or the big leagues.

A name that Blue Jays fans may recognize, Brazilian Yan Gomes was drafted by Toronto in the 10th round in 2009 out of Barry University and played 43 games for Toronto in 2012 before being traded to Cleveland during the 2012/2013 offseason in exchange for Mike Napoli and reliever Esmil Rogers. Since then, Gomes has spent the past 12 years suiting up for the Guardians, Cubs, A’s, and Nationals, with the catcher winning a World Series ring with Washington in 2019.

Gomes has spent the past three campaigns with the Cubs, posting a 1.7 bWAR across 236 games. For his career, the right-handed batter ons a .246/.295/.412 slash line with 137 home runs and 517 RBIs and is coming off a down season where he mustered just a .421 OPS and was later released by the Cubs midway through the year.

A defensive-minded catcher, Gomes owns a .993 fielding percentage and a 39 DRS through his big league career, although he has seen a slight decline behind the plate in recent years. With the catching market starting to thin out with Spring Training so close, Gomes is one of the last names remaining out there for catching depth and the Jays have a bit of an open backfield for who will work with Alejandro Kirk this season, with the competition being between Tyler Heineman, Christian Bethancourt, and Ali Sanchez. Add in Gomes on a MiLB deal and see who triumphs from the four.

A former third-overall pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2015, things have not panned out for Rodgers at the big league level. The former top prospect struggled to grab a hold of an infield roster spot over the years and the Rockies non-tendered him this past winter and the infielder has yet to latch onto another club.

Some solid campaigns in 2021 and 2022 saw him emerge as a potential everyday player, but he missed time in 2023 on the IL and posted a 94 OPS+ last season to the tune of a .721 OPS. He struggled mightily to get the ball off the ground, authoring a whopping 56.5% groundball rate and he sat below the 50% line in almost every measurable offensive statcast line last season outside of hard-hit% (70th percentile). He has some pop in the bat, collecting 13 round-trippers last year, and while it was a bit surprising to see him non-tendered, it appears that the Rockies were not willing to commit the projected $5.5 million he was slated to earn in arbitration considering the highs and lows to his career out of the gate. Rodgers is a defensive first-type of infielder but has tendencies to put the ball in play at a higher clip, as well as some solid underlying power.

A second baseman by trade, the Jays don’t desperately need another name in the mix for the infield, especially after acquiring Andres Gimenez this winter. However, Rodgers has shown he can be an everyday bat at times and is a plus defender at second base, so giving him a change of scenery could do a world of good for the Florida product. This late in the offseason, he might be available on a minor league deal, although it wouldn’t be surprising if he lands a Major League deal with a team needing some infield help.

Injuries have played a huge part in Keynan Middleton’s career, with the right-hander undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander has also had to deal with shoulder inflammation, an ankle strain, and a toe injury, and last year, he missed almost all of the regular season due to a right forearm strain that required surgery, making just five appearances in triple-A.

While it took a few years for the Oregon product to find a groove in the big leagues, his 2023 season was the one that stood out amongst the rest, with the reliever authoring a 3.38 ERA split between the White Sox and Yankees while collecting an 11.4 K/9 and a 1.243 WHIP in the process. The walks and the home runs hurt him at times, which is why his FIP (4.20) and WHIP (1.243) are a bit elevated compared to his ERA, but that year Middleton was cruising with a stellar 54.8% groundball rate while keeping the hard-hit rates low – especially after he joined the Yankees. Even though he didn’t pitch last year for the St. Louis Cardinals, the club reportedly was impressed with his work ethic off the field when injured and adding some veteran perspective to a younger bullpen in an additional coach type of mentality.

The injury reports have been non-existent for Middleton and whether his elbow is healthy heading into the new year. Should he be ready to go this season (or close to finishing rehab from surgery), a MiLB deal for the reliever would be an alright asset to have stashed down in triple-A.

This would get some innings under his belt after just five outings last year in triple-A and if he continues to strike guys out at a high clip and keep the ball on the ground, he could be one name in the pipeline to get a call to the big leagues if injuries arise. It will all depend on his elbow though, and whether he is healthy entering the new year. Middleton could also be in the market for a Major League deal based on his 2023 numbers but with Spring Training just a stone’s throw away, it will be interesting what deals shape up for the reliever over the next few weeks.