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An early look at the Blue Jays farm system heading into 2026
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Photo credit: © Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Nov 24, 2025, 17:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 24, 2025, 17:02 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays’ farm system rapidly improved in 2025.
So much so that they were able to go big at the deadline. Khal Stephen was traded to the Cleveland Guardians for Shane Bieber, Juaron Watts-Brown was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Seranthony Domínguez, and Alan Roden + Kendry Rojas were traded to the Minnesota Twins for Ty France and Louis Varland.
Even with those three major trades, the Blue Jays’ farm system is in a good place heading into next season. Pitching in particular is a strong suit, even though they traded three pitchers who could’ve ranked in their top 10.
That’s thanks to the emergence of Johnny King and Gage Stanifer. King was selected in the third round of the 2024 draft out of high school and posted a 2.48 ERA and 3.18 FIP in 61.2 innings pitched between the Florida Complex League and Single-A. What makes the left-handed pitch such an enticing prospect is his 39.5 K%, but he did have a high walk rate of 13.9 BB%.
King’s first professional season was 2025, but Stanifer has been at it for a few seasons after being selected in the 19th round of the 2022 draft. The 22-year-old put it all together in 2025, authoring a 2.86 ERA and 2.70 FIP in 110 innings pitched, with a 35.5 K% and 12.8 BB%. He was dominant in the lower minors (Single-A and High-A) before finishing the season in Double-A.
Add in Trey Yesavage, who is still technically a prospect, and there are three starters with the potential to be in the front of a rotation. But it’s not just those three pitchers, as a handful of pitchers who missed 2025 due to Tommy John surgery will return.
The most notable of which is left-handed pitcher Ricky Tiedemann, who was recently added to the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster. At his best, the sky is the limit for the Jays’ third-round pick in 2021, as he gets a ton of swing and miss with three plus pitches, including an upper-90s fastball.
Nolan Perry, T.J. Brock, Angel Bastardo, Connor Cooke, and a handful of other pitchers could pitch again in 2026. The Jays also have a few prospects/young pitchers on their 40-man roster. Lázaro Estrada already made his big league debut, but Adam Macko will likely see some action next season at some point.
On the position player side of things, the Blue Jays have a handful of outfielders who broke out in 2025. Acquired in the Nate Pearson trade before the 2024 trade deadline, Yohendrick Piñango slashed .258/.361/.430 with 15 home runs in 533 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. The outfielder slowed down upon his promotion to Triple-A, but he still had a strong season.
As did RJ Schreck, another prospect the Blue Jays acquired ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. Like Piñango, Schreck started the season in Double-A and finished in Triple-A, but unlike Piñango, Schreck found a ton of success with the Buffalo Bisons. As a whole, he slashed .249/.395/.459 with 18 home runs in 427 plate appearances last season.
There are a handful of other outfield prospects who had a strong season, such as Victor Arias, Jace Bohrofen and Eddie Michelleti Jr. The Jays also picked a few notable outfielders in the 2025 draft, such as Jake Cook (third round) and Blaine Bullard (12th round).
A few years ago, the outfield was one area for improvement, something the Jays have done. After trading Gabriel Moreno, the Jays have been looking for their next top catching prospect. Luis Meza was their top signing a few years ago, but has panned out. They acquired Edward Duran in the Jordan Groshans deal back in 2022, but he’s still a few years away. Brandon Valenzuela is their most MLB-ready catching prospect, but he figures to be a backup catcher. It’s an area that still needs improvement.
That said, the Jays’ farm system is stacked with notable infielders, particularly at shortstop. There are three main shortstop prospects who either rank or will rank in the top 100 at some point. Arjun Nimmala had a tough second half of his season, but he reportedly dealt with injuries. Drafted 20th overall in the 2023 draft, Nimmala is the most likely to stick at shortstop of the three.
Juan Sanchez sort of came out of nowhere. Signed by the Blue Jays during the 2025 International Free Agency signing period, the shortstop slashed .341/.439/.565 with eight home runs as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League. It’s been a long time since the Blue Jays got this type of performance from a player in the DSL. Kennew Blanco and Cristopher Polanco are two other DSL shortstops who were notable signings in January, but they didn’t have the same type of season.
You can’t forget their 2025 first-round pick, the player that made the 2024 Blue Jays’ record of 74-88 worth it, JoJo Parker. The shortstop is a strong hitter with above-average power and a plus hit tool, but could move off short in the future. He has yet to make his MLB debut.
There are also a handful of notable infielders at other positions. Riley Tirotta is a power-hitting utility player, Charles McAdoo had a strong season once returning from the Development List, Sean Keys hit a ton of home runs, and Tucker Toman had a bounce-back year.
All in all, the Blue Jays’ farm system is in a strong place, which will only help moving forward, either by trade or to plug holes in the coming years.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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