Several MLB veterans are still available on the free agent market, and many of them have ties to the Blue Jays.

I don’t see there being any reunions on the horizon either even though it looks like Ross Atkins hasn’t finished his off-season shopping just yet, but it still doesn’t hurt to check up on old friends.

So which former Jays are still looking for work in 2025?

There are two former Blue Jays backstops still available on the market, and both probably fall into the backup catcher class these days.

The group would be headlined by Yan Gomes, who played just 34 games last season for the Chicago Cubs and didn’t fare all that well when he was on the field. Still, with a 13-year career on his resume and a bit of offensive upside, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gomes sign a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Had the Blue Jays not just signed Christian Bethancourt and Ali Sanchez to respective MiLB deals, there could have been a potential fit here behind Alejandro Kirk in Toronto. Gomes spent the first 43 games of his career as a Blue Jay before being traded to Cleveland ahead of the 2013 season.

The second name would be Luke Maile, who was a Blue Jay from 2017-19 and appeared in 158 games. Maile spent last season with the Reds backing up Tyler Stephenson, and while he’s still a solid defender, he didn’t offer much with the bat and slashed just .178/.268/.252.

The Blue Jays weren’t quite as aggressive last winter when it came to upgrading their lineup, and they ultimately paid for it with one of the weakest collective offensive showings that they’ve had in years.

One of the “value” signings they went with was 39-year-old Justin Turner, who mostly struggled during his time as a Blue Jay before he was traded to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the deadline. He turned things around a bit in a new jersey, but so far he’s still waiting for another opportunity.

Even though he’s now 36 years old, it feels a bit surprising that Whit Merrifield is still looking for an MLB job at this point. Granted he struggled last season during time split between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves and slashed .222/.311/.314 across 95 games, but he still offers plenty of versatility and veteran leadership to a big-league locker room.

Merrifield was an All-Star with the Blue Jays as recently as 2023 and should still have something to offer at the highest level. That said, he might have to settle for a very modest contract to continue his career.

The second name among the second basemen list would be Brandon Drury, who should also eventually find a big league job before Opening Day. The 32-year-old had a terrible season with the Angels in 2024, but the year before he managed 26 home runs, 30 doubles, and 83 RBI over 125 games. With the ability to play second, third, first base, and even play an outfield corner in a pinch, I’d be surprised if Drury can’t find a role somewhere.

Believe it or not, there are two shortstops with brief ties to the Blue Jays as well.

Paul Dejong spent a spectacularly bad 13 games as a Jay in 2023 and managed to rack up -0.8 bWAR before they had no choice but to designate him for assignment. The now 31-year-old bounced back and split last season between the White Sox and Royals while hitting 24 home runs across 139 games.

The other is Mason McCoy, who die-hard fans might remember from his six-game stint as a Blue Jay in 2023. The 29-year-old spent last season with the Padres organization, where he appeared in just 19 games.

As I reviewed MLB’s list of free agents from this year, the list of former Blue Jays is pretty slim.

First, there’s Kevin Pillar, who announced his intention to retire after the 2024 season with the Angels, only to later change his mind and decide that he still had something to offer for at least one more year. The second name is Randal Grichuk, who played with the Arizona Diamondbacks and performed quite well by slashing .291/.348/.528 over 106 games in 2024, also chipping in 12 home runs, 20 doubles, and 46 RBI, mostly in a platoon role. Both could see a contract before or maybe when Spring Training rolls around, especially if some teams get hit by the injury bug early.

Remember that short stretch last spring when Daniel Vogelbach was the Blue Jays’ most dangerous hitter? Those were rough times. As expected, the DH/1B is still looking for a new gig, and will all but certainly have to settle for another MiLB deal if he can continue his MLB career.

There aren’t a whole lot of viable options left on the market for starting pitchers, but there are two former Blue Jays still looking for work.

Ross Stripling played north of the border from 2020-22 and was quite effective before he eventually left as a free agent to sign with the San Francisco Giants. That stint in the NL West didn’t go very well in 2023, and the changeup artist didn’t fare much better with the Oakland A’s in 2024 either, finishing the year with a 6.01 ERA over 22 appearances that included 14 starts.

The only other starter who has donned a Blue Jays uniform before is Chase Anderson, who made a brief stop in Toronto in 2020. He made seven starts and three relief appearances. Anderson faces an uphill battle to continue his career after struggling with the Red Sox and Rangers last year, but the veteran right-hander could still find an opportunity.

A handful of relievers with familiar names, including Adam Cimber, Dominic Leone, Jay Jackson, and Zach Logue, are still looking for work.

With all due respect, all of these relievers will likely be looking at a MiLB contract and an invite to Spring Training as the best-case scenario at this point. However, there’s one name that sticks out to me as someone I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Blue Jays end up with, and that’s Ryan Yarbrough.

The soft-tossing southpaw tortured the Blue Jays for several years when he pitched for the Rays and ended up in a Blue Jays uniform last year when he came over in the Kevin Kiermaier trade. While Atkins and company have built a pretty solid bullpen group over the winter, they’re still lacking a bit from the left side, and they could do worse than an old friend who they have recent experience with.

Who did I miss? How many of these former Blue Jays end up with new contracts, and how many end up either retiring or seeking an opportunity in another country? With less than two weeks until the Jays start reporting to Spring Training, don’t be surprised if there is a flurry of smaller moves across the league in the next week or so.

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