The offseason continues to trudge along, with a majority of the deals and contracts in place being on the minor side of newsworthy.

The biggest splash has been the Semien-Nimmo trade involving the Rangers and Mets, and from the free agent side, Josh Naylor returning to Seattle on a five-year deal has stolen the show so far.

Yesterday, we took a look at some former Blue Jays who hit the open market this winter, having played for the organization in one capacity or another throughout the years. Part 1 focused more on the non-tenders, while this section will turn the focus more towards established big leaguers.

Luke Maile was part of a tough few years in Blue Jays history. He was the backup catcher on the squad from 2017 through 2019, when the Jays were rebuilding and trading off veteran assets. He put forward a .550 OPS through 158 games and 451 at-bats during that three-year tenure.

After spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Cincinnati, Maile signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals and spent most of the season in Triple-A Buffalo. He was fighting for the backup spot behind Salvador Perez, and featured in just 25 games at the big league level this past campaign. Across 45 at-bats, he collected 11 hits, two doubles, and one home run while stealing a base as well.

The legend that is Paul DeJong.

After being acquired by the Jays at the 2023 trade deadline, the infielder struggled mightily to make an impact on the roster, producing just three hits across 44 at-bats to the tune of a .068/.068/.068 slash line. The Jays eventually stopped the bleeding after 13 games, and he finished the year in the Bay Area.

Last season, DeJong took his talents to Washington, where he suited up in 57 games. A Mitch Keller fastball to the face in mid-April sent DeJong to the IL with a fractured nose, and he missed over two months to get back into game shape.

On the season, the Florida product collected 44 hits, including 10 doubles, six home runs, and 23 RBIs while walking 11 times. He finished the year with a .642 OPS and is likely looking for a short-term deal this winter to rebuild his stock after missing a good portion of the season.

A familiar face to Jays fans because of the four years he spent in the AL East, infielder Gio Urshela is a free agent once again after an up-and-down season with the Athletics.

A hamstring injury cost him some time early in the year, but the A’s eventually designated him for assignment in mid-August. During his time on the West Coast, he produced a .238/.287/.326 slash line with 14 doubles, one triple, zero home runs, and 20 RBIs while suiting up in 181 at-bats.

Rowdy Tellez was a fan favourite during his time with the Blue Jays. However, Jays fans were not too fond of the slugger this campaign.

Tellez started the campaign with the Seattle Mariners, with one of his highlights of the season being the three home runs he collected against Toronto in mid-April, one of which was a grand slam in extra innings off Jacob Barnes. He would last until late June with Seattle before signing with the Texas Rangers on a MiLB deal, which is where he finished the campaign.

Across both teams, Tellez crafted a .228/.276/.443 slash line with 11 doubles, 17 home runs, 49 RBIs and a .719 OPS.

Outfielder Rob Refsnyder’s stay with the Blue Jays was brief – 32 games in 2017 – but fans will likely remember his name from the past four seasons he has spent in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox.

Despite playing in more of a bench capacity and missing some time late in the year due to an oblique strain, the 2025 campaign was a strong year for the 34-year-old.

He led all eligible free agent LF’s in fWAR (2.3) and amassed a .269/.354/.484 slash line with nine home runs and 30 RBIs with a .838 OPS. He produced a stellar 92 average exit velocity and was hitting the ball hard, finishing the year with a 52.3% hard-hit rate.

Randal Grichuk, one of the few players to ink an extension with the Jays when the club was rebuilding in the late 2010s. He spent four years with Toronto, amassing a .751 OPS across 479 games before being traded to the Colorado Rockies just before the 2022 season.

Grichuk has bounced around since then, and last season, he split his time between the Diamondbacks and Royals, finishing the campaign in the AL Central. Across both teams, the right-handed bat mustered a .228/.273/.401 slash line with a .674 OPS across 113 games.

The veteran outfielder will likely be a bench role candidate this winter, but there is still some gas left in the tank from the Texas product that one team out there will likely give him a short-term deal this offseason

One of the longest tenured Blue Jays on this list is right-hander Marcus Stroman.

After spending six years on the Jays’ big league roster, earning a Gold Glove (2017) and one All-Star nod (2019), Toronto moved him to the New York Mets at the 2019 trade deadline, much to the chagrin of Stroman.

Since then, the New York product has spent time in Queens, with the Chicago Cubs, and the last two seasons with the New York Yankees, inking a two-year deal with a club option for 2026.

The 2025 season got off to a rough start for Stroman, as the addition of Max Fried during the offseason seemed like the right-hander was heading to the bullpen, which Stroman was vocal about in opposition. He did start the year in the rotation due to injuries to the rest of the staff, but knee inflammation saw him land on the IL in early April before returning in late June. Stroman got his wish to start, making nine across 39 innings, but he struggled to a 6.23 ERA and a 5.19 FIP, allowing 27 earned runs and producing a 10.2 H/9 during that time.

The Yankees eventually released him just after the trade deadline, and he did not sign with another team down the stretch.

A former top prospect in the Blue Jays system, the former sixth-round draft pick was included in the blockbuster Miami Marlins deal back in 2012. He made his big league debut in 2014 with the Fish, and since then, he has bounced around and spent time with the Reds, Giants, and last season with the Yankees and Diamondbacks.

Injuries have been DeSclafani’s biggest downfall, as he has just three full seasons under his belt across 10 seasons in the big leagues. This past season, he began the year with the Yankees after signing a MiLB deal in mid-May, but was released a month later. He then signed with the Diamondbacks, making 13 appearances (four starts) before a thumb injury sent him to the IL, with the club DFA’d the right-hander in mid-September. DeSclafani finished the year with a 5.12 ERA, 6.29 FIP, and a 1.267 WHIP across 38 2/3 innings.

The last time Foster Griffin pitched in the big leagues, it was for the Blue Jays in 2022. He made one relief appearance, pitching two clean innings with two strikeouts, before finishing the campaign in Triple-A and eventually being released.

Since then, Griffin has spent the past three seasons in Japan, pitching for the Yomiuri Giants. Across three seasons at the big league level, Griffin has bounced back, authoring a 2.57 ERA across 315 2/3 innings. During that time, he struck out 318 batters (9.1 K/9) and kept the walks in check to the tune of a 2.0 BB/9 while working as a starter for the Giants.

Griffin is looking to make the jump back to MLB this winter and has a strong resume from NPB under his belt this time around, similar to how Merrill Kelly and Erick Fedde went overseas to rebuild their stock before returning stateside.

Blue Jays legend Kirby Yates is a free agent again.

Fans may recall Yates and his time with the Dodgers this past season, especially during the benches-clearing ‘discussion’ at home plate that saw the Dodgers right-hander fired up. Yates was signed by the Jays during the 2020/2021 offseason to a one-year deal but didn’t appear in a game for Toronto, landing on the IL for the year.

He then spent two seasons in Atlanta and one year in Texas, where he rebuilt his stock and signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers for the 2025 season. The Hawaiian product made 50 appearances for L.A., racking up a 5.23 ERA and a 4.76 FIP through 41 1/3 innings, with the veteran hurler landing on the IL on three separate occasions. Yates did not pitch in the Dodgers’ postseason run.

Steven Matz had a strong year with the Blue Jays in 2021, pitching to a 3.82 ERA across 29 starts with a 3.79 FIP and a 1.334 WHIP. This turned into a four-year, $44 million pact with the St. Louis Cardinals the following offseason, a deal that expires this winter and sees him head to free agency.

This past season, Matz split his time between the Cards and the Boston Red Sox, who acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline. A starter for most of his career, the Cardinals started to move him into a reliever role over the past two years, as injuries hampered his first two seasons with the organization.

Last season was one of his best on record under his new deal, producing a 3.05 ERA and a 3.46 FIP between both clubs, allowing just 26 runs through 76 2/3 innings. While he isn’t a strikeout pitcher by any means, he commanded the strike zone well, producing a 1.3 BB/9 walk rate with a stellar 1.096 WHIP, and setting himself up for a short-term deal as a reliever this winter.

Law’s time with Toronto was limited to just one season, the 2019 campaign, where he appeared in 58 games and produced a 4.90 ERA across 60 2/3 innings.

Since then, he has pitched for the Twins, Tigers, Reds, and Nationals, which is where he spent the 2024 campaign. Through 75 outings, he amassed a 2.60 ERA and a 3.32 FIP through 90 innings, saving one game. Law did not pitch in 2025 due to forearm inflammation that eventually turned into flexor tendon surgery in July.

He likely will miss the start of the 2026 season as he continues to recover from the surgery, but after a strong 2024 season, there will likely be a couple of teams interested in signing Law to a short-term deal to get him back on a big league relief staff towards the end of the 2026 season.

Liam Hendriks just cannot catch a break. Having to undergo treatment for cancer back in 2023 and then elbow injuries that resulted in Tommy John surgery, Hendriks was all set to return to the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox in 2025.

He appeared in 14 games for Boston before hip inflammation sent him to the IL, which is where he finished the campaign. Through his limited time, he allowed 10 earned runs across 13 2/3 innings and struck out 12 batters while producing a 4.6 BB/9. Hendriks was close to returning late in the season before he required surgery to repair his ulnar nerve, sending him back to the sidelines.

Hendriks will be looking for a short-term deal if he wants to continue pitching, as his surgery has a shorter timeline of recovery compared to full-blown Tommy John surgery.

At one time, Tim Mayza was one of the longest tenured Blue Jays on the squad. After riding the options bus early in his career, he became a stalwart in the relief corps in 2021 (following his arm injury), becoming one of the go-to left-handers in the Jays’ bullpen. His most dominant campaign was in 2023, where he produced a 1.52 ERA and struck out 53 1/3 innings.

In 2024, Mayza struggled through 35 outings, allowing 22 earned runs through 24 2/3 innings, with the Jays designating him for assignment in early July. He would finish the year with the Yankees.

Last season, Mayza signed a short-term deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but a lat muscle strain in early April sent him to the sidelines for the majority of the season. He would be released in late August, with the Philadelphia Phillies claiming him off waivers a day later, reuniting him with former Jays closer Jordan Romano.

For the season, the southpaw collected a 3.78 ERA and a 1.320 WHIP across 15 outings and 16 2/3 innings, walking just five batters (2.7 BB/9).

Acquired at the 2023 trade deadline by the Jays, left-hander Genesis Cabrera crafted a 3.34 ERA across 98 relief outings North of the border. While it seemed like he was going to be a part of the 2025 bullpen, the Jays let him walk, with the southpaw signing a short-term deal with the New York Mets.

This past season, Cabrera was all over the place. He spent time in the Mets minor league system and eventually found himself pitching for the Mets, Cubs, Twins, and Pirates. Across all four teams, the Dominican product pitched to a 6.54 ERA through 40 outings, finding the most success with the Mets during his six outings (3.52 ERA through 7 2/3 innings).

Acquired by the Jays in 2019 as part of the Marcus Stroman trade package, Anthony Kay struggled to carve out a role on the Jays’ big league roster. He pitched in both the rotation and bullpen, amassing a 5.48 ERA across 28 outings (seven starts).

He was DFA’d following the 2022 season and split the 2023 campaign between the Cubs and Mets, but decided to head to Japan for the 2024 campaign to rebuild his stock.

The past two seasons have seen Kay pitch for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, and this past season, he was one of the most dominant pitchers on the BayStars pitching staff. Across 24 starts and 155 innings, he compiled a 1.74 ERA (BayStars single-season ERA record), allowing just 30 earned runs and 41 walks on the year while striking out 130. He also produced a 0.981 WHIP and a 9-6 record.

Similar to Griffin, Kay is reportedly looking to return stateside and an MLB opportunity, bringing a strong resume from his two seasons in the NPB.

Take $20 off your first Vivid Seats order of $200+ using promo code JAYSNATION (new customers only, $200 USD minimum before taxes & fees)