There are a handful of Toronto Blue Jays players on the 40-man roster with no options remaining.

In total, there are four players &#8211; Zach Pop, Tommy Nance,  Tyler Heineman, and Ernie Clement &#8211; that need to make the team&#8217;s 26-man roster out of Spring Training. If they don&#8217;t, the Blue Jays will have to designated them for assignment and hope that they clear.
It’s worth noting that players with over five seasons of service time can’t be optioned unless the team is permitted by the player, so players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette don’t have options remaining. For simplicity&#8217;s sake though, let’s look at the four players who have under five years of service time heading into the season, but have no option years remaining!
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<h2>Zach Pop</h2>
It was a bit of a surprise when the Blue Jays didn’t non-tender Zach Pop before the deadline, eventually agreeing to a one-year, $900,000 deal to avoid arbitration.
Pop was acquired before the 2022 trade deadline, with the Blue Jays sending former top prospect Jordan Groshans to the Miami Marlins. The Canadian reliever found success with the Jays, posting a 2.67 ERA and a 3.23 FIP over his first 30.1 innings, but suffered an injury in his last outing with the team, in early May 2023.
He struggled in 2024 with the Blue Jays, posting a 5.59 ERA and a 5.53 FIP in 48.1 innings pitched, with a 15.8 K% and a 9.1 BB%. Pop did earn his first big league save, though.
The righty has the stuff, featuring a mid-90s sinker and a good slider. Not only did he generate a ton of groundballs, but he also was in the 79th percentile for chase % this past season. Still, he has no option years remaining and could be designated for assignment if the Blue Jays add another reliever.  If he remains on the 40-man roster until Spring Training, he’ll need to earn a spot out of camp.
<h2>Tommy Nance</h2>
On Aug. 7, 2024, the Blue Jays traded fan-favourite Cash Considerations to the San Diego Padres in exchange for reliever Tommy Nance.
The Blue Jays bullpen was the worst in the league, but that was far from Nance’s fault. Last season, the 33-year-old right-handed pitcher had a 4.09 ERA and a 3.98 FIP in 22 innings pitched, with a 20.4 K% and a 9.7 BB%. Not a bad pickup for a non-playoff team.
However, the Blue Jays have aspirations of contending in 2025 and a main point of focus this off-season has been rebuilding their bullpen. They added a closer in Jeff Hoffman, re-acquired Yimi García, and traded for Nick Sandlin. If they decide to make any other move this off-season, especially for the bullpen, he and Pop may be the first to be designated for assignment.
<h2>Tyler Heineman</h2>
Tyler Heineman is now in stint #3 with the Blue Jays. He’s never particularly hit well with the team, most recently slashing .100/.308/.100 in 13 plate appearances, but he provides solid enough defence.
In 2022, his only season with more than 100 plate appearances, Heineman had 5 Defensive Runs Saved and 5 Fielding Run Value in 436.1 innings behind home plate. For his career, he has 7 DRS and 9 FRV, including 2 DRS and 1 FRV in 38 innings last season.
There are still a few upgrades over Heineman out there as well. Yasmani Grandal isn’t the same player he once was with the bat or the glove, but the 36-year-old is a veteran who has played on some good teams. James McCann is another veteran who has been around it, most recently playing for the Baltimore Orioles where he slashed .234/.279/.388 with eight home runs in 233 plate appearances.
The Jays have also added a couple of catchers to minor-league deals. Most recently, they signed Christian Bethancourt who had a 66 wRC+ in 147 plate appearances. His career wRC+ is 71 with okay defensive abilities. Ali Sánchez is in a similar boat with far less experience.
<h2>Ernie Clement</h2>
Of the four players with no options remaining, Clement is the only player with a guaranteed roster spot. If the Blue Jays sign a free agent like Alex Bregman (who they’re rumoured to be in on, of course), Clement is the perfect super utility.
Last season Clement hit a career-high 12 home runs with a .263/.284/.408 slash line for a 94 wRC+. While he had a slightly below-average bat, Clement was terrific with the glove, posting 9 Defensive Runs Saved and 3 Outs Above Average in 661 innings at the hot corner. He was a nominee for the American League third base Gold Glove but fell to the aforementioned Bregman.
His defence isn’t only good at third base though. At shortstop, arguably one of the most important positions in the game, he had 6 DRS and a 4 OAA in 314.1 innings. If he played full-time at the position, Clement would’ve been the clear favourite to win the American League Gold Glove for the position.
Those aren’t the only two positions he plays though. In 2024, the 28-year-old played 21 innings at second base and two innings in left field, heck, he even pitched an inning. He’s also played first base in his career and surely wouldn’t be that bad in the two outfield positions.
With the power improvement, Clement is the type of player a contender wants on their team, especially since he still has two seasons of arbitration remaining.
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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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There are a handful of Toronto Blue Jays players on the 40-man roster with no options remaining.



In total, there are four players - Zach Pop, Tommy Nance,  Tyler Heineman, and Ernie Clement - that need to make the team's 26-man roster out of Spring Training. If they don't, the Blue Jays will have to designated them for assignment and hope that they clear.

It’s worth noting that players with over five seasons of service time can’t be optioned unless the team is permitted by the player, so players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette don’t have options remaining. For simplicity's sake though, let’s look at the four players who have under five years of service time heading into the season, but have no option years remaining!
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&nbsp;
<h2>Zach Pop</h2>
It was a bit of a surprise when the Blue Jays didn’t non-tender Zach Pop before the deadline, eventually agreeing to a one-year, $900,000 deal to avoid arbitration.

Pop was acquired before the 2022 trade deadline, with the Blue Jays sending former top prospect Jordan Groshans to the Miami Marlins. The Canadian reliever found success with the Jays, posting a 2.67 ERA and a 3.23 FIP over his first 30.1 innings, but suffered an injury in his last outing with the team, in early May 2023.

He struggled in 2024 with the Blue Jays, posting a 5.59 ERA and a 5.53 FIP in 48.1 innings pitched, with a 15.8 K% and a 9.1 BB%. Pop did earn his first big league save, though.

The righty has the stuff, featuring a mid-90s sinker and a good slider. Not only did he generate a ton of groundballs, but he also was in the 79th percentile for chase % this past season. Still, he has no option years remaining and could be designated for assignment if the Blue Jays add another reliever.  If he remains on the 40-man roster until Spring Training, he’ll need to earn a spot out of camp.
<h2>Tommy Nance</h2>
On Aug. 7, 2024, the Blue Jays traded fan-favourite Cash Considerations to the San Diego Padres in exchange for reliever Tommy Nance.

The Blue Jays bullpen was the worst in the league, but that was far from Nance’s fault. Last season, the 33-year-old right-handed pitcher had a 4.09 ERA and a 3.98 FIP in 22 innings pitched, with a 20.4 K% and a 9.7 BB%. Not a bad pickup for a non-playoff team.

However, the Blue Jays have aspirations of contending in 2025 and a main point of focus this off-season has been rebuilding their bullpen. They added a closer in Jeff Hoffman, re-acquired Yimi García, and traded for Nick Sandlin. If they decide to make any other move this off-season, especially for the bullpen, he and Pop may be the first to be designated for assignment.
<h2>Tyler Heineman</h2>
Tyler Heineman is now in stint #3 with the Blue Jays. He’s never particularly hit well with the team, most recently slashing .100/.308/.100 in 13 plate appearances, but he provides solid enough defence.

In 2022, his only season with more than 100 plate appearances, Heineman had 5 Defensive Runs Saved and 5 Fielding Run Value in 436.1 innings behind home plate. For his career, he has 7 DRS and 9 FRV, including 2 DRS and 1 FRV in 38 innings last season.

There are still a few upgrades over Heineman out there as well. Yasmani Grandal isn’t the same player he once was with the bat or the glove, but the 36-year-old is a veteran who has played on some good teams. James McCann is another veteran who has been around it, most recently playing for the Baltimore Orioles where he slashed .234/.279/.388 with eight home runs in 233 plate appearances.

The Jays have also added a couple of catchers to minor-league deals. Most recently, they signed Christian Bethancourt who had a 66 wRC+ in 147 plate appearances. His career wRC+ is 71 with okay defensive abilities. Ali Sánchez is in a similar boat with far less experience.
<h2>Ernie Clement</h2>
Of the four players with no options remaining, Clement is the only player with a guaranteed roster spot. If the Blue Jays sign a free agent like Alex Bregman (who they’re rumoured to be in on, of course), Clement is the perfect super utility.

Last season Clement hit a career-high 12 home runs with a .263/.284/.408 slash line for a 94 wRC+. While he had a slightly below-average bat, Clement was terrific with the glove, posting 9 Defensive Runs Saved and 3 Outs Above Average in 661 innings at the hot corner. He was a nominee for the American League third base Gold Glove but fell to the aforementioned Bregman.

His defence isn’t only good at third base though. At shortstop, arguably one of the most important positions in the game, he had 6 DRS and a 4 OAA in 314.1 innings. If he played full-time at the position, Clement would’ve been the clear favourite to win the American League Gold Glove for the position.

Those aren’t the only two positions he plays though. In 2024, the 28-year-old played 21 innings at second base and two innings in left field, heck, he even pitched an inning. He’s also played first base in his career and surely wouldn’t be that bad in the two outfield positions.

With the power improvement, Clement is the type of player a contender wants on their team, especially since he still has two seasons of arbitration remaining.

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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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Looking at the four Blue Jays players who have no option years left

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes (38) is congratulated by third baseman Addison Barger (47) after he hit a home run during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

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