Another former Toronto Blue Jay is hitting free agency.
On Thursday afternoon, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that former Blue Jay Randal Grichuk declined his mutual option with the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming a free agent.
The 33-year-old had one of his best seasons yet. Playing with the Diamondbacks in 2024, Grichuk slased .291/.348/.528 with 12 home runs in 279 plate appearances. This gave him a career-high 139 wRC+, while his 1.5 fWAR was the fourth-best of his career.
Grichuk mainly faced left-handed pitchers, slashing .319/.386/.528 with six home runs against southpaws for a 151 wRC+ in 184 plate appearances. He was still solid against right-handed pitchers as well, slashing .242/.274/.527 with six home runs in 95 plate appearances for a 116 wRC+.
The Blue Jays acquired Randal Grichuk during the 2017-18 off-season. He spent four good seasons with the team, including the 2019 season where he hit a career-high 31 home runs, before the Jays shipped him to the Colorado Rockies before the start of the 2022 season.
Since then, he spent parts of two seasons with the Rockies, was traded to the Los Angeles Angels before the 2023 trade deadline, and signed with the Diamondbacks before the start of the 2024 season.

Daniel Hudson announced his retirement

One player who was also on the 2019 Blue Jays roster was Daniel Hudson. On Wednesday, he and the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, the reliever’s second title. The same evening, Hudson announced his retirement from baseball.
Hudson signed with the Blue Jays before the beginning of the 2019 season. With Toronto, the reliever had a 3 ERA and a 4.19 FIP in 48 innings pitched, along with a 23.2 K% and an 11.1 BB%. Before the 2019 trade deadline, the Jays traded him to the Washington Nationals for Kyle Johnston.
In turn, Hudson recorded the final outs in 2019, as the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros to win their first World Series in franchise history. Not too shabby, and although Hudson’s impact with the Blue Jays was short-lived, it’s nice to see a former Jay go out on top.

Anthony Kay pitched seven scoreless innings in Game 4 of the Japan Series

Another former Blue Jay pitcher who could win a ring this season is Anthony Kay. On Wednesday, the left-handed pitcher pitched in Game 4 of the Japan Series, the World Series for Nippon Professional Baseball. He pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits, a walk, and striking out seven.
Kay joined the Yokohama Bay Stars before the start of the 2024 season and finished the year with a 3.42 ERA in 136.2 innings pitched. Moreover, the left-handed pitcher had a 20.5 K% and an 8.7 BB%.
The Blue Jays acquired Kay at the 2019 trade deadline, along with Simeon Woods Richardson, for Marcus Stroman from the New York Mets. In parts of four seasons with the Jays, Kay had a 5.48 ERA and a 4.67 FIP in 70.2 innings pitched, along with a 23.6 K% and an 11.6 BB%. 
In December 2022, the Blue Jays designated the lefty for assignment, with the Chicago Cubs promptly claiming him off waivers. In his final season in MLB (for now), Kay had a 6.14 ERA and a 5.78 FIP in 14.2 innings pitched, with a 16.7 K% and a 13.6 BB% between the Cubs and the Mets.
The Bay Stars are currently up 3-2 in the series.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.