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The Blue Jays select Angel Bastardo in the Rule 5 draft
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Ryley Delaney
Dec 11, 2024, 15:15 ESTUpdated: Dec 11, 2024, 15:07 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays have picked up a reliever with starter potential in the Rule 5 draft.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Blue Jays selected Angel Bastardo from the Boston Red Sox. Players selected in the Rule 5 draft must spend the entire season on their new team’s 40-man roster. Bastardo is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
When healthy, the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher had a 5.36 ERA and a 4.28 FIP in 45.1 innings pitched in 10 starts. Moreover, he had a 26.6 K% and a 10.6 BB%.
Bastardo ranked as Fangraphs’ 24th-best prospect in their updated ranking. The 22-year-old has a four-pitch mix with a 94-96 mph fastball (as a starter), an excellent changeup, a curveball, and a slider. His changeup is his best pitch according to Fangraphs, noting that it has a ton of fade that misses bats.
Due to Tommy John surgery that he received in June, Bastardo will miss the start of the 2025 season while rehabbing. A player selected in the Rule 5 draft must be on the 26-man roster for a minimum of 90 days, or he’ll face the same restrictions the following season.

The Minor League portion

Unlike the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft, the players picked in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 draft head to the team’s minor league system. These players tend not to make much of an impact in the big leagues.
With their first pick in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Blue Jays selected right-handed starting pitcher Richard Gallardo from the Chicago Cubs. Like Bastrado, he’s on the 60-day injured list due to an ankle injury. In the four games he pitched in, he had a 6.06 ERA and a 2.94 FIP in 16.1 innings pitched.
When healthy last season in High-A, Gallardo had a 3.93 ERA and a 3.35 FIP in 66.1 innings pitched, with a 22.9 K% and a 4.7 BB%. According to Fangraphs’ mid-season update, Gallardo was their 36th-best prospect with a mid-90s two-seamer that “doesn’t miss bats” and a slurve that does. He also gets a ton of groundballs, never a bad thing. They note he looks like a solid spot starter.
With their pick in the second round, the Blue Jays once again selected a player from the Cubs organization, selecting 24-year-old outfielder Jacob Wetzel. The non-drafted free agent (after the 2020 draft) played in Single-A and High-A this past season, slashing .253/.372/.456 with eight home runs in 386 plate appearances, along with a 15.3 BB% and a 22.3 K% for a 140 wRC+.
The Blue Jays also lost a minor league outfielder, as the Milwaukee Brewers selected Garrett Spain. Last season, Spain slashed .167/.249/.301 with 11 home runs in 377 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. His BB% sat at 9.3%, while his 27.1 K% was on the rather high side, finishing the season with a 59 wRC+.
Time will tell whether or not these players pan out for the Blue Jays!
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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