With the Blue Jays releasing Orlevis Martinez this past week—after designating him for assignment to make room for top prospect Trey Yesavage—many fans are left wondering what could have been.

At one point, Martinez was ranked as the team’s second-best prospect and spent three seasons on Toronto’s top five prospects list. But as is often the case in baseball, prospects are a gamble. Development is key, and the hope is always that they blossom into everyday big-league players.

The Blue Jays have had their share of success stories: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, and Alek Manoah have all become All-Stars. Even players traded away—like Gabriel Moreno, Simeon Woods-Richardson, and Austin Martin—have gone on to establish themselves as everyday players with Minnesota and Arizona.

But the list of prospects who didn’t pan out is just as long. Let’s look at some of the most notable examples.

Martinez was once viewed as the third baseman of the future in Toronto. Signed as an international free agent in 2018, he was highly regarded for his power bat.

In 2023, across 125 minor-league games (70 in Double-A New Hampshire, 55 in Triple-A Buffalo), he hit 28 home runs, drove in 94 RBIs, and posted an .835 OPS. With Matt Chapman departing in free agency and Ernie Clement penciled in as a stopgap, many believed Martinez was poised to take over.

He reached the majors in 2024, collecting his first hit against the Cleveland Guardians. Just two days later, however, he was suspended 80 games for PED use—a turning point that effectively ended his Blue Jays future.

In 2025, Martinez struggled mightily, striking out 112 times in 99 games while batting just .176 with 13 homers and 32 RBIs. Released this past week, Martinez is now a free agent with an uncertain future.

The 2018 first-round pick was once billed as one of the top bats in the draft, capable of playing both shortstop and third base.

However, injuries derailed his progress. He played just 23 games in 2019 due to a foot injury, missed 2020 when the minor league season was cancelled due to the pandemic, and battled more setbacks in 2021. That year, he still managed a solid .291 average with seven homers in 75 Double-A games.

Groshans was later the key piece in the 2022 trade with Miami that brought back Zach Pop and Anthony Bass, but he never found his footing in the majors. After a brief stint with Miami, he was waived in 2024, claimed by the Yankees, and is now in the Royals organization—though he hasn’t appeared in a big-league game since 2022.

Perhaps the biggest “what if” of recent Blue Jays prospects is Nate Pearson. Drafted 28th overall in 2017, Pearson quickly became the club’s top prospect thanks to his electric fastball that could reach 99 MPH and his frame that projected him as the ‘ace’ of the future.

His 2020 debut was memorable: five innings, five strikeouts, against none other than Max Scherzer and the reigning champion Nationals. But Pearson’s career never took off. Command issues and inconsistent health led to him being shifted to the bullpen in 2023, splitting time between the big leagues and Triple-A and never establishing a full-time role. In 93 games with Toronto, he posted a 5.21 ERA over 115 2/3 innings before being dealt to the Cubs.

Since then, Pearson has continued to struggle with his command, owning a 5.05 ERA across 30 games with Chicago, and is now back in Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs.

Drafted six spots ahead of Nate Pearson in 2017, Warmoth was briefly a top-10 prospect in Toronto’s system. He rose through the minors steadily but never made the impact the team hoped for.

By 2021, he had reached Triple-A Buffalo, hitting just .228 in 107 games. He was later selected by the Mariners in the Rule 5 Draft but failed to break through there as well.

Stints with Seattle and Arizona followed, but his bat never developed into a big league hitter. Now 29, Warmoth is currently a free agent.

Once one of the Blue Jays’ most exciting prospects, Anthony Alford was a two-sport athlete who originally committed to football at Ole Miss before turning to baseball full-time in 2014.

He debuted in 2017 but lasted only four games before fracturing his wrist. Injuries continued to plague his career, and despite flashes of talent, he hit just .155 in 46 games for Toronto before being designated for assignment in 2020.

The Pirates claimed him, and Alford found some success, hitting .235 with a .732 OPS in 56 games. He later played in the KBO, bounced around minor-league deals, and most recently suited up in the Mexican League.

Now 31, Alford remains a free agent.

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