Blue Jays add Ricky Tiedemann to 40-man roster to protect him from Rule 5 draft
Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2025, 18:30 ESTUpdated: Nov 18, 2025, 18:21 EST
The Toronto Blue Jays made a transaction on Tuesday evening.
Ahead of the 6:00 PM ET deadline to add Rule 5 eligible players to the 40-man roster, it was announced by the team that they added former Top 100 prospect Ricky Tiedemann. He and Brandon Valenzuela were the two players the Jays have chosen to protect.
Tiedemman, 23, was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft by the Blue Jays. He made his professional debut the following season, posting a 2.17 ERA and 2.51 FIP in 78.2 innings pitched between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. Thanks to a 38.9 K% and 9.6 BB%, Tiedemann quickly became one of the Blue Jays’ top prospects.
Since then, it’s been tough sledding for the left-handed pitcher. Tiedemann dealt with a left bicep injury in 2023 and posted a 3.68 ERA and 1.68 FIP in 44 innings pitched when healthy. His K% of 44.1% was fantastic, but he started to struggle with command, finishing the year with a 12.4 BB%.
The 2024 season went even worse for Tiedemann. He pitched just 17.1 innings in what was an injury-filled season. It culminated in requiring Tommy John surgery in the summer, which meant he missed all of the 2025 season as well. When he was able to pitch, Tiedemann had a 5.19 ERA and 6.74 FIP in 17.1 innings pitched, struggling at the Triple-A level before the injury.
Although Tiedemann barely pitched the past two seasons, there was no way he wasn’t getting picked up in the Rule 5 draft if left unprotected. Before the injury, Tiedemann sat in the mid-90s, reached 99 mph, and had electric secondary stuff. MLB Pipeline still has the left-handed pitcher as their fourth-best Blue Jays prospect, with a 55 grade slider and 65 grade changeup.
That said, the Jays left a handful of notable prospects unprotected. One of whom was Yohendrick Piñango, who had a terrific season in the upper-minors. He’s a prospect who could be selected in the Rule 5 draft. Josh Kasevich missed most of the 2025 season and had a rough performance when healthy, but he could be another player selected.
One pitcher who could end up being taken is T.J. Brock. The reliever sits in the upper-90s with a nasty slider. However, he’s coming off Tommy John surgery and missed a large chunk of the 2024 season as well.
The Rule 5 draft is on Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.