The Blue Jays announced they’ve declined their $8MM club option on outfielder Myles Straw. He receives a $1.75MM buyout, which is paid by the Guardians as a condition of the 2025 trade that sent him to Toronto. Straw is now a free agent.
Toronto announced a few procedural moves as they got their 40-man roster in shape. José Berríos, Jake Bloss, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander and Jonatan Clase were all reinstated from the 60-day injured list. While the Jays didn’t officially announce an option decision regarding Berríos, it’s safe to assume he did not opt out of the final two years on his contract. Toronto outrighted right-hander CJ Van Eyk off their 40-man roster and announced that outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. elected free agency after being outrighted last week.
Straw has spent the last two seasons in Toronto. The Jays acquired him in what amounted to a salary dump, as the Guardians sent along international bonus pool space so Toronto could make a better offer to Roki Sasaki. The gambit didn’t worked as hoped when Sasaki chose the Dodgers anyway, but Straw salvaged the deal from their perspective with a couple solid seasons as a depth outfielder. He batted .262/.313/.367 with stellar defensive grades for their pennant winning team in 2025. This past season wasn’t as productive, but Straw remained a viable fifth outfielder and a strong clubhouse presence.
The righty hitter actually got out to a solid start to 2026 offensively. He was hitting .277/.327/.383 through the end of April. Had he kept up that production, the Jays might’ve had an interesting decision on the option price. Straw’s bat wilted midsummer, though, and while he rebounded in the final two months, the end result was below average. He finished the year with a .241/.304/.342 showing over 330 plate appearances.
Straw remains an elite runner and quality defender who can cover all three outfield spots. He shouldn’t have any trouble securing a big league contract as he enters his age-32 season; it just wasn’t likely to be at an $8MM price point. Toronto could try to bring him back. Teams like the Yankees, Royals, Reds, Giants, Phillies and one of his former clubs in Houston might also have room for a glove-first center fielder to round out the roster.
Toronto had already gotten their 40-man roster in compliance. They nevertheless decided to drop Van Eyk to get their count to 37. The 28-year-old righty is a former second-round pick who made his big league debut in the middle of July. He started once and came out of the bullpen four times, allowing eight runs (seven earned) across 11 2/3 innings. Van Eyk spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A Buffalo, pitching to a 4.02 ERA with plus control but a modest 16.4% strikeout rate across 112 innings. He has played in parts of seven minor league seasons and can therefore elect minor league free agency now that he’s off the 40-man roster.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images.
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