The Blue Jays have an average farm system, and it's going to be hard to improve upon it during this year's draft.
Two things can be true at the same time, and in the case of the Toronto Blue Jays, they are:
On one hand, the Blue Jays are one of the darlings of Major League Baseball. They reached Game 7 of the World Series last season and spent nearly $350 million in guaranteed dollars over the winter to try to get there again this season. They are 4-2 in the early going and certainly look like a top contender.
On the other hand, the Blue Jays don't have a great story at the minor league level.
Before the season began, MLB Pipeline ranked Toronto as having the 15th-best farm system in baseball. While there are some intriguing prospects, most of them are younger and years away from the big leagues. When Trey Yesavage graduates off the prospect list, things will look more bleak.
Though the Blue Jays have a ton of money - and spend it willingly - the most sustainable way to build a winner is still through the farm system. And unfortunately, the Jays will have a hard time adding to that system through this year's MLB Draft.
On Thursday, the MLB Draft bonus pools were released, and the Jays have a shockingly low amount of money to deal with: just 5,543,100. That is the second-lowest amount in the league, ahead of only the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It should be noted that these bonus pools apply to rounds 1-10 out of 20.
Why so low?
Well, the Blue Jays were slated to pick at 29th in the draft as a result of their finish, so the No. 29 pick in each round comes with lower slot value money than all but the 30th pick. However, as a result of their spending, Toronto was penalized 10 spots in the draft, moving their first pick down to No. 39, which carries even lower slot value. The Dodgers are in the same boat.
The Blue Jays also lost their second and fifth-round picks as a result of signing Dylan Cease this offseason, which cost them money. They lost those picks because Cease rejected a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres.
It should be noted that the Blue Jays did receive a fourth-round pick from the New York Mets as a result of signing Bo Bichette, who rejected a qualifying offer from Toronto.
Toronto Blue Jays first round draft pick JoJo Parker fields balls during practice before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. Nick Turchiaro-Imagn ImagesWhat all this means for Toronto and the draft
What this really means is that Toronto can't take many risks in the draft. Usually, you'll see teams with lots of money sign high-value high school prospects to big money deals, essentially "buying them out" of college commitments.
The Blue Jays won't have the money to do that, so they'll have to select a lot of college players without the option to go back to college. Safer signings will be the name of the game. It doesn't mean Toronto can't still find good players, but they won't be able to take a chance on the high-upside guys that other teams will.
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