Toronto Blue Jays Roster: Four Players Get Minor League Deals

The Toronto Blue Jays officially announced four roster moves on Tuesday, as they signed a group of players to minor league deals for 2027. 

We already knew that the team was bringing back right-handed pitcher Lazaro Estrada and outfielder Rudy Martin Jr., but we now know they are also bringing back outfielder Victor Arias and right-handed pitcher Josh Stephan.

All four will get invitations to spring training now.

Now 27 years old, Estrada has been playing in the Blue Jays organization since 2018 when he first appeared in the Dominican Summer League. Lifetime, he's gone 19-26 with a 3.84 ERA in the minor leagues. He's appeared in 136 career games down on the farm.

He was designated for assignment and outrighted at the end of this season, but now he's back.

Estrada has also appeared in 10 major league games over the last two seasons, going 1-1 with a 6.64 ERA. He made eight appearances in 2026, pitching to a 5.54 ERA in 13 innings.

He figures to continue to serve as organizational depth for the pitching staff, and his best bet to contribute in the majors feels like as a multi-inning bullpen arm. The Blue Jays dealt with a number of injuries to the pitching staff in 2026, so depth is always important.

An outfielder from Memphis, Tenn., Martin is now 30 years old.

Drafted in the 25th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Martin was a career minor leaguer until this year. Having spent most of his minor league time with the team that drafted him, the Kansas City Royals, he's a lifetime .252 hitter with 50 homers and 239 stolen bases. He missed the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't play affiliated ball in 2023 or 2024, but he made his way back in 2025 with the Royals again. 

In 91 total minor league games this year with both organizations, he hit .274 with 11 homers, 40 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. 

The Blue Jays eventually called him up in September for his first major league action. He drew a walk, playing in two games. Again, it wasn't a lot of action, but he can say he was a big leaguer no matter what the future brings.

And with the Blue Jays reportedly "obsessing" over baserunning in 2027, perhaps Martin can find a way to contribute again after all.

Arias, now 23, has also been with the Blue Jays for each stop of his minor league journey, reaching as high as Double-A in 2023, 2025 and 2026. He's a career .255 hitter in the minor leagues with 32 homers and 73 stolen bases in 382 games.

He played in the Venezuelan winter league last offseason as well. He's capable of playing all three outfield positions.

A Texas native who began his pro career with the Texas Rangers, he's reached as high Triple-A with both Texas and Toronto. He made 28 appearances this season, going 6-11 with a 5.77 ERA. Only seven of those appearances were at Triple-A Buffalo.

Like Estrada, he'll serve as organizational depth. He's started 99 of 109 career minor league games.