The Blue Jays have made their first move of the summer, and it comes on the selling side.
Toronto sent right-handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catching prospect Ryan Sprock, according to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Bannon reported, "Blue Jays are acquiring catching prospect Ryan Sprock from the Twins for RHP Tommy Nance, source confirms. @Alden Gonzalez was on it,"
Nance, 35, has posted a 3.82 ERA this season for a Blue Jays club that sits 44-49 and 2.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race. With the August 3 trade deadline still a few weeks away, Toronto has still left plenty of time to sort out its direction, but this deal suggests the front office is willing to move a veteran arm now rather than wait.
In return, the Blue Jays are getting a 21-year-old right-handed hitting catcher who has put together a strong offensive season. Sprock has an .855 OPS with 14 stolen bases, five home runs, 38 RBIs and a .297 batting average in 229 at-bats.
Sprock was the No. 239 pick in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft and was recently promoted to High-A. He also earned FSL Player of the Month honors in June.
The move sends a young catcher with some offensive pop into a Toronto system that already has plenty of elite catchers ahead of him, while Minnesota adds a veteran reliever as it acts as a buyer.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Suddenly Face A Daulton Varsho Decision They Can't Ignore
Daulton Varsho has become one of the more interesting names sitting on Torontos long-term radar, even as the Blue Jays continue to sort out what kind of club they are going to be over the next few months. He is still an impending free agent, which means every stretch of the season now carries a little extra weight for a player whose mix of defense and offense can still draw attention from teams looking for help in center field and beyond.
The Blue Jays do not have to make a snap call, but the pressure is building as the trade deadline gets closer and the front office weighs playoff position against contract risk. If Toronto keeps hanging around the race, Varsho is the kind of player they would prefer to keep in the fold, yet if the season turns and the club starts thinking more about selling than chasing, his name is going to be hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Fans May Hate How Far Otto Lopez Has Come
Otto Lopezs path from afterthought to impact bat has become one of those reminders that player development does not always follow a neat line. Toronto moved on from him in January 2024 after he had received only limited chances with the club, and since then his career has taken off in a way few around the Blue Jays could have expected.
Now in Miami, Lopez has turned into one of the more productive hitters in the sport, pairing a .343 average with nine home runs and 17 steals. He is also sitting atop MLB in batting average, which only sharpens the contrast with what Toronto saw before he left and gives Blue Jays fans another what-if to file away. [Read more 🡒]
