2025 MLB draft and international signings

[JTT]

Wonder what they gonna use that Straw monies on? Additional 2 mill should get a player or two lottery tickets.

Two million would represent a highly thought of prospect and supposedly they're all gone. They've just got to sort through the dregs of unsigned players and hope to come up with something. Not the worst case in the world as all of these guys are so young.

I would think all the free agents were committed to other teams. Also, signing Santander cost them $500,000 of international allocation money.

Unfortunately the Santander money comes off next year, I believe.

[Cyrus]

Wonder what they gonna use that Straw monies on? Additional 2 mill should get a player or two lottery tickets.

Two million would represent a highly thought of prospect and supposedly they're all gone. They've just got to sort through the dregs of unsigned players and hope to come up with something. Not the worst case in the world as all of these guys are so young.

I would think all the free agents were committed to other teams. Also, signing Santander cost them $500,000 of international allocation money.

500K lost in next year - Int budget - not this year.

[dagger]

MLB Pipeline's first mock draft has the Jays taking a high school SS

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-2025-mock-draft-may-6

[polo007]

Latest 1st round mock draft is LIVE and there's movement near the top - MLB.com

8. Blue Jays: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (No. 8)

The Blue Jays are one of the least likely teams in the top 10 to select Hernandez, so that would leave them with the other upper-tier talent still available. In this case, it's Witherspoon. They also could wind up with Willits or Carlson if the first seven picks play out differently.

9. Reds: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS (No. 2)

This would be a great get for the Reds because Hernandez belongs much higher than this but has to deal with an industry skittish about spending early selections on high school righties. He could land with any of the clubs ahead of here except for the Cardinals and Blue Jays. If he's gone, Cincinnati could turn to Witherspoon or a prep shortstop. This is the ceiling for Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette, who entered the season as the consensus top college bat but hit just .258 with a 25 percent strikeout rate.

[polo007]

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[Harry Palmer]

MLB Pipeline's first mock draft has the Jays taking a high school SS

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-2025-mock-draft-may-6

I’d love it if we got Carlson. Watching defensive wizardry at short is probably my favourite baseball thing.

[polo007]

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[-MetA4-]

Newly released BA Mock Draft 5.0 from today:

1. Nationals — Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
2. Angels — Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
3. Mariners — Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
4. Rockies — Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater (Okla.) HS
5. Cardinals — Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS
6. Pirates — Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS
7. Marlins — Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS

8. Blue Jays — JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (Miss.) HS
Like with the Marlins, I am hearing a lot of prep shortstop noise with the Blue Jays. In this scenario, JoJo Parker is the best available. It sounds like Parker’s range could easily be in the 7-12 bucket, and more and more people have told me lately they don’t expect him to get out of the first 10 picks. If Parker isn’t the pick or if he’s off the board, Kyson Witherspoon is a name that makes a lot of sense. If Liam Doyle gets this far, he could be a fit, as well.

9. Reds — Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn
10. White Sox — Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

[HangTime]

If the Jays need pitching at MLB level, Why don't we gamble with our pick? Take the best pitcher, and promote him instantly.

[-MetA4-]

If the Jays need pitching at MLB level, Why don't we gamble with our pick? Take the best pitcher, and promote him instantly.

The Jays farm system is pitcher heavy, so what is the upside of doing your hypothetical idea versus just promoting one of their many minor league pitchers, who are much farther along and therefore considerably more likely to actually succeed against MLB hitters? For example, AA ball in the minors is considerably above even the best NCAA D1 conferences in terms of skill/competition.

And furthermore, what role would you hypothetically promote your recently drafted pitcher to? A relief role? In that case, why not just trade prospects for an established MLB reliever? A team that is currently sitting in 1st place and is hoping to make a playoff run would obviously prefer a proven MLB reliever versus rushing a 21 year old straight from college to the MLB and hoping that they are a difference maker. Seems like a pretty pointless risk to take.

[dagger]

Here is MLB Pipelne's and ESPN's latest mock for Sunday evening's draft

Both have the Jays taking Jamie Arnold. Of course, MLB mocks are especially fluid.

I do wonder if a psychological lineage occurs between whom Toronto drafts and which prospects the team might relinquish at the trade deadline if it can land a good talent with control. If the Jays were to draft a pitcher with the 8th pick, does it make a higher end prospect available in a package for an impact player with control? If they draft a high school shortstop, does that change their thinking about putting Nimmala in a package to land a big fish?

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-mock-draft-july-10-2025

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45709226/2025-mlb-mock-draft-30-kiley-mcdaniel-predicts-top-picks

[-MetA4-]

I do wonder if psychological lineage occurs between whom Toronto drafts and which prospects the team might relinquish at the trade deadline if it can land a good talent with control. If the Jays were to draft a pitcher with the 8th pick, does it make a higher end prospect available in a package for an impact player with control? If they draft a high school shortstop, does that change their thinking about putting Nimmala in a package to land a big fish?

They would likely have to include both Nimmala and Yesavage for any impact player with control regardless. Most of their trade chips are pitchers, so several of those guys are going to be gone given that I expect they will try to be aggressive at the deadline. I can realistically see both Nimmala as well as some of the top pitchers they have traded, so from a draft perspective both College pitcher and HS SS would fill a "need".

[polo007]

After strong '24 Draft, Blue Jays seeking top talent with No. 8 pick - MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Suddenly, there’s a sense of momentum in the Blue Jays’ farm system, and what better way to keep that rolling than the MLB Draft.

The Blue Jays hold the No. 8 pick this year, another opportunity to add a premier piece to a player development system that is in the middle of a very encouraging year. Signing Anthony Santander this past offseason led to the Blue Jays sacrificing their second-round pick, though, so Toronto will need to make its bonus pool count.

Amateur scouting director Marc Tramuta will lead this year’s Draft for the Blue Jays, and while all organizations are chasing athletic, versatile players, everyone has a type. Tramuta sees a class rich with shortstop talent, but he’s also keeping an eye down the road. If a shortstop can play some second, third or bounce out to center field, that only would only increase their potential pathways to the big leagues.

When it comes to pitching, Tramuta was more specific, looking back to his time with the Mets.

“For right or wrong, other than David Peterson in 2017, it was always right-handed pitching,” Tramuta said. “I probably should have mixed in a little more left-handed pitching if I could go back, but I think that when you look at our staff here and the three pitchers we took here last year one, two and three -- they’re big, physical guys. They’re athletes who threw strikes with multiple weapons.”

The Draft is just the start, though. Tramuta is putting a greater emphasis, along with many in the Blue Jays’ front office, of involving the player development group in the Draft process itself. Recently Toronto's Draft group has asked their player development staff to lay out some potential plans for prospects who could be available. This will inform their strategy leading up to the big day.

“It’s really good to involve them so that everyone is invested in the process,” Tramuta said. “We have an idea, and it may factor into some of our decisions [regarding] how they feel about the player. It’s very, very helpful. I don’t think we did enough of that 10, 15 or 20 years ago. I think the most successful organizations are the ones that build continuity and synergy between departments.”

[dagger]

Keith Law in his final mock is sticking with JoJo Parker.

School: Purvis HS (Miss.), Bats: L, Throws: R
It’s shortstops or college pitching here. I believe they’d take Liam Doyle or Kyson Witherspoon but not Jamie Arnold. I’ve had them with Billy Carlson in previous mocks and still think they’d do that, and I believe the Jays are Eli Willits’ absolute floor.

[Cyrus]

Nationals take High Schoool Prep SS - Eli Willits .. interesting we were also potentially looking at Prep HS, amongst others.

[Randle McMurphy]

This is the worst broadcast I’ve ever seen

[Cyrus]

Took the SS, High Schooler - JoJo Parker - who was ranked around wehere we would pick. So didn't go for something MLB ready.

[Randle McMurphy]

We will see him in 4 years (maybe)

[polo007]

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[polo007]

MLB Draft 2025 live updates: Pick tracker and analysis as Nationals take Willits No. 1 overall, Rockies select Holliday - The Athletic

What Toronto is getting in JoJo Parker

By Mitch Bannon • Staff Writer, Blue Jays

No. 8 overall pick JoJo Parker was seen by 14 different Blue Jays scouts and evaluators ahead of the draft. New director of amateur scouting Marc Tramuta said there was “quite a consensus in the room” ahead of the pick.

“This was one of the best, if not the best, hit-power combos with plate discipline that we felt in the draft,” Tramuta said.

He may not be a long-term shortstop, a rival talent evaluator said, and could move to a corner infield spot. But the rival evaluator said Parker is one of the top offensive high school talents in the draft.