The Red Sox lost pitching prospect Angel Bastardo to the Blue Jays with the sixth overall pick in the major-league phase of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft.
Bastardo, 22, was previously ranked by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan spent the last six-plus years in the Red Sox organization after originally signing with the club for $35,000 as an international free agent in July 2018.
This past season, Bastardo was limited to just 10 starts with Double-A Portland. The right-hander posted a 5.36 ERA (4.28 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 21 walks over 45 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .225 batting average. He damaged the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his pitching elbow in early June and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter as a result.
To that end, Bastardo was left off the Red Sox’ 40-man roster ahead of last month’s Rule 5 protection deadline, leaving him exposed to other clubs on Wednesday. The Blue Jays, as it turns out, were willing to take a chance on Bastardo and paid Boston $100,000 for the young righty even though he will likely miss most — if not the entirety — of the 2025 campaign.
Before going under the knife earlier this summer, Bastardo flashed an intriguing four-pitch mix on the mound. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the lean 6-foot-1 hurler averaged 93-96 mph and reached 97 mph with his fastball while also mixing in an 84-88 mph changeup, an 82-85 mph slider, and a 78-80 mph curveball.
Bastardo, who does not turn 23 until next June, will need to stick on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster until he is eligible to be placed on the 60-day injured list in February. He would not occupy a spot on Toronto’s 40-man roster while on the 60-day injured list, during which time he would presumably be rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Once he is cleared to return to action, however, Bastardo would need to spend 90 days on Toronto’s major-league roster between 2025 and 2026 (if it rolls over until then) to become a 40-man roster player who can be optioned without any Rule 5 restrictions attached, according to The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath.
If those conditions could not be met, the Blue Jays would be required to place Bastardo on waivers and then offer him back to the Red Sox for $50,000 if he clears. In that scenario, Bastardo would return to Boston’s system without being added to the 40-man roster.
(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
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