The 2024 baseball season came to a close on Wednesday night, with the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series.
As the season ends, all teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, now transition into the offseason.
According to MLBTradeRumors, one of the first tasks is to update official rosters.
Starting October 31, free agency opens for eligible players, although they cannot sign with other teams for at least five days. Free agents will no longer count against their previous teams’ 40-man rosters, and trades involving players on the 40-man roster will resume for the first time since last summer’s deadline.
This means that Ross Atkins can now start making moves from the 40-man roster. The roster also became lighter on Thursday as left-hander Ryan Yarbrough officially entered free agency. Following trades of players like Yusei Kikuchi, Kevin Kiermaier, Justin Turner, and Yimi Garcia at the deadline, Yarbrough is now the only free agent from the 40-man roster.
The 32-year-old Yarbrough made 12 appearances for the Jays this season after joining from the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching 31.1 innings with a 2.01 ERA.
A seven-year veteran with the Tampa Bay Rays, Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Blue Jays, he holds a career record of 53-40 and a 4.21 ERA, having played in 196 games with 68 starts. He was also known for frequently serving as an “opener” for the Rays, a strategy they helped popularize.