Toronto Blue Jays Acquire Speedy Outfielder, Bonus Money in Trade

As the Blue Jays work to acquire Roki Sasaki in the international bonus market, they've swung a trade for speedy outfielder Myles Straw.

Cleveland Guardians center fielder Myles Straw (7) catches a ball hit by Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays swung a trade on Friday, just minutes after we heard they were looking to acquire more international bonus money as part of their hope to acquire Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.

Per Robert Murray of Fansided:

The Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Myles Straw, cash and international bonus signing pool space for the 2025 period from the Guardians for a PTBNL or cash.

The Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Myles Straw, cash and international bonus signing pool space for the 2025 period from the Guardians for a PTBNL or cash.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 17, 2025

First off, the international bonus money is absolutely useful in pursuit of Sasaki. Considering that he can only be signed under that system, the Jays would like as much money as possible to offer him. Sasaki is choosing between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Jays. He reportedly eliminated the San Diego Padres earlier on Friday.

If Toronto were to land him, he'd join Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Bowden Francis in the rotation.

Presumably, Yariel Rodriguez would head to the bullpen to strengthen that unit. Of course, if Sasaki chooses the Dodgers, it would be another gut punch this offseason for Jays fans who have seen the team miss out on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Teoscar Hernandez.

As for Straw, he's a 30-year-old speedster who made his debut with the Houston Astros in 2018. He stole 30 bases in 2021, a year in which he was traded from Houston to Cleveland. It just hasn't worked out for Straw in Cleveland, as he hit .221 in 2022 and .238 in 2023. He played only seven big-league games in 2024, spending 123 at Triple-A Columbus.

He's under contract through 2026, with approximately $15.5 million remaining on his deal. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Guardians are covering nearly $4 million of that.

Cleveland is covering $3.75 million of the remaining $15.5 million owed to Myles Straw, source tells me & @ShiDavidi.

Also worth noting: Straw's money counts towards the Blue Jays' CBT calculations regardless of whether he's on their 40-man.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) January 17, 2025

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