Tracy

Thorpe

Thorpe spent two years on the Jays’ 40-man roster without ever appearing in the majors. The 27-year-old had a 2.63 ERA as Triple-A Syracuse’s closer this year. It’s possible that he’d be able to survive in the majors as a middle reliever, but that’s probably his upside. He doesn’t have very good command to go along with his mid-90s fastball. Seattle will assign him to Triple-A.

Thorpe had been on the 40-man roster for more than two years, but he never got a look in the majors. It’s interesting that this move comes just a couple of days after he spoke out about the lack of African Americans in Toronto’s organization. He certainly was one of the worst bets for the future of the players on the roster, but it’s not great timing for the Jays. The 27-year-old had a 2.63 ERA as Triple-A Syracuse’s closer.

Thorpe, who turns 26 in Decemnber, had a 2.91 ERA and a 62/29 K/BB ratio in 55 2/3 IP for New Hampshire this season. He’s not a particularly good bet to make it as a reliever, but the Jays thought it was worth the 40-man roster spot to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent.

Fields, who finally signed with the Mariners a month ago, didn’t get a chance to appear in a game this spring. Still, he might start his pro career in Double-A. It’s disappointing that the Mariners didn’t take a longer look at Crabbe as a possible utilityman. The former Brewers prospect was 4-for-11 with a steal this spring.

All three are potential options for the bullpen later on. The hard-throwing Thorpe, who was added to the 40-man roster in October, had a 2.91 ERA and a 62/29 K/BB ratio in 55 2/3 IP for New Hampshire last season.