The Toronto Blue Jays have cut ties with a shortstop in a surprising move.
The Blue Jays signed Manuel Beltre as an International Free Agent in 2021 for $2.35 million. He was the 24th-ranked prospect in the 2021 International Free Agent class, and he signed with Toronto for $2.6 million, according to MiLB.
Beltre had plenty of hype as he was a great hitter and was the team’s ninth-ranked prospect in 2022, but since then, he struggled to live up to the hype. At age 22, he was playing in Vancouver in High-A as he’s developed slowly, and on Tuesday, it was revealed that Toronto released him from the organization, according to the MiLB transactions.
Beltre being released is a surprise, as he’s a former top prospect and someone Toronto had high hopes for. However, why the Blue Jays decided to release him now is uncertain, as he is still young, but Toronto obviously decided to see enough.
The 22-year-old was hitting .244 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs. His career-high is 6 home runs, as the bat hasn’t gotten to the level that was expected from the 5-foot-10 shortstop.
Beltre Had High Expectations
Beltre was one of the top-ranked prospects in the 2021 International Free Agent Class
After signing, Beltre became one of the Blue Jays’ top-10 prospects, and MLB Pipeline had plenty of praise for the shortstop.
“He was arguably the most experienced prospect in that class after playing internationally with teams from the Dominican Republic and playing extensively with travel ball teams in Florida. Debuting in the Dominican Summer League in ’21 at 17, Beltre hit .225 with two home runs and a .737 OPS, but impressed by taking more walks than strikeouts and finished strong,” Beltre’s prospect report read.
“Many within the organization view Beltre as a potential “culture driver” given his natural leadership abilities and charismatic personality at such a young age. He pairs this with advanced fundamentals across the board. There is still room for him to mature physically, but Beltre should have enough arm to stick on the left side of the infield. His power is worth monitoring as he develops to see whether that develops into line drives or home runs, but he’s already shown the potential for an advanced plate approach and strong contact rate. While his athleticism is slightly above average now, that’s also worth monitoring as his 5-foot-9 frame fills out.”
However, Beltre didn’t live up to the hype, and he’s now a free agent and free to sign with any other team.
Blue Jays Welcome 2026 Draft Class
A big reason for the Blue Jays releasing plenty of minor league players is due to the fact that Toronto has more prospects entering the system.
Toronto signed all but one of its 2026 MLB Draft picks and added some undrafted free agents to add to the system. The Blue Jays draft class is led by Cole Carlon, who they selected 39th overall, as the left-handed pitcher is expected to rise quickly up the ranks.
The other major get was fourth-round pick Will Brick. Brick was the top-ranked high school catcher but fell due to his signability concerns. Yet, Toronto was able to sign him after selecting money savers in Rounds 5-10.
The Blue Jays will also add more prospects to the system at trade deadline.
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