The Toronto Blue Jays have completed a trade, sending right-handed reliever Tommy Nance to the Minnesota Twins. In exchange, the Blue Jays will receive prospect Ryan Sprock. The deal, announced on Friday, also includes the Blue Jays sending international signing bonus pool space to the Twins.
Nance, a 35-year-old righty, has been a contributor for the Blue Jays over the past three seasons. This season, he has recorded a 3.82 ERA and a 1.273 WHIP across 32 appearances, accumulating 34 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. His overall tenure with the Blue Jays saw him log 86.2 innings over 82 appearances, maintaining a 3.22 ERA. Nance was acquired by the Blue Jays from the Padres in August 2024.
During the 2025 season, Nance was a key part of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, pitching 31.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA. He made 30 appearances that year, primarily in a low-leverage role. His performance included striking out over one-quarter of his opponents and generating ground balls on more than half of the balls put in play against him. He also demonstrated control, walking only seven of the 126 batters he faced, a rate of 5.6%.
Despite his past success, Nance has been utilized in a low-leverage capacity by the Blue Jays in 2026. While his chase rate remains strong, his walk rate has increased this season, and opponents have seen more success in hitting fly balls against him. His current season statistics include a 3.82 ERA and a 3.57 SIERA over 33 innings.
Sprock’s arrival and potential
Ryan Sprock, the prospect acquired by the Blue Jays, was an eighth-round selection by the Twins in the 2025 draft. He played collegiate baseball for three years at Elon University. Sprock, who is 21 years old, has experience playing various positions within the Twins’ minor league system, including third base, catcher, and outfield. He has played at both the single-A and high-A levels.
In 67 minor league games, primarily with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in single-A, Sprock has posted a .297 batting average with an .855 OPS. He has also hit five home runs and stolen 14 bases. Sprock was a two-way player in college, splitting his junior season between third base and the bullpen. The Twins drafted him as a catcher, a position he had not played in college, but he has reportedly adapted well, receiving positive reviews for his early defensive work.
Offensively, Sprock has demonstrated a strong eye at the plate and an excellent contact rate as a professional, accumulating 64 walks against 52 strikeouts over 374 plate appearances. While he has hit seven home runs in that period, his 21 total extra-base hits suggest some power. FanGraphs recently ranked Sprock as the number 31 prospect in the Twins’ system, assigning him a 40 Future Value grade. He earned Florida State League Player of the Month honours for June and was subsequently promoted to High-A.
Implications for both teams
The trade of Nance could be seen from different perspectives for both organizations. For the Blue Jays, Nance was a decent reliever who had recently missed time due to a forearm issue this season. He was also out of options, meaning the team might have had to part with him for a lesser return if they needed to make roster adjustments before the trade deadline. The acquisition of Sprock, a promising young catcher, aligns with the Blue Jays’ interest in contact hitters with a strategic approach at the plate.
The Twins, on the other hand, acquire Nance to bolster their bullpen, which currently ranks last in MLB with a 5.28 ERA. Nance, despite not being a blockbuster acquisition, is expected to immediately improve their relief pitching. Only two of the Twins’ relievers, Yoendrys Gómez and Andrew Morris, have thrown at least 20 innings with an ERA under 4.00. Nance’s 159 MLB innings pitched are more than anyone in Minnesota’s current bullpen, with the exception of Taylor Rogers.
The Twins are currently two games behind the White Sox and the Guardians in the AL Central and one game back of the third Wild Card spot. This early trade suggests the Twins are positioning themselves to potentially make more significant moves closer to the deadline. The international bonus pool space received by the Twins is reported to be $250,000, indicating the Blue Jays’ motivation to acquire Sprock.
For the Blue Jays, who are 1.5 games behind the Twins and 2.5 games out of a Wild Card berth, this move is not necessarily an indication of being sellers at the deadline. Manager John Schneider has primarily used Nance in low-leverage situations, with only one high-leverage appearance this season. The team’s pitching depth chart for right-handed relievers includes Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman, and Braydon Fisher, with Spencer Miles also a potential addition when the rotation becomes healthier. The trade allows the Blue Jays to convert a low-leverage journeyman into a promising young catcher.
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Source: sportsnet.ca
