The Toronto Blue Jays may have not put together the season they were hoping to have in 2026, although there's still a bit of time to save that.
But when the year is over, no matter how it ends, they'll be able to look back and see at least one move that is shining bright.
The Blue Jays picked Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 Draft in the offseason, and it's a selection that has worked out brilliantly.
"Credit to Blue Jays for identifying Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 Draft," Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote on X on Wednesday morning, "and credit to Miles for not only pitching a lot but pitching well (2.77 ERA, 81 Ks, 21 BB) and getting stronger as he goes (hit 100 mph for the first time last week, saved last night's game)."
Miles was available in the offseason Rule 5 Draft because he had been in the Giants ' organization for four years after being drafted without being placed on the 40-man roster. That left him unprotected and available for selection.
The tricky part of the Rule 5 Draft is that the player then needs to stay on the MLB roster all year, or he is offered back to the team he came from.
Toronto had no real way to know Miles would pan out, and so there was a risk they'd have to send him back to the Giants.
Evidently, though, the Blue Jays identified the right traits in Miles, and he has proven them very right.
Miles was available in large part because injuries had prevented him from doing almost anything in his pro career.
He was drafted in 2022, and after his selection, he pitched 7.1 innings across five outings to open his professional life in the Giants' organization in the low minors.
Miles then missed the entire 2023 season, not throwing a single inning in a regular season game.
Miles returned in 2024 but got just 7.1 innings across five appearances at the Rookie-level.
He then didn't pitch in the entire 2025 regular season, only making it back to throw 8.2 innings in Arizona Fall League to the tune of a 4.15 ERA.
It seems likely that the Blue Jays got their best chance to scout Miles at Fall League, because there really wasn't much of a body of work to draw upon.
In modern baseball, teams bet on stuff — and any kinds of advanced numbers the Blue Jays had on Miles clearly showed them he had a chance to pan out.
Would they have predicted a 2.77 ERA through 45 outings (87.2 innings)? Probably not.
But right now, Miles is one of the coolest Blue Jays roster stories in a long time. And this offseason, unlike last, there will be no uncertainty for Miles. Toronto will be keeping him around for a while.
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