Blue Jays trade reliever Nance to Twins for catcher prospect Sprock

SAN DIEGO -- The Blue Jays have traded reliever Tommy Nance to the Twins for catching prospect Ryan Sprock, the clubs announced on Friday.

Toronto is also sending international bonus pool money to the Twins. This comes at somewhat of a surprising time, still a few weeks out from the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, but it should not be viewed through the lens of the Blue Jays “buying” or “selling.” Which path they’ll ultimately choose is for the coming weeks to decide.

Instead, this is best looked at as a “normal” baseball trade you’d see at any point in the calendar, the Blue Jays moving the out-of-options Nance to add a prospect in Sprock who fits the offensive profile they’ve liked to develop. Nance is no small loss, though, and had developed himself into a bullpen staple for the Blue Jays this season with a 3.82 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 33 innings. Much of Nance’s work came in lower-leverage spots, though, and the Blue Jays will now turn to some of their younger arms -- all of whom can be optioned -- in those spots.

Looking ahead to Aug. 3, while the Blue Jays have bigger needs in their rotation and perhaps for a righty-hitting outfielder, the bullpen could still easily be upgraded. Toronto’s front office did well in 2025 to land Seranthony Domínguez, and a similar tier of reliever would make sense for this group again. Louis Varland has been one of the best relievers in the sport, while Jeff Hoffman has looked solid lately and Tyler Rogers is Mr. Reliable, but last year taught us just how many back-end arms are needed for a deep run.

The Blue Jays’ back-end arms have been ridden hard, too. Mason Fluharty leads MLB with 48 appearances and is followed closely by Varland (43), Braydon Fisher (43), Rogers (43) and Hoffman (42). That’s another reason for the Blue Jays to look at the relief market, and another reason that having some flexibility with Nance’s bullpen spot could be valuable.

In Sprock, the Blue Jays land a 21-year-old catcher who’s also seen time at third base and left field this season, an attractive mix of defensive positions. The Twins’ 2025 eighth-rounder, Sprock had just been promoted to the Twins’ High-A affiliate, so an assignment to the Vancouver Canadians would make sense.

Across 67 games this season, Sprock has hit .297 with five home runs and an .855 OPS. His offensive profile will be a familiar one for those who track Blue Jays prospects, with plenty of contact and a strong plate approach but little power. The standout numbers from Sprock’s line this season are 50 walks compared to just 33 strikeouts, good for a .427 on-base percentage.