Blue Jays release Tapia, Zimmer after one season in Toronto

The Toronto Blue Jays non-tendered outfielders Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer on Friday, the team announced.

The club also released infielder Vinny Capra and tendered contracts to 11 arbitration-eligible players, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Jordan Romano and Santiago Espinal, among others.

Tapia, 28, was acquired by the Blue Jays along with prospect Adrian Pinto last offseason from the Colorado Rockies for outfielder Randal Grichuk.

He played 128 games with Toronto, mostly in a platoon role, slashing .265/.292/.380 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs.

Zimmer, 29, was acquired by the Blue Jays just before the start of last season for reliever Anthony Castro.

Mostly appearing as a late-inning defensive replacement, Zimmer struggled at the plate, hitting .101/.200/.213 with 41 strikeouts compared to only five walks across 100 games.

Zimmer was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays in August and claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies, playing in nine games, before being reacquired by Toronto 11 days later.

Capra, 26, was a 20th-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in 2018. The utility man made his major-league debut this past season, appearing in eight games. He played primarily in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons.

The Blue Jays are expected to be busy in the coming weeks after the club traded outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko.