The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t expect much from pitcher Trey Yesavage at the start of the 2025 MLB season. Sure, some thought he was a back-end top-100 prospect, but he had yet to pitch an inning in the minors. Merely surviving in A-ball would have been a successful year.

But Yesavage blew those expectations out of the water. After starting the season in the lowest level of the minors, he quickly rose up the ranks. His stuff proved too dominant for minor-league hitters, causing the Blue Jays to aggressively promote him until he was challenged, leading to a brief major-league stint in September.

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After his dominant Game 5 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series on Wednesday, which saw Yesavage strike out 12 in the longest professional start of his career, one could argue that moment has yet to come.

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Given his meteoric rise, Yesavage hasn’t really been able to enjoy all the perks that come with being a major leaguer, namely the paychecks. While Yesavage signed for $4 million out of the draft, he didn’t make much in his first season as a pro. Minor-league salaries are low, and players don’t typically see big spikes in pay until they make it to the majors.

Because Yesavage’s time in the majors was short — just three starts — it’s estimated that he made $60,000 as a rookie. But after his dominant October, Yesavage knows that number is about to jump much higher.

He’ll likely triple his regular-season salary based solely on the Blue Jays’ performance in October. MLB teams that make the playoffs receive a postseason share for those games. That figure is comprised of gate receipts and then broken up and awarded to teams based on how they finish the season, with the World Series winner receiving the highest share among playoff teams.

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An example on MLB.com lists the 2019 players pool at $80 million. The World Series winners, the Washington Nationals, received $29 million of that grand total. Once the team receives that money, players vote on how to award shares. The Nationals opted for 61 shares, resulting in each person who received a share getting $382,358.18.

If the Blue Jays win the World Series and come anywhere close to those numbers, Yesavage could make nearly six times his regular-season salary in one month. That’s quite the increase for the rookie.

In Yesavage’s case, it would be well deserved. The 22-year-old has played a key role in Toronto’s run in the playoffs. Through five postseason starts, Yesavage has a 3.46 ERA, with 39 strikeouts in 26 innings. During that stretch, he has delivered two starts with double-digit strikeouts — one against the New York Yankees and one against the Dodgers. If the Blue Jays can put the Dodgers away and win the World Series, Yesavage’s run will immortalize him in Toronto.

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Given the way MLB contracts are structured, Yesavage won’t make significant money when he suits up for the Blue Jays next season. Despite all his postseason success, he’ll still be paid like an unproven rookie.

But he has already proven that he’s much more than that, and if his playoff performance is a sign of things to come, it won’t be long before he starts to see more zeroes at the end of his paychecks.