Forty years ago today, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners took their first real steps as MLB franchises.
At the 1976 MLB expansion draft, the Blue Jays and M’s selected 30 players each to form their first rosters which would debut in 1977.
All established MLB teams at the time had the ability to protect 15 players on their 40-man roster. After round one and again after round two, all teams could add another three players to that protected list.
The Mariners, who went 64-98 in their debut season, opened the draft by selecting Ruppert Jones, an outfielder from the Kansas City Royals.