While the Toronto Blue Jays made notable moves in the offseason, there are still loopholes in three positions that could use more depth. According to MLB’s Keegan Matheson, the Blue Jays lack depth with first base, the bullpen, and back catcher. The Blue Jays have performed well in spring training and have veteran leadership in the clubhouse, such as Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk. Varsho has showcased elite power, smashing two home runs across four appearances in spring following recovery from shoulder surgery. Kirk has also showcased raw pull-side power with solid contact. However, considering injuries, it is essential to have supplementary depth.
First Base Case
Looking back to last season, the Blue Jays had more depth at first base with Spencer Horwitz, Justin Turner, Joey Votto, and Daniel Vogelbach. But Horwitz and Turner have found new homes. With Votto, he never got to make a regular season appearance due to injuries and announced his retirement. Vogelbach has found a new role as a special assistant for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ hitting department. Matheson believes that the Blue Jays can restore their depth this season beyond the former Gold Glove first baseman Vladimir Guerrero. The Blue Jays aggressively tried to acquire Pete Alonso but did not add any veteran first-base depth.
The options the Blue Jays have, aside from Guerrero, are Will Wagner, who made his MLB debut last season, and offseason free-agent signing Anthony Santander. Wagner is a utility infielder who provides versatility as he can play multiple positions. He is anticipated to get some action at first base as well as second and third during the regular season. In addition, Wagner will be able to play first base during camp. While Santander’s natural position is in the outfield, he also has experience at first base and could easily transition. Santander played first base for the Baltimore Orioles for the first time on May 15th, 2023. But if the Blue Jays were to utilize him in that position, it would be reminiscent of how they used Horwitz last season.
Lack of Quality Catcher Depth
The Blue Jays’ current full-time catcher this season will be Kirk. The Blue Jays said farewell to Danny Jansen through free agency last season. Jansen was a solid offensive catcher, but it was a big loss for the Blue Jays. Meaning that the duo of Jansen and Kirk is a thing of the past. The pressure will be on Kirk to make significantly more appearances as a catcher. While Kirk is a solid back catcher with a keen eye for framing and blocking pitches, they don’t want to overwork him. The Blue Jays only have Tyler Heineman as a backup option for Kirk and Christian Bethancourt as Heineman’s competition. This is an area in which the Blue Jays significantly lack depth. The Blue Jays are also deficient in having highly ranked prospects in the catcher department.
Reliever Fever
The Blue Jays’ bullpen has been beefed up this season with the return of Yimi Garcia and the free-agent signing of former Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman. However, the Blue Jays recently received unfortunate news from bullpen pitcher Erik Swanson, who is experiencing elbow discomfort and is getting an MRI to evaluate the injury further. Keeping injuries in mind, the Blue Jays must have fallback options. The Blue Jays could turn to Jacob Barnes, a veteran who earned a non-roster invite to camp, as well as Brendon Little and Josh Walker. Considering Barnes is a veteran, he will make an intriguing case while fighting to make his way into a bullpen spot.
Both Walker and Little have shown promise as relievers. The upper hand would go to little who sported a 3.86 ERA and a 71.3 % groundball rate last season. The last suitable option is Yariel Rodriguez, who has been speculated to transition to a reliever. Rodriguez would be a solid option as he could be placed in high-pressure situations. But if all else fails, the Blue Jays could still sign a free-agent reliever. For example, David Roberston is still available, surprisingly. While Atkins mentioned late in the offseason that the Blue Jays are likely steering clear of signing any more free agents, this doesn’t mean that it’s fully off the table. Maximizing the bullpen would be essential, as the Blue Jays’ bullpen took a major tumble last season. With a 4.82 ERA and a 4.84 FIP, they ranked last in the American League.
Main Photo Credits: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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