Article: Trade Deadline 2025, Exploring the Blue Jays' Weaknesses: Right-Handed Bench Bat

[Leo Morgenstern]

As of July 7, the Blue Jays rank fourth in the majors in OPS from their right-handed hitters. They rank second in wRC+. Unfortunately, their left-handed batters have not enjoyed nearly as much success; they rank 23rd in both of the aforementioned metrics. It's a good thing, then, that righty batters have taken 63% of the team's plate appearances, the fifth-highest rate in the majors. 

On a closely related note, the Blue Jays have performed notably better against left-handed pitchers this year. Their 110 wRC+ against southpaws ranks seventh in MLB, while their 104 wRC+ against righties ranks 13th. 

With all that in mind, you might be wondering why I'm writing about Toronto's need for another right-handed bat. That's a fair question. It seems like the Jays already have plenty of righties, and as a group, they've performed pretty darn well. 

For one thing, keep in mind that George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are doing a lot of the heavy lifting from the right-hand side. The real crux of the issue, however, has nothing to do with right-handed bats at all. Take a look at this Punnett square of platoon splits:

Blue Jays wRC+ Splits
Handedness	RHP	LHP
RHH	106	128
LHH	102	36

Data via FanGraphs, prior to games on July 7.

Even against left-handed pitching, the Blue Jays have received better production from their right-handed bats. That's partly because they have two of the best righty batters in the game atop their lineup, but the bigger problem is that their lefty batters, collectively speaking, just haven't gotten the job done.

So, why aren't I writing this article about a left-handed bat as a trade deadline priority? I can explain. But let's start by running through the lefty bats Toronto already has.

Neither Andrés Giménez nor Daulton Varsho is on this team for his bat. They are Gold Glove winners, and the Blue Jays aren't looking to upgrade at second base or center field. On the contrary, they're hoping both players will soon return from the injured list and retake their spots in the starting lineup.  

Addison Barger has struggled against left-handed pitching (78 wRC+ in 39 PA), but he has been so good against righties (140 wRC+ in 205 PA). He's not going anywhere. Nathan Lukes hasn't been as productive as Barger, but he falls into a similar category of player. With a 119 wRC+ in 176 PA against righties, he has been a valuable contributor to the offense even though he's rarely allowed to face lefties (51 wRC+ in 18 PA).

If/when the Blue Jays are at full strength, those are the four lefty batters on their roster. The Jays also have switch-hitters Anthony Santander and Tyler Heineman, and they won't be looking to replace Santander or Heineman either. Santander struggled before he hit the IL, but it's far too soon for the Jays to even think of giving up on the Silver Slugger winner they signed last offseason. Indeed, one of the best ways the Blue Jays can hope to upgrade their offense is if Tony Taters comes back from the IL and starts swinging like he did in 2024. As for Heineman, he has far exceeded expectations as the backup catcher. His job is safe.

As I hope I've made clear, none of these are players the Blue Jays should move on from. But they do have a weakness. These six hitters have combined for a .198 batting average, .555 OPS, and 59 wRC+ against left-handed pitching in 2025. 

So, the Jays don't need better left-handed hitters. What they need are enough right-handed bats so that John Schneider can shield his left-handed hitters from left-handed pitching as often as possible. 

Myles Straw is a right-handed hitter with elite defensive skills in center field. Ernie Clement is another righty who can play anywhere in the infield. They have important platoon roles to play. Still, the Jays could use one more right-handed bat that Schneider can slot in against southpaw starters or sub in against lefty relievers. Ideally, such a player would be able to cover some outfield and some infield. 

In other words, ideally, such a player would be Davis Schneider. 

Schneider bats from the right side of the plate. He has been much better against lefties than righties throughout his career. He can play second base, third base, and left field. If he can be the right-handed bench bat the Blue Jays require, Ross Atkins would be free to focus on other areas of need ahead of the deadline. But that's a big if. 

Every Blue Jays fan wants Schneider to hit like Babe again. Yet, his disappointing performance in 2024 (79 wRC+ in 454 PA) is fresher in all of our minds. He continued to struggle over the first few weeks of 2025, with the Jays eventually sending him down to Triple-A Buffalo. 

Schneider has hit much better since he was recalled, with an .828 OPS and 136 wRC+ over the last six weeks. However, while he has gotten his wRC+ on the season up to 115, his xwOBA remains a deeply concerning .277. That's even worse than it was in 2024. He's also running a .324 BABIP since June 1, compared to a .278 career BABIP prior. The regression monster is hot on his tail.

I would love nothing more than for Schneider to be the answer here, but I'm just not convinced he is. 

The only other option from the 40-man roster who could potentially fill the right-handed bench bat role is Orelvis Martinez. However, he's not getting the call anytime soon with the way he's struggling for the Bisons. Looking past the 40-man, Riley Tirotta is a righty who is absolutely mashing in Buffalo. The only problem? He is completely unproven at the big league level. It wouldn't be fair for the Blue Jays to call him up and expect him to be an upgrade over Schneider. Tirotta is a lottery ticket, not an insurance policy. 

So, it certainly seems like another right-handed bat will be on Ross Atkins's shopping list ahead of the trade deadline. As it becomes clearer which teams are buying and which teams are selling, we'll soon have a better idea of who the best available righty bats might be.

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