Article: How Can the Blue Jays Make Room for a New Bat?

[Leo Morgenstern]

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve written a lot more about pitchers than hitters here at Jays Centre in our pre-trade deadline coverage. That makes sense. Numerous reports have suggested the Blue Jays are prioritizing pitching upgrades, and it’s also a lot easier to imagine how a new pitcher could fit in on the roster. 

Still, if the Jays are looking to stay on top of the American League down the stretch, they’ll need to look down every possible avenue for improvement before the deadline. In other words, they need to consider bats as well as arms.

The front office knows as much. A month ago, Ross Atkins told reporters (including MLB.com's Keegan Matheson) that he was looking to add a right-handed bat. Of course, he made those comments before the Blue Jays led the majors in hits, runs, OPS, and wRC+ over the first 30 days of July, but nonetheless, I do expect Toronto to add at least one position player before six o'clock tomorrow evening. The most prominent hitter they have been linked to so far is Steven Kwan of the Guardians, but they're also rumored to have checked in on Harrison Bader and Willi Castro of the Twins, and there are several other bats on the market they could consider adding over the next 30 hours.

Yet, if the Blue Jays are going to add a hitter, it's fair to wonder how they'll make room on the roster. As the active roster stands right now, the Jays could option any of Leo Jiménez, Will Wagner, or Joey Loperfido to free up space. The situation could get far more complicated, however, if/when all three of Daulton Varsho, Andrés Giménez, and Anthony Santander return from the injured list. 

Here is what Toronto's lineup and bench would look like if everyone on the roster were healthy:

Starting Lineup

• Alejandro Kirk - C
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B
• Andrés Giménez - 2B
• Bo Bichette - SS
• Ernie Clement - 3B
• George Springer - LF
• Daulton Varsho - CF
• Addison Barger - RF
• Anthony Santander - DH

Bench

• Tyler Heineman - C
• Davis Schneider - OF/INF
• Nathan Lukes - OF
• Myles Straw - OF

Looking at this picture, I'd argue the most straightforward way for Toronto to improve the lineup is to look for an upgrade at third base or in the outfield. A third baseman would supplant Ernie Clement, while an outfield addition would force Addison Barger back into the infield. In either case, Clement would go from being the theoretical everyday third baseman back into a utility role (for which he's best suited anyway). 

The question then becomes, whose spot would Clement take on the bench? Davis Schneider is hitting too well to be sent down right now. Indeed, he's hitting well enough that you could argue he belongs in that starting lineup I drew up, at least on days when a lefty starter takes on the mound for the opposition.

Meanwhile, Myles Straw is one of the only Blue Jays who isn't hitting well right now, but he is an elite defensive center fielder and a far better backup option at the position (defensively speaking) than Nathan Lukes. What's more, Straw, unlike Lukes, cannot be optioned to the minor leagues. To remove Straw from the roster, the Blue Jays would have to designate him for assignment and pass him through waivers. The money left on his contract (about $10 million) would surely prevent any other teams from claiming him. However, once he passed through waivers, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. A year ago, he never would have made that choice; he'd be sacrificing all the guaranteed salary remaining on his deal. Earlier this season, however, he surpassed five years of MLB service time, which means he can now reject an outright assignment without forfeiting any money. That means the Blue Jays would most likely lose Straw's services and still be on the hook for his salary.

Do the Blue Jays like Lukes more than Straw? Yes, I'm pretty confident they do. But if forced to decide between losing Straw entirely or optioning Lukes to Triple-A, I think they'd choose the latter. That would be a tough blow for Lukes, who has done nothing to deserve a demotion. Yet, from Toronto's perspective, it would hardly be the worst thing to have a player like Lukes available as depth – especially since the hypothetical situation I'm considering, one in which every hitter on the roster is healthy, is unlikely to transpire. 

Another option Atkins and Co. could consider is trading Lukes. After all, he has proven this season that he is a capable major leaguer, and he might be more valuable in a trade than he would be twiddling his thumbs in Buffalo. To that point, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon recently reported that the Jays have "indicated a willingness to trade big league position players" ahead of the deadline. That could refer to players with more recent prospect status, like Alan Roden, Jonatan Clase, Loperfido, Wagner, or Jiménez, but it could also end up being someone like Lukes. Indeed, if we're talking about a player who has genuinely cemented himself as a "big league player," I can't really imagine it being anyone other than Lukes. (Or, at least, I don't want to imagine it. I'm begging you Ross, please don't trade Barger or Clement!)

One more path for the Jays, if they're particularly inclined to keep Lukes in Toronto, would be to make a trade that lets them feel comfortable parting ways with Straw. Specifically, I'm imagining the Jays trading for Harrison Bader. He would fill the same niche as Straw – he's an elite defensive center fielder - but he's also a significantly better hitter, and he's in the midst of a career-best year at the plate. 

Bader could be the right-handed bat the Jays are looking for, and with Bader and Varsho playing alongside one another in the outfield, Toronto's already excellent defense would become that much better. Moreover, with Bader on the roster, the Jays really wouldn't have any need for Straw anymore. That might make them feel better about eating the money remaining on his contract. In fact, I even wonder if they could convince Minnesota to take Straw as part of the return package for Bader, provided Toronto covered almost all of his remaining salary. After all, the Twins could use a center fielder with Byron Buxton on the injured list. 

All this to say, the Blue Jays have ways to make room for an upgrade to the lineup, even if they eventually have to make some difficult decisions. With the deadline coming up tomorrow evening, it won't be long before we have a much better idea of what those difficult decisions might be. 

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[Terminator]

If Santander doesn't come back I think Loperfido makes the cut and we could run something like this:

1. LF- Lukes/Schneider (L/R)
2. DH- Springer
3. 1B- Vlad
4. SS- Bo
5. 3B/RF- Barger (L)
6. C- Kirk
7. CF- Varsho (L)
8. RF/3B- Loperfido/Clement (L/R)
9. 2B- Gimenez (L)

• C- Heineman (S)
• 2B/OF- Schneider
• UT- Clement
• OF- Straw

I agree that there are definitely ways to improve on that but unless it's a clear upgrade it would eventually require a "difficult decision" as Leo puts it.

[Grant77]

20 hours ago, Leo Morgenstern said:

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve written a lot more about pitchers than hitters here at Jays Centre in our pre-trade deadline coverage. That makes sense. Numerous reports have suggested the Blue Jays are prioritizing pitching upgrades, and it’s also a lot easier to imagine how a new pitcher could fit in on the roster. 

Still, if the Jays are looking to stay on top of the American League down the stretch, they’ll need to look down every possible avenue for improvement before the deadline. In other words, they need to consider bats as well as arms.

The front office knows as much. A month ago, Ross Atkins told reporters (including MLB.com's Keegan Matheson) that he was looking to add a right-handed bat. Of course, he made those comments before the Blue Jays led the majors in hits, runs, OPS, and wRC+ over the first 30 days of July, but nonetheless, I do expect Toronto to add at least one position player before six o'clock tomorrow evening. The most prominent hitter they have been linked to so far is Steven Kwan of the Guardians, but they're also rumored to have checked in on Harrison Bader and Willi Castro of the Twins, and there are several other bats on the market they could consider adding over the next 30 hours.

Yet, if the Blue Jays are going to add a hitter, it's fair to wonder how they'll make room on the roster. As the active roster stands right now, the Jays could option any of Leo Jiménez, Will Wagner, or Joey Loperfido to free up space. The situation could get far more complicated, however, if/when all three of Daulton Varsho, Andrés Giménez, and Anthony Santander return from the injured list. 

Here is what Toronto's lineup and bench would look like if everyone on the roster were healthy:

Starting Lineup

• Alejandro Kirk - C
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B
• Andrés Giménez - 2B
• Bo Bichette - SS
• Ernie Clement - 3B
• George Springer - LF
• Daulton Varsho - CF
• Addison Barger - RF
• Anthony Santander - DH

Bench

• Tyler Heineman - C
• Davis Schneider - OF/INF
• Nathan Lukes - OF
• Myles Straw - OF

Looking at this picture, I'd argue the most straightforward way for Toronto to improve the lineup is to look for an upgrade at third base or in the outfield. A third baseman would supplant Ernie Clement, while an outfield addition would force Addison Barger back into the infield. In either case, Clement would go from being the theoretical everyday third baseman back into a utility role (for which he's best suited anyway). 

The question then becomes, whose spot would Clement take on the bench? Davis Schneider is hitting too well to be sent down right now. Indeed, he's hitting well enough that you could argue he belongs in that starting lineup I drew up, at least on days when a lefty starter takes on the mound for the opposition.

Meanwhile, Myles Straw is one of the only Blue Jays who isn't hitting well right now, but he is an elite defensive center fielder and a far better backup option at the position (defensively speaking) than Nathan Lukes. What's more, Straw, unlike Lukes, cannot be optioned to the minor leagues. To remove Straw from the roster, the Blue Jays would have to designate him for assignment and pass him through waivers. The money left on his contract (about $10 million) would surely prevent any other teams from claiming him. However, once he passed through waivers, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. A year ago, he never would have made that choice; he'd be sacrificing all the guaranteed salary remaining on his deal. Earlier this season, however, he surpassed five years of MLB service time, which means he can now reject an outright assignment without forfeiting any money. That means the Blue Jays would most likely lose Straw's services and still be on the hook for his salary.

Do the Blue Jays like Lukes more than Straw? Yes, I'm pretty confident they do. But if forced to decide between losing Straw entirely or optioning Lukes to Triple-A, I think they'd choose the latter. That would be a tough blow for Lukes, who has done nothing to deserve a demotion. Yet, from Toronto's perspective, it would hardly be the worst thing to have a player like Lukes available as depth – especially since the hypothetical situation I'm considering, one in which every hitter on the roster is healthy, is unlikely to transpire. 

Another option Atkins and Co. could consider is trading Lukes. After all, he has proven this season that he is a capable major leaguer, and he might be more valuable in a trade than he would be twiddling his thumbs in Buffalo. To that point, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon recently reported that the Jays have "indicated a willingness to trade big league position players" ahead of the deadline. That could refer to players with more recent prospect status, like Alan Roden, Jonatan Clase, Loperfido, Wagner, or Jiménez, but it could also end up being someone like Lukes. Indeed, if we're talking about a player who has genuinely cemented himself as a "big league player," I can't really imagine it being anyone other than Lukes. (Or, at least, I don't want to imagine it. I'm begging you Ross, please don't trade Barger or Clement!)

One more path for the Jays, if they're particularly inclined to keep Lukes in Toronto, would be to make a trade that lets them feel comfortable parting ways with Straw. Specifically, I'm imagining the Jays trading for Harrison Bader. He would fill the same niche as Straw – he's an elite defensive center fielder - but he's also a significantly better hitter, and he's in the midst of a career-best year at the plate. 

Bader could be the right-handed bat the Jays are looking for, and with Bader and Varsho playing alongside one another in the outfield, Toronto's already excellent defense would become that much better. Moreover, with Bader on the roster, the Jays really wouldn't have any need for Straw anymore. That might make them feel better about eating the money remaining on his contract. In fact, I even wonder if they could convince Minnesota to take Straw as part of the return package for Bader, provided Toronto covered almost all of his remaining salary. After all, the Twins could use a center fielder with Byron Buxton on the injured list. 

All this to say, the Blue Jays have ways to make room for an upgrade to the lineup, even if they eventually have to make some difficult decisions. With the deadline coming up tomorrow evening, it won't be long before we have a much better idea of what those difficult decisions might be. 

 

View full article

 

I would just leave Barger at 3B and roll with Ernie as the utility player as the article suggests. Then you put Schneider or the new addition in LF

On the bench you go with Heineman, Clement, Straw, and the new addition. Loperfido and Roden can be depth or trade bait.