How Does Davis Schneider Fit In After the Blue Jays' Addition of Kazuma Okamoto?

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Davis Schneider has been a utility player over his three-year MLB career with the Toronto Blue Jays. He's handled second and third base, as well as left field. Offensively, he's an adequate contact hitter who walks at a high rate and offers some power. Last season, he slashed .234/.361/.436 with 11 home runs, 33 runs, and 31 runs knocked in over 227 plate appearances. Despite the low batting average, he posted a .280 BABIP and had a 15.9 walk percentage. His .202 isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average) was 25% better than league average.

Surprisingly, as a right-handed hitter, he has struggled against left-handed pitchers over the last two seasons. He posted a .528 and .708 OPS against southpaws in 2024 and '25, respectively, compared to .667 and .915 marks against righties. Last season, 37 of his 60 strikeouts, and only four of his home runs, came against left-handers. These struggles complicate his opportunities for playing time as a right-handed hitter.

The signing of Kazuma Okamoto has further muddied Schneider's path to playing time. Okamoto was a primary third baseman in NPB but also spent time at first base and in the outfield. Schneider is now blocked by three right-handed-hitting infielders: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ernie Clement, and Okamoto. In the outfield, left-handed hitters Addison Barger, Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, and Anthony Santander (switch-hitter) will block Schneider from facing right-handed pitching. Varsho, Lukes, and Santander have outperformed Schneider against lefties over their careers, as well.

The only clear-cut route for Schneider to get on the field is if Barger sits against southpaws. Barger has only taken 126 MLB plate appearances against southpaws due to his struggles against them the last two seasons, compared to 601 PA against righties. However, Myles Straw, who is a right-handed hitter and had a .683 OPS against left-handed pitchers last season, could be the preferred candidate to replace Barger. While he isn't likely to be a better hitter than Schneider, he is a far superior defender and baserunner. That means Schneider has no route to regular at-bats unless there's an injury.

Toronto's lineup could become even more crowded for the utility player. USA Today's Bob Nightengale is among those to report that Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Bo Bichette are still on the table to be signed by the defending American League champions. Nightengale also stated that the Blue Jays' preference "is to make Okamoto a superutility player." If the Jays signed one of Tucker, Bregman, or Bichette, it would make a Schneider trade a near certainty.

Schneider will only be 27 years old in 2026, and he has four years of team control remaining. That makes him an appealing trade target. There's a chance he could also be sent down to Triple A, but that would mean wasting his talent to keep him around in case of an injury. Ultimately, there doesn't seem to be a scenario where keeping Schneider makes sense for a team with World Series aspirations.

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