Down in Florida, the sun is shining, the weather is warm, and players are in the best shape of their lives. Spring training is upon us and the Blue Jays, like every team, are coming into spring with optimism and excitement as they get ready for the regular season. However, also like every team, the Jays have questions and concerns regarding their roster, and hope that most will be answered and addressed by the end of spring.
Can they stay healthy?
Former Blue Jays’ manager John Gibbons once said that once spring training starts, nothing good can happen. This was in reference to the health of players, and while Gibby was saying this in a tongue-in-cheek manner, he isn’t too far off, as most of the time, the number one goal for teams is to end spring training with a healthy roster. Health is important for the entire team, but for the Jays, a bigger focus will be the health of their pitching staff. Coming out of spring training last year, the Jays had Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano start the season on the IL which severely hurt their bullpen and put them behind the eight-ball early. The Jays signed veteran reliever Jeff Hoffman to be their new closer as Romano signed with the Phillies in free agency, and they cannot afford for him or any other high impact relievers to start the season injured again.
Now, in the rotation, the Jays have been very fortunate over the last few years as they have done a really good job at keeping their starters healthy. In each of the last two seasons, Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt have each made at least 31 starts. However, they’re each another year older, and Gausman and Bassitt are 34 and 36, respectively. Keeping them not only healthy, but effective, will be a challenge for the Jays through spring and into the start of the season, given their ages. Furthermore, the Jays signed future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to a one-year contract, but he is going to be 41 in July and is coming off an injury-plagued season in Texas where he only made 9 starts. Keeping him healthy may be their biggest challenge, and even though his best years are behind him, if the Jays can get him through the spring healthy and he makes around 25 starts this year, it will be a win.
Who is Orelvis Martínez?
Heading into last season, Orelvis Martínez was the Jays’ top position play prospect and was knocking on the door of the big-league club. He started the year in Triple-A and hit .260/.343/.523 with 16 homeruns in 63 games before being called up to the majors on June 18th. However, he would only play in one game before getting an 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s joint drug policy. He said he consumed a banned product while undergoing a fertility treatment in the Dominican Republic, and while it may not have been a performance-enhancing drug in the traditional sense, a banned substance is a banned substance. After serving his suspension, he returned to Triple-A for the final two weeks of the season, and is now looking to turn the page for 2025. His biggest strength is his power, however, after coming off a suspension, it can make you question how much of what he’s shown is real. He will have to prove himself this spring and show the Jays that they should take him north with the rest of the club. He’s off to a good start as he homered in his first spring training game, but will have to really impress all spring-long in order to crack the opening day roster. A potential issue with Orelvis is that he isn’t a strong defender, and at 23 years old, is too young to be a full time DH. However, if he performs well over the next few weeks, the Jays should seriously consider having him on the opening day roster and figure out where to play him later. Power is something the Jays’ lineup has lacked for a couple of years now, and if his bat is legit, then it would be a welcome addition.
What does the bench look like?
In a similar vein to the question of whether or not Orelvis will make the team, probably the biggest decisions will be determining which players round out the final roster spots. There are a few positions that are still question marks when it comes to who will be playing there on a regular basis. 3B, LF, and DH are the places where there are no concrete answers at the moment and could be a revolving door of players depending on performance.
The Jays will rotate a multitude of players through the DH spot, but for the sake of argument, let’s presume that Santander will play mostly DH and Springer stays in RF. In this scenario, the Jays would likely look to bring two additional outfielders: one for LF and one backup. Davis Schneider, Joey Loperfido, and Nathan Lukes are likely the three guys battling it out for those two spots.
Third base is probably Ernie Clement’s job to lose, but even he could platoon playing time with others depending on performance and opponent. I’ve penciled him into the starting role based on what he did last season, and the fact that he has no minor league options left, meaning he cannot be sent to Triple-A. Like the outfield, the Jays will almost certainly take two additional infielders to round out their bench. Addison Barger, Leo Jiménez, Will Wagner, and the aforementioned Orelvis Martínez will be the ones jockeying for these two spots.
Every player mentioned that is competing for a spot has options left, so if they don’t make the opening day roster, they will go to Triple A. This means that it will likely come down to health and performance when the Jays decide which players to bring north. This internal competition is good to have because it can bring out the best in some players, as they’ll know that they have to earn their spot on the roster. My prediction is that Schnieder and Loperfido will claim the outfield spots, with Barger and Wagner securing the infield ones.
Spring training is full of optimism and excitement as players and coaches get ready for the season. Nothing is set in stone when it comes to the roster, and there is still time before opening day for all the questions to be answered, but at the same time, it will be here before you know it. The Jays need to start the season with very few uncertainties because they must get off to a hot start if they want to have a successful year, so hopefully in a month’s time, most of their questions will be answered.