Blue Jays: Imagining what the 2020 lineup looks like

The Blue Jays had a couple big pieces to their future on display in the Futures Game. Both Vladimir Guerrero and Bo Bichette represented the Blue Jays organization in the showcase of tomorrow’s big league stars.

I figured since it’s the All-Star break, maybe it would be fun to take a break from the 2017 season for a moment. The Futures Game took place on Sunday evening, and the Blue Jays had Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette participating in the game, giving fans plenty to dream about regarding the future.

Not every prospect pans out, as we’ve seen time and time again over the years. However, the Blue Jays have a lot of young talent, and also a lot of aging veterans on the roster. When we’re talking 3-4 years from now, the lineup is going to look a lot different, whether we like to admit it or not. Jose Bautista would be in his 40’s by then, Russell Martin’s contract will have expired, as will Justin Smoak’s and Kendrys Morales’. The team will look a lot different, which happens. The good news is, the Blue Jays have plenty to be excited about in their minor league system.

With that in mind, here is my prediction of what the lineup looks like in 2020, and keep in mind that this is based purely on my own speculation.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/884448342880641024

Call me an idiot if you want, but this is all in good fun, so feel free to leave your changes in the comments section below if you like.

The Infield

1B-  Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

2B-  Devon Travis

SS-  Bo Bichette

3B- Troy Tulowitzki

C-  Russell Martin/Danny Jansen

I’ve got Guerrero at first base, as scouts don’t know whether or not he’ll stick at third. It’s entirely possible he could, but for the 2020 season I’ve got Tulo having to slide over there by then. He’ll be in his age 35 season in 2020, and while I do think he’ll still be a more than capable fielder, there’s no shame in moving positions, a la Cal Ripken Jr, when you’re in the twilight of your career.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/884169295235887104

On that note, Russell Martin’s contract will have expired at the end of the 2019 season, but I’m calling that he returns on a much smaller contract to play another year or two with the Blue Jays, and guide the new faces into their chapter of the franchise. Danny Jansen is with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Double A right now, and is performing admirably. Our resident Minor League expert at the Jays Journal, Craig Borden, is high on Jansen’s future, so he gets the spot in my made-up lineup.

I’m banking on Devon Travis somehow getting healthy and having a good career, and that might be foolish. Still, I choose to cheer for just that, and if he can stay healthy there’s no reason to think that he wouldn’t be a productive member of this young lineup. It’s also possible that Bichette ends up at second base, and the Blue Jays took Logan Warmoth with their first overall pick this year, so the middle infield could go a number of ways.

The Outfield

RF- Edward Olivares

LF- Dalton Pompey

CF- Anthony Alford

DH- Insert veteran left-handed hitter here- Let’s go with Jose Abreu, he’ll be a free agent in 2020 and would give the Jays a power bat in a lineup of young talent. He could end up traded and/or extended by the time 2020 rolls around, but he seems like the type of hitter that would make sense in this group of youngsters.

I really think Alford is the guy that will eventually take Kevin Pillar‘s place in centre field. Pillar will be a free agent in 2021, and would be in his third year of arbitration, but something tells me that the Blue Jays will have moved on from him in CF by then. Don’t get me wrong, I love “Superman” as much as you do, but this is 2020 we’re talking about, and by year three of arbitration he’ll be a lot more expensive. He’s been among the team leaders in WAR for the last three years, so somebody will give him a raise, assuming his career doesn’t fall off.

I’m also rooting for Pompey, but he may be an imperfect fit even if he becomes a viable big leaguer. As for Justin Smoak, he’ll be a free agent no later than after the 2019 season, so he’ll only stick around if the Blue Jays open their wallet. If Vladimir Guerrero sticks at third base, or ends up in a corner outfield spot, I suppose it’s possible. For now, this is how I see things playing out.

Potential Lineup

1. Anthony Alford
2. Devon Travis
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. Jose Abreu
5. Bo Bichette
6. Edward Olivares
7. Troy Tulowitzki
8. Russell Martin/Danny Jansen
9. Dalton Pompey

Bench

1. Danny Jansen (catching tandem with Martin)
2. Bradley Jones (future super-utility guy! Maybe… who knows)
3. Martin Prado (FA and 36 by then, RH hitter, some versatility)
4. Richard Urena (infield depth, capable of manning SS)

Jansen represents one half of the catching tandem and could end up being more of a starter by then. The Blue Jays haven’t had the greatest track record of developing catchers, so it’s really hard to say how this one pans out, but we like his upside at the Journal. Prado would make sense to provide depth behind Tulowitzki at third base, as he’ll also be 36 by then, and providing depth behind Tulo usually offers plenty of opportunity throughout the course of a 162 game season.

Bradley Jones has played all over the infield, and crushed the ball earlier in the year. He was promoted from the Lansing Lugnuts to the Dunedin Blue Jays, and formed a lethal trio with Guerrero and Bichette before being bumped up. He could end up being a starter type in the big leagues, but I threw him on the bench because of his versatility. Urena doesn’t strike me as a future starter, but could be a viable bench piece, especially one that can handle shortstop.

There are tons of names that could slot in here, including the likes of Dwight Smith Jr, who we’ve watched in Toronto for short stints this year, or Rowdy Tellez, Buffalo’s lefty swinging first baseman. The bench usually has a veteran piece or two, which is why I went with Prado in this case.

Coaching staff

I’m a fan of John Gibbons, but I don’t know that he’ll be the manager through the likely rebuild/re-tool that the Blue Jays will face as some point. I don’t believe that he deserves to be fired at the moment at all, but his contract runs out at the end of 2019, and I have a hard time seeing him around longer than that.

He has been known to be a bit of a “veteran’s manager”, and we all know that the coaching staff is the first to take the fall when a team struggles. It’s entirely possible that the Blue Jays remain competitive from now until 2020 as well, and if that’s the case Gibby could still be calling the shots in 2020. (I can hear some of you screaming at me through the screen)

What do you think? Again, I didn’t put any science into this, it was a speculation piece for fun while we wait for the second half to begin. Where do you disagree? How do you think this team, or your team, would fare?

Next: Blue Jays Gibby's job is safe, and here's why

So many questions, but that’s what’s fun about an exercise like this. Let me know what you think, there’s all kinds of room for argument here, and I look forward to looking back on this in a couple years and having a good laugh.

Also for what it’s worth, I think the future is bright in Toronto, even if this year hasn’t gone the way we’d hoped it would.