Blue Jays’ Gurriel may be ready sometime in 2018

The Blue Jays have many needs this offseason, with some middle infield depth near the top of the list. Could Lourdes Gurriel Jr. serve as depth in 2018?

Now that it’s the offseason, at least for the Blue Jays, the conversation has naturally shifted toward the roster for 2018, and what kind of changes could be made to what’s currently in house. The bulk of the Jays’ roster is set to return in 2018, but there are a few open spots, and of course trades could always change things in a hurry as well.

One of the identified needs for the Blue Jays this offseason is some depth in the middle infield, especially after a year that saw their starters combine to play just 116 games. While Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis are both immensely talented when they’re healthy, they haven’t been able to provide much in the way of consistently in Toronto for the last few years.

Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney did an admirable job filling in 2017, but neither is really suited to be a starter, and the latter is set to be a free agent after the World Series. Goins is expected to return, but he also enters arbitration for the first time, and has openly expressed a desire to be a full-time starter (even if he’s basically that in Toronto anyway). They could both return in 2018, but it’s also conceivable that neither does, so it’s a situation to monitor this offseason for sure.

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Whether the Blue Jays elect to add in free agency or trade this winter, they do have a few options that are coming down the minor league pipeline that could contribute in 2018. We saw an admirable performance from Richard Urena in September, but as the month wore on he revealed that he could use some more time to strengthen his offensive approach. It’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll serve as injury depth if the need arises though.

However, the one guy that I think the Blue Jays are crossing their fingers for is Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who has the type of the skill set the they sorely need. He is capable of playing all over the infield and can cover the corner outfield as well. He spends most of his time in the keystone positions, and I would expect that’s how the Blue Jays see him contributing at the highest level as well.

He had an up and down year in 2017, starting poorly at the plate in Dunedin before being moved up to New Hampshire and making substantial improvements. He combined to hit .229/.268/.339 across the two levels, but as I said he made steady improvements throughout the year. He batting average was .197 in Dunedin and improved to .241 in the new league against higher competition. He also seems to have carried those improvements into his Winter League season, where he’s off to a great start thus far.

Through just six games, he’s already collected two home runs, eight RBI, and is hitting .364. Granted it’s a small sample size, but these are the type of strides the Blue Jays are hoping to see with his stint in the AFL. After committing to the 23 year old on a seven year, 22 million dollar deal, they’re hoping to get some return on their investment, even if they’re willing to be patient for him to be ready.

Next: Potential middle infield targets in trade

It’s looking likely that he’ll start the season in Double A next year, but if he can continue to hit well at the plate then don’t be surprised if he gets a call-up at some point in 2018, especially with his defensive versatility. The Blue Jays have talked about wanting a “Ben Zobrist-lite”, and he’s probably their best candidate for that role in their minor league system, at least at the moment.