Blue Jays: Plenty of veterans with something to prove

The keystone

Devon Travis

It’s hard to find a player that divides the Blue Jays’ fan base as much as Devon Travis, at least now that Ryan Goins has signed in Kansas City. If you talk to some folks, you’ll hear about how the Blue Jays have their second baseman of the present and future, and a leadoff hitter capable of posting a .300 season. On the other hand, the other half would tell you that he’s a brittle player who can’t stay on the field, and one who can’t be counted on to stay healthy. Unfortunately there’s probably a some truth to both sides of the discussion.

Travis’ talent is hard to deny, and as we watched him tear apart the American League in May of last year it was exciting to think about the kind of numbers he could put together hitting in front of Josh Donaldson in the lineup. Unfortunately he suffered his third straight season-ending injury, and despite attempts to make it back for the stretch run we didn’t see him back in the lineup again for the rest of the year.

The Blue Jays brought in Yangervis Solarte and Aledmys Diaz to help safeguard against their injury-prone infield, and Travis will need to stay healthy in order to keep him job as the regular second baseman, especially with the talented competition waiting in the wings.

Troy Tulowitzki

The same goes for Travis’ keystone partner, Troy Tulowitzki, who couldn’t stay on the field in 2017 either. Unfortunately it’s been an issue for Tulo for several years now, and despite the fact that he’s still an immensely talented player when he’s fully healthy, that’s becoming a pretty rare state for him these days.

With three years remaining on his current contract, Tulowitzki has a fair amount of money still owed to him, which is part of the reason the Blue Jays remain committed to him in their lineup. While it’s a very big if these days, IF he can stay healthy the former Colorado Rockie can definitely bring value to the table, but he’ll have to avoid the disabled list in order to do that.