Blue Jays: Could Eric Sogard be hitting his way on to another team?

It seems like in every game the Toronto Blue Jays are playing lately, Eric Sogard is doing something positive offensively to contribute to the team.

The 32-year-old veteran Eric Sogard has had his share of ups and downs over his nine years in the majors, but this season playing for Toronto has been one of the ups.

When the Blue Jays signed Eric Sogard last December to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, there was no way to guess that this kind of hitting would come out of the Arizona State alumni.

In his first 49 at-bats with the Blue Jays, Sogard is hitting .370 with 19 hits with .652 slugging percentage and a .442 OBP. He has already matched his previous personal best for a season in home runs of three in 2019, and he didn’t even get called up from Buffalo until April 14th.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1123210391469809666

When the Blue Jays first signed Sogard, it was assumed that this was a minor league depth move, but he has become an everyday fixture of the Blue Jays starting lineup, and can you really blame them?

Things get more interesting when you factor in that the Blue Jays have lots of second base talent available in their system. Cavan Biggio is ready right now in Buffalo, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr is also playing decently on his demotion. Richard Urena did well in his time up with the Blue Jays, and Brandon Drury can also play second if needed. Someday maybe we will see Devon Travis back too..

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The Blue Jays are good in the second base department for sure, so if Eric Sogard keeps this pace offensively then he’s likely going to play himself on to another team. He’s only getting paid $555,000 on a 1-year deal, so pretty much any team willing to trade could be able to afford him. He’s batted leadoff this season for the Blue Jays and is a left-handed hitter so there is some appeal there. His veteran presence could also be a draw for teams, and really how can you not love #nerdpower.

I feel like a bit of a villain writing about potentially trading a player for whom I have immensely enjoyed watching play lately. However, when you look at the whole grand scheme of things it’s probably better to secure a lottery ticket prospect in return for Eric Sogard and make way for the future.

No matter what happens to Sogard, he has come a long way in a short while from the player who was released twice by the Brewers in 2018.  I am happy to see him experience success playing in Toronto, and while I wouldn’t mind him spending the whole 2019 season teaching our young prospects, I wouldn’t count on it. If Ross Atkins can somehow get a prospect out of Eric Sogard, it would be a major win for Blue Jays management.