Blue Jay: Where does the current roster stand in the long term plans?

Tier 2- Likely to be part of the rebuild

After the core five that described on the last page, there are several players who could arguably be considered as “locks” to be on the roster for the next few seasons. However, I view this group as a tick below the rest in terms of job security with the Blue Jays.

I’ll start with Randal Grichuk, and immediately acknowledge that the Blue Jays committed to him on a five-year extension before the 2019 season began. While I do expect that Grichuk will be around for the foreseeable future, his contract is a very tradable one, as he’s set to make 12 million in 2020 before dropping to an annual number of 9.33 million. If he turns his post All-Star break production into a full season thing then he’s a huge bargain, but I don’t feel like the Blue Jays are married to him, even with the extension.

As far as young talent, I would put guys like Rowdy Tellez, Trent Thornton, and Ryan Borucki in tier two, and allow me to explain why.

Tellez has shown the type of left-handed power that would balance nicely for the Blue Jays if he can stick at first base, but he needs to prove that he can provide consistent production at the highest level. With 1B/DH types becoming more readily available and affordable in recent seasons, Tellez is going to have to earn his spot on this team for the long haul.

As for guys like Thornton and Borucki, I believe the Blue Jays will have a place for them in the rotation in their rebuild. Borucki showed great promise in his 17 starts as a rookie last year, and it’s been a big disappointment that he hasn’t been able to get healthy this year. Hopefully a fresh start in 2020 will allow him to get back to the promise he showed in 2018. As for Thornton, he’s had an up and down season, but I feel like he’s shown enough to earn a rotation spot next year, and I believe he has a real chance stick around for at least a few seasons.