Blue Jays may have the OF they need now and for the long-term

We’ve been talking about the need for an outfield upgrade for a few years now, but suddenly the Blue Jays look like they might be just fine as is.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been beating the “need for an outfield upgrade” drum for a few years now. In fact, when this season began I wasn’t sure the Blue Jays had more than one long-term piece in the outfield in Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

That said, now that we’re halfway through the shortened 60-game season in 2020, I’m really starting to change my mind. In fact, the starting outfield trio for the Blue Jays is arguably the biggest reason for their recent success, coupled of course with a solid performance from their pitching staff.

Teoscar Hernandez and Randal Grichuk have been different players this season, and both have been performing at an All-Star calibre level thus far. With the huge walk-off home run on Friday night, Grichuk has pushed his slash line up to .311/.348/.613 with nine home runs and 23 RBI over 106 at-bats. Hernandez has been as good or maybe even better, slashing .295/.350/.661 with 12 home runs and 20 RBI across 112 at-bats. Gurriel Jr. got off to a bit of a slow start, got hot for a while, and has been struggling a bit again recently, but I’m very confident that he’ll be just fine.

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If this is sustainable, the Blue Jays suddenly find themselves in a place they haven’t been for a long time, having a complete outfield. That’s a big if, and there’s no denying that there is work to be done on the defensive side, but so far the patience with this group is really starting to pay off.

The front office will have flexibility going forward in terms of payroll space, but they may not need to worry about it as much with the outfield as we once thought. The current trio is nicely under contract control, with Grichuk’s deal running through 2023, Hernandez starting arbitration next year and under control through 2023, and Gurriel Jr’s sweetheart deal that could allow the Jays to keep him on a bargain through 2024.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1299527601443176450

It’s not just that they’re under control either, they’re also very affordable. This season was the high point of Grichuk’s deal, but he’ll earn just 28 million over the next three seasons according to Spotrac. With the way he’s playing lately, that may be a real bargain. As for Gurriel Jr. he’ll make 3.5 million in 2021, 4.5 in 2022, and 5.4 in 2023. As an added bonus for the club, he’ll have an extra year of arbitration eligibility in 2024 before hitting free agency. Believe it or not, the bargain of the group is Hernandez, who is making just $602,200 this season (and that’s the full-season rate) and will most definitely get a sizeable raise this coming off-season.

As great as those contract situations are, it doesn’t matter much if the players aren’t producing, and right now that’s the furthest thing from a problem with the outfield. The more I watch Hernandez and Grichuk this season, the more I’m buying into a real breakout for both of them. If that’s the case, the Blue Jays are pretty well set in the outfield for the next few years, and I’ll admit, I’m as surprised as you are that I’m saying it.