Blue Jays: What are the holes to address this offseason?

Second base

The most obvious solution to round out the keystone would be to try and re-sign Marcus Semien. The 31 year old was even better than advertised for the Blue Jays in 2021, finishing with a MLB record for home runs for a second baseman, and slashing .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, 39 doubles, 102 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

Not only was Semien a premium contributor with the bat, his defensive presence was a tremendous factor for the Jays last season, both for his own work and also for the influence he had on Bo Bichette. That veteran tutelage was clear as Bichette was asked about Semien at the last post-game conference of the season, and I’m sure the 23 year old star would like to have his middle-infield mate back.

That said, Semien is going to be paid a lot more than the one year and 18 million he received last offseason. My expectation is that he’ll be looking for a 4-5 year deal, and there’s a very good chance that he’ll exceed 100 million. The Blue Jays may decide that’s too rich for their blood, or that they prefer to spend that kind of money on retaining Robbie Ray, or possibly trying to extend Berrios or other future free agents like Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., or Teoscar Hernandez. There’s definitely a solid argument for bringing back Semien regardless, especially after Austin Martin was included in the package that went back to Minnesota to acquire Berrios.

If they can’t bring Semien back then the Blue Jays will very likely be in the market for another infielder. Hopefully Cavan Biggio will be healthy and back to his old form in 2022, and Santiago Espinal showed that he’s capable of receiving a fair bit of playing time at third, but losing Semien would be a big blow to the production from this group. One way or another, I expect the Blue Jays to address second base, whether Semien stays or not.