Blue Jays: Five bold predictions ahead of the 2022 season

4- Gabriel Moreno will make MLB starts at third base in 2022

I’ll admit that I’m taking a risk with this prediction, mostly because I don’t know who the Blue Jays will ultimately start at third base on Opening Day. It could be someone they already have in-house like Cavan Biggio or Santiago Espinal, or it’s possible they find an outside replacement. If that player is someone of the calibre of a Jose Ramirez, then my prediction is all but thrown out the window.

Assuming that the Blue Jays don’t acquire a superstar third baseman, I have a feeling they’ll work with some creative solutions throughout the year. I’m not suggesting that this will be a permanent thing (yet), but I believe part of that solution at third base could be to see what Gabriel Moreno can do at the hot corner.

The Blue Jays’ top prospect has spent the vast majority of his MiLB career behind the plate, and that’s where his development will continue as we head into the 2022 campaign. However, the Blue Jays gave him a look at third base as well last year, and the early reports were very strong. With a bat that could be as special as his looks to be, it might be something to seriously consider. A typical catcher can’t play every day of the week, but the rest of the infield can.

It’s all but certain that Moreno will open next season in Triple-A, and I’m sure his main focus will be on his work as a backstop. That said, I expect that we’ll continue to see him playing third base from time to time as well, and don’t be surprised if he ends up making a few starts there for the Blue Jays at some point in 2022. As things currently stand, the Blue Jays are pretty rich in the catching department with Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Reese McGuire on the big league roster, and Moreno coming fast. It’s entirely possible that they’ll trade one of those three before next season begins, but if not it could be all the more reason to experiment with Moreno at third base.

In the end, this whole idea could be wiped out if the Jays were to acquire someone like Ramirez or a player like Matt Chapman from the A’s, but for some reason I have my doubts that those deals will come together. If the Blue Jays enter next season with some sort of job share between Espinal and Biggio at third base again, don’t be surprised if Moreno comes along as a surprise challenger later in the year.