Blue Jays: Three second base options for the 2022 season

1. Ketel Marte

The best second baseman I believe the Blue Jays can acquire is Ketel Marte. During his past three seasons in Arizona, Marte has solidified himself as one of the better players in the game. In 90 games last year, he slashed .318/.377/.532 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI. His 139 WRC+ would’ve been the second-highest on the Jays behind only Guererro Jr. He did this with virtually no protection in the order while playing on the 52-110 Diamondbacks.

Marte is one of the few players I would consider a major needle mover. He’s a guy that I’d trade a bunch of prospects for, especially if he’s locked up. Someone like Jose Ramirez is in that same category. Marte is that good.

In the 2019 season, the last full season he played, he had a .329/.389/.592 slash line and hit 32 home runs with 92 RBI. He was an All-Star and finished fourth in the National League MVP balloting. He has that kind of ceiling.

Adding the switch-hitting Marte in a lineup with guys like George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guererro Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez would be pretty unfair. The one thing this lineup could use is a guy who can hit left-handed and split all of the All-Star right-handed bats the Jays have, Marte brings that. He brings speed, an ability to get on base, and power, to an already stout lineup.

With the departure of Marcus Semien in free agency, the Blue Jays have a big hole at second base to fill to try and keep their offense as potent as it was.

The Jays lineup would be great as is, but making a big-time move to get a player of Marte’s calibre is the kind of moves the true contenders make. The Nationals signed Max Scherzer to bolster what already was one of the league’s best rotations and ended up winning a World Series with him serving as a key reason why. The Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts and won the World Series thanks in large part to his production.

The Jays would be getting another star in exchange for a lot of prospects, but it would be worth it. Marte is entering his prime and is locked up on very cheap money. Merrifield’s contract is a steal, Marte’s might be even more of a steal. He is set to make $8 million dollars this season with two club options for the seasons after worth $10 million and $12 million respectively.

Marte was only a 1.8 WAR player last season but that is due in large part to his center field defense. He posted a -15 DRS in center field which makes me wonder why the Diamondbacks even use him there to begin with.

Marte is a natural middle infielder, with a lot of second base and shortstop experience. The last time Marte had full-time reps at second base was in 2018. That season he put up 13 DRS which was tied for third-most in the majors. He’s a very good defensive middle infielder who would thrive in Toronto at that position. If his bat is this productive while also playing a position he’s clearly uncomfortable in while also playing for an awful team, it’s hard to imagine how good he’d be in a much better situation with the Jays.

I’d say Gabriel Moreno is untouchable but other than that, pretty much any prospect can be had in a package for Marte. He’d turn the Jays from a playoff team into a legit World Series contender.