Who will be the Blue Jays designated hitter this season?

The Blue Jays used 20 different players at the designated hitter position last season, led by George Springer and his 38 games (mostly due to the knee injury) followed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 28 and Rowdy Tellez at 19.

Last season went a bit different than what the fans and the front office were expecting when it came to who was going to occupy the DH role, especially with Springer and Alejandro Kirk both on the long-term IL last season and the club also trading Tellez midsummer. It makes sense that Springer will most likely spend some time in the role again next season after missing so much time last year with the injury but it has been almost four years since the Jays had a full-time DH in Kendrys Morales back in 2018.

While there are currently no candidates to take on the position internally on a full-time basis, the club will most likely have a DH on a committee style basis again, such as having the core players have an “off-day” in the position compared to being in the field. That being said, who are the players that could see the most time in the designated hitter position this season?

Alejandro Kirk

When he is not behind the plate, having Alejandro Kirk’s bat in the lineup is something manager Charlie Montoyo would probably like to have on a regular basis. Putting Kirk in the DH role still gives him regular at-bats and puts another power bat threat behind Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez at the top of the lineup. Although he spent a couple of months on the IL last year, the righty-batting Mexico product is always a danger to put the ball over the fence when he connects. Over 165 at-bats last season, Kirk hit eight long balls with 24 RBI while walking 19 times compared to striking out 21 and ending the year with a .764 OPS.

The only downside to having Kirk in the DH spot is if the starting catcher becomes injured and he has to fill in, the club loses their designated hitter and the pitcher now bats instead. This can be alleviated if Reese McGuire is still on the roster and can fill in defensively instead of Kirk but there is no guarantee he makes the team come Opening Day.

Randal Grichuk

While his bat does lack consistency, Randal Grichuk is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to getting regular reps in the outfield with Springer, Hernandez, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the roster. With approximately $20 million left on his contract that concludes following the 2023 season, the club could put the righty-batter in as the DH to continue giving him regular reps whenever he isn’t playing in the outfield. He made 12 appearances as the Jays DH last season.

Grichuk’s batting average does fluctuate over the course of the season but he does have the ability to put the ball over the wall, boasting 20+ home runs in almost every season he has played in Toronto (minus the shortened 2020 season) and two seasons with St. Louis before being traded to the Jays. He owns a career .765 OPS but is coming off a season where he posted one of the lowest OPS (.703) since his debut campaign in 2014.

Outside Options

Considering no Major League team can sign a player to an MLB deal with the ongoing CBA negotiations, the DH position is not really stacked outside of a few players in terms of free agents.

Nelson Cruz is one of the  “DH only” types of players given his age and defensive liabilities that sits at the top of the list of potential options for the Jays. Splitting last season between Minnesota and Tampa Bay, Cruz started off well with the Twins to the tune of a .907 OPS with 19 home runs but stepped back a bit with the Rays, dropping to .725 OPS but still hitting the long ball with 13 home runs.

His current market value via Spotrac is $14 million and one would imagine that he would be signing a short-term contract given he is entering the twilight years of his career. He could fit well with the club given the Jays are poised to compete this season and they could use his power bat but the risk would be that you would get the Cruz that ended with Tampa vs. the player who was an All-Star with the Twins.

Another name on the list that would be an excellent addition but would be worth a pretty penny is lefty-batter Kyle Schwarber.

After six seasons with Chicago, Schwarber resurrected his career last season split between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox, finishing the year with a .266/.374/.554 slash line, 32 home runs, and a .928 OPS. He also ranked high on many different offensive categories such as average exit velocity (90th percentile), xwOBA (95th percentile), and barrel percentage (96th percentile) and also bats from the left side, something that is lacking on the current roster.

Defensively, he has primarily spent most of his time in left field but did start taking reps at first base last season after he was traded to the Red Sox. This could bode well with Guerrero Jr., in that the two could create a tandem at first base/DH that would keep both players in the lineup and adds Schwarber’s power bat from the left side.

The risk associated with this signing is that Schwarber wants big-time money, reportedly asking for a three-year deal worth $60 million, which could blowback on the Jays if he cannot find the same bat that elevated his status in 2021. He will also have a long list of suitors when the universal DH comes into effect in the near future (at least as per the current CBA discussions).