Blue Jays: Three roster needs, and three potential solutions

Yeah, the Jays still need a left-handed bat

It feels like we’ve been talking about the need for a left-handed bat since last season ended, and the narrative doesn’t want to go away even as the Blue Jays have been hitting better recently.

Raimel Tapia has been performing better lately, and somewhat fills the need for a bit more balance in the lineup. That said, in an ideal situation the Jays would have the type of guy that could hit more in the middle of the lineup, breaking up the slew of righties in Springer, Bichette, Guerrero Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Santiago Espinal, and Matt Chapman. That’s a pile of above-average right-handed hitters, and it’s not as helpful if that left-handed hitter is at the bottom of the lineup where Tapia or Cavan Biggio usually hit.

We’ve already talked about Josh Bell of the Washington Nationals as an option, and I still think that’s a fit that could make a fair bit of sense. However, today I’d like to bring another name forward that could be available, and that’s David Peralta of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks are not going to be contending this year, and the 34 year old is playing on the last season of a three-year pact he signed prior to the 2020 campaign. He’s a well-liked player in Arizona and I’m sure many of their fans would be sad to see him go, but he’s a pretty obvious trade candidate for a rebuilding team.

Peralta is quietly having a pretty solid season after a cold start to the year, slashing .247/.330/.474 with eight home runs and 24 RBI across 48 games. He’s become a pretty straight platoon player for the Diamondbacks these days, but that would be just fine if he joined the Blue Jays as well. He also shouldn’t cost a boatload to acquire either, and his contract pays him just eight million this season. He’s not the biggest name that Atkins and company could pursue, but I see him as a slightly upgraded version of Corey Dickerson, who the Jays acquired for their stretch run in 2021.

In a perfect world they might find that left-handed hitter that could join this core group for the long-term, but failing that, a guy like Peralta makes an awful lot of sense.