Former Blue Jays outfielder could be nearing MLB return after strong run in the KBO

We're all about deep-cut names around here, and it'll take the most diehard of Toronto Blue Jays fans to remember the name Socrates Brito. You're forgiven if this name doesn't ring any bells for you. The outfielder made it into just 17 games for the 2019 Blue Jays, hitting .077 and being worth -0.8 bWAR while recording nothing more than a lone triple and two RBI.

Brito, a veteran of four big-league seasons, has not made it into a single game in Major League Baseball since laying an egg for those '19 Jays. The best action we'd seen from him in the big leagues was when he hit .303 across just 18 games for the Diamondbacks in 2015.

After leaving the Blue Jays organization, Brito sat out the 2020 season since there were no minor league games being played and he certainly hadn't proven himself to be a big league-caliber player. In 2021, he spent the entire season in Triple-A with the Yankees, where he hit nine home runs with a .251 average and .691 OPS in 107 games.

Since then, he's been in South Korea as a member of the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, or KBO. Brito has seen his career do a complete 180 since heading overseas and is now reportedly drawing interest from MLB teams once again.

Ex-Blue Jays outfielder Socrates Brito could be nearing MLB return

In 409 games as a member of the Tigers, Brito has hit .302 with 63 home runs, 270 RBI and a .792 OPS. This looks much more like the numbers he put up when he won Dbacks Minor League Player of the Year back in 2015.

Brito has unlocked more power in his swing than he's ever had before while stealing a ton of bases and functioning as a true on-base machine. Granted, the argument could be made that the quality of pitching over in the KBO is quite a bit different than it is in MLB, Brito's accomplishments are not to be taken lightly.

If you squint hard enough, there could even be a spot on the 2025 Blue Jays calling Brito's name, but a reunion would come with a ton of risk. George Springer and Daulton Varsho are locked into two of the outfield spots on the club's Opening Day roster, but Nathan Lukes, Joey Loperfido, Jonatan Clase and Davis Schneider are all going to be competing for that left-field spot.

There's so many question marks with virtually every single one of these possibilities, so the Blue Jays will have to tread lightly regardless of which route they go. Brito could be a candidate to join the Jays on a minor league contract, but his performance in the KBO could also land him a big-league opportunity on a rebuilding club in need of a contact-oriented veteran.