3 Blue Jays offseason decisions that already look bad in 2024

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After making an early playoff exit in the past two seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays looked to revamp their roster during the offseason to bolster their chances of greater success for this coming year. As a result, they made various moves during the past few months with hopes that they would end up helping the team more than hindering it.

In terms of those that appear to be working out, the addition of veteran Justin Turner has turned out quite nicely. To date, he is currently leading the offensive attack for the Jays with a .286 batting average, .936 OPS, along with 6 runs scored, 4 doubles, a home run and 5 RBI in 9 games played. As the de facto replacement for Brandon Belt in the Jays’ lineup, he has done everything he can to help the team succeed so far this season.

Also, the additions of both Yariel Rodríguez and to a lesser extent Paolo Espino have provided the Jays with some solid pitching depth going forward. Rodríguez has impressed so far in Triple-A Buffalo where he is getting into game shape to prepare for his MLB debut in the not-so-distant future. Whereas Espino put together a strong enough spring showing such that his contract has been recently selected and called up to join the big league team.

But for some of the other moves, things certainly aren’t turning out as well as expected despite being only a little over a week into the season. As a result, we will take a look at three offseason moves by the Jays where they will probably end up wishing they didn’t do.

The Blue Jays re-signed Kevin Kiermaier

With many members of the Jays leaving for free agency following the end of the 2023 season, they managed to bring back one of the fan favourites in Kevin Kiermaier. It made total sense for the organization because after all, he had a great season both offensively and defensively while hitting at the bottom of the Jays’ lineup. Not only did he post strong numbers across the board with a .265 average, .741 OPS, 58 runs scored, 21 doubles, 6 triples, 8 home runs, 36 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 129 games played, he also took home his fourth career Gold Glove for his spectacular play in the field.

However, things have been quite different for Kiermaier so far in 2024. Despite showing some surprising power during spring training by hitting 4 home runs in 16 games, a worrisome stat was the fact that he also struck out an uncharacteristic 17 times in just 39 at-bats. His free-swinging ways apparently have now carried over into the regular season, leading to his ineffectiveness at the plate. In 8 games so far, Kiermaier has only registered two hits, leading to a paltry .095 batting average, .269 OPS, along with a pair of RBI, two walks and 6 strikeouts in 21 at-bats.

It may be early, but whether it has been the wear and tear over the years that is starting to take its toll on Kiermaier’s body, or perhaps we are actually witnessing some signs of regression in Kiermaier’s swing, if his offensive struggles continue to amplify, the Jays could be in for a long season. They have to make sure it doesn’t become significant enough such that even his elite defence can’t make up for it..

The Blue Jays failed to bring back Matt Chapman

With improving the team offense being one of the Jays’ key focus this offseason, they certainly made a huge mistake in letting stud third baseman Matt Chapman walk to free agency. Chapman eventually landed in San Francisco on a very friendly three-year, $54 M deal that included opt-outs in the first and second year. For that price and term, the Jays could have easily matched that offer. Given that Chapman also previously expressed interest in coming back to the club, the Jays really blew it.

Chapman may have had a down season in 2023 after cooling down following his hot start in April. But he has proven time and time again that he can be a big-time run producer, averaging close to 30 home runs and 80 RBI each season over a 162-game pace. On top of that, with his Gold Glove-calibre defense at the hot corner, he basically has the ability to positively affect the potential outcome of a game on both sides of the field.

So far this year with the Giants, Chapman has been off to a solid start, with 6 runs scored, a pair of home runs, and 7 RBI in 9 games played. The Jays easily could have used some of that reliable offensive run production during their recent series against Houston where they were completely dominated by the Astros’ pitching. To add insult to injury, Chapman has also flashed his defensive prowess by registering 2 DRS already along with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 76 innings in the field. This will be one failure of a move that the Jays will likely come to regret by the end of the season.

The Blue Jays signed free agent Isiah Kiner-Falefa

In another key offseason move by the Jays, they signed utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two-year, $15 M contract. At the time, it appeared to be a smart move as Kiner-Falefa has the ability to play multiple positions in both the infield and outfield. As a result, he would provide great flexibility for the Jays in his deployment heading into the 2024 season. As an added bonus, he also has a Gold Glove as part of his résumé, proving that he could be a difference maker in the field.

In spring training, Kiner-Falefa showed some mixed results as despite hitting .341 with a .920 OPS, along with driving in 7 runs in 19 games, he also was caught stealing on 3 of his 4 attempts while striking out close to a 30% rate. So far during the regular season, he hasn’t been as bad as some of the numbers that his other teammates have been putting up, but he has compiled just a .200 average, .533 OPS with only a single run scored, zero extra-base hits and zero RBI in 8 games of action. But with regards to his defense, at least he has been spotless along with 3 DRS with starts at second and third base.

Whether he was suppose to be a replacement for the departed super-utilityman Whit Merrifield, or perhaps even the replacement for Chapman at third base is yet to be known. But Kiner-Falefa has been somewhat of a disappointment offensively so far in his tenure with the Jays. With a lifetime OPS of .660, along with never driving in more than 53 runs in a single season, his overall offensive production probably won’t ever reach the levels of a Merrifield or Chapman. So in effect, the Jays have actually downgraded their offensive potential this season as a result. If their recent series against the Astros is any true indication of how their offense could pan out for the rest of the year, then the Jays’ failure in adding more power-producing bats in favour of more defensive specialists will certainly come back to bite them as the season progresses.

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