4 position players the Blue Jays should target as minor league depth

With just a few weeks to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Blue Jays still have moves to make. These will almost certainly not be any of the franchise altering type, but hopefully ones that add some sort of impact presence to a lineup that definitely needs it. 

In addition to these moves, that are hopefully happening soon, the club will also need to supplement its minor league depth. This typically includes the additions of players with major league experience who aren’t expected to fit on a major league roster in April. These types of additions come from either waiver claims or minor league contracts with invitations to spring training. 

Last season the Jays added the likes of Paul Fry, Jay Jackson, Casey Lawrence, and Drew Hutchison to the pitching depth, and position players like Ernie Clement, Wynton Bernard, and Nathan Lukes to the fold. All but one of these players reported to Triple-A Buffalo once camp ended, and only two of them made a noticeable impact on the MLB roster at points during the regular season.

Jay Jackson was quietly impressive across 29.2 innings, and Ernie Clement hit .380 over 29 games while playing around the infield. It’s rarely expected that these depth signings will win games for you over the course of the season, but nice surprises like this go a long way over 162 games. Flash forward to now, Jackson remains a free agent and has earned a shot to be in a major league bullpen, while Clement is still with the organization and set to fight for a role in camp.

The Blue Jays have begun picking up players and extending invitations to camp. Paolo Espino has signed a minor league contract and will serve as pitching depth. The club has also signed two catchers in Payton Henry and Max McDowel, in addition to claiming Brian Serven off waivers from the Cubs. The Jays also made good work to resign minor league utility-man Rafael Lantigua, who enjoyed a great season in Buffalo and could see time at a variety of positions for the 2024 Blue Jays.

Free agency is far from over, and teams will continue to make improvements to their club likely into spring training camp. Besides bolstering their MLB lineup, the Blue Jays would do well to supplement their minor league depth at first base, second base, and outfield. Here are four targets who could be forced to sign minor league deals this offseason, and that the Blue Jays could invite to camp with the intention of calling upon them in the event of an injury.

1B/OF Yoshi Tsutsugo

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, known around the league as ‘Yoshi’, has a lifetime 76 OPS+ in MLB across 182 games. Originally brought to North America by the Tampa Bay Rays, Tsutsugo had some hype attached to him after a successful career in Japan’s NBP. 

Across ten seasons in Japan, Tsutsugo carried a .910 OPS, routinely hitting at least 20 home runs and walking at a generous clip. His best season came in 2016, when he had a slash line of  .322/.432/.684, hitting 45 homers and driving in 111 runs. 

Tsutsugo started his MLB career in 2020 with the Rays, playing in 51 games in the shortened COVID season and batted to a 99 OPS+. His next season was a mixed bag, as he moved from the Rays to the Dodgers, then to the Pirates. Yoshi never got going with either the Rays or Dodgers playing in only 26 games for the former and 12 for the latter. However, Tsutsugo seemed to have found something on the Pirates. 

Yoshi got into 43 games with the Buccos in 2021 and slashed a solid .268/.347/.535 while spending time at first base, right field, and DH. This success didn’t last as Tsutsugo fell back to earth to the tune of a 37 OPS+ across 50 games for the 2022 Pirates. In addition to his MLB time he spent 38 games in Triple-A that season, with 29 of those actually coming in the Blue Jays organization. He had an .841 OPS as a Bison, but would not return to the organization in 2023. 

Last year was a whirlwind for the former NPB slugger, spending time in the Rangers and Giants organizations and ending his year in independent baseball. He outclassed pitchers as a member of the Staten Island Ferryhawks, clubbing seven home runs and two doubles in just 39 at-bats.

Tsutsugo’s time in North America has been inconsistent. He’s seen success in the upper levels of the minor leagues, but has yet to find his footing in MLB. With his versatility, he’d be capable of providing depth at first base, third base, corner outfield, and DH. If he’s looking, it may be worth offering him an invite to spring training, even if it means he shares time with Spencer Horwitz at first base and DH for the majority of the season in Buffalo.

INF Jean Segura

The most decorated name on this list, the two time All-Star could be looking for a minor league deal this winter after a disappointing 2023 campaign. The infielder who revolves his game around contact, speed, and defence has seen areas of his game regress over the last few years.

Segura signed with the Miami Marlins prior to 2023 and was set to platoon at third base. He never really got it going, slashing .219/.277/.279 over 85 games for the Fish. Midseason he was sent in a package to Cleveland in exchange for Josh Bell, but was subsequently released and his 2023 was over.

The once star short-stop is still capable of playing across the infield, spending time at third, second, and short over the past two seasons. Going into his age 34 season, Segura’s range has continued to decline, as he produced -4 outs above average last season and is now in the 52nd percentile in sprint speed. 

Segura’s resistance to striking out still exists, only going down on strikes 14.4% of his plate appearances and whiffing 19.2% of the time. The Marlins brought Segura in with the expectation he’d hit left-handed pitching, as in 2022 he hit .301 against southpaws with a .855 OPS. That’s not quite what they got however, as that batting average fell to .221 (though it was better than his .219 against righties).

Segura’s expected batting average and slugging percentage have all resided in mediocre percentiles the last two seasons, but clearly yielded different on-field results. While destroying lefties in 2022 he was a 105 OPS+ hitter overall, with that number falling to a measly 52 last season. It’s possible there’s still a hitter in Segura that offers a platoon advantage, though its unlikely. 

Segura doesn’t appear to be playing winter ball this season and has yet to sign with a club. He would be an intriguing player to sign to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Should Segura be open to playing minor league baseball for at least some of 2023, he would serve has good infield depth in the Blue Jays organization, and differ amongst others in Buffalo as he’ll have an abundance of MLB experience under his belt.

OF Corey Dickerson

The last name worth mentioning, and perhaps the most recognizable to Jays fans, is former Blue Jays outfielder Corey Dickerson.

After arriving to the Jays along with Adam Cimber from the Miami Marlins in 2021, Dickerson has spent time in St. Louis and Washington, playing more of a part-time role and only managing a 90 OPS+ over 146 games. His most recent tenure ended with a release from the Nationals in August of last year. 

The former All-Star’s last period of consistent offensive production actually came during his Blue Jays, where he posted a 109 OPS+. Now in 2024 and entering his age 35 season, an offensive rebirth may be a tough sell, but Dickerson still has tools worthy of a minor league deal. 

Dickerson offers a similar skillset to that of Segura, albeit the opposite side of a platoon. The left-handed outfielder rarely strikeouts out and hardly whiffs, yielding a 18.4% and 22.4% in those areas respectively. He’s a career .286 hitter against right-handed pitching with a .827 OPS. As this roster currently stands, it’d actually be feasible to see him crack the roster out of camp given the clubs lack of left-handed weapons and no primary DH. The Blue Jays are still likely to add a DH however, so Dickerson would be likely ticketed for Buffalo should he rejoin the organization.

Dickerson would bolster a relatively shallow pool of outfield depth at Triple-A, as the majority of Buffalo’s offensive talent resides in the infield. If the Blue Jays wish to continue Addison Barger’s transition to the outfield, he’ll be in right field. That leaves Nathan Lukes as the only other likely everyday player in the Bisons outfield. Cam Eden enters 2024 having made his MLB debut, but it’s not a foregone conclusion he’s guaranteed consistent playing time after only managing a .687 OPS in Triple-A last season. The other notable player in the outfield picture is Rafael Lantigua, but he’s looked at as a utility-man rather than solely an outfielder.

It’s clear Dickerson would have a primary role in Buffalo should he be relegated there out of the gate, but his skillset provides considerable depth to the MLB club as well. A left-handed hitter who doesn’t strikeout and is capable of playing all three outfield spots could be an asset should the team have injuries mid-season.