Blue Jays 2024 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: Which infielder gets squeezed out?

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On Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays officially played their first game of the 2024 season. Taking on the Philadelphia Phillies' spring training squad, Jays Journal's No. 19 prospect Chad Dallas started the contest for the Jays. While the game didn't end in the Jays' favor, it was still oh, so nice to watch a baseball game again.

The Blue Jays made a handful of moves to shore up their team this offseason, but none that either (a) broke the bank or (b) resulted in All-Star-caliber players coming north of the border. It seems that ownership is relying heavily on bounceback campaigns from the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Daulton Varsho and Alek Manoah.

Now that games are underway, we're going to look into the Jays' 26-man roster that they'll trot out on Opening Day. We're still a ways away from that, but here's our first round of roster predictions for the 2024 Blue Jays.

Catchers (2)

Danny Jansen

With the way Danny Jansen swings the bat, he should be the Blue Jays' No. 1 catcher on the depth chart this season. The only problem with that is the fact that historically, he has shown that he can't be relied upon for a full season of games.

In fact, the backstop has only appeared in 100+ games one time in his six-year big league career. The dude has immense pop in his bat and has sported an OPS+ north of 100 in each of the last three seasons, but durability is going to be a key focus for him moving forward.

Alejandro Kirk

Alejandro Kirk came crashing back down to earth last year after what was an incredible 2022 campaign. He followed up an All-Star Game appearance and Silver Slugger Award with an OPS+ below 100 and a decent-but-not-great .334 OBP.

Kirk has proven to be more durable than Jansen is, so the two will pair together nicely. Jansen brings the bat, Kirk brings the on-base skills and defense. If they can form a 50-50 split on the season, it will be a win for the Blue Jays.

Without a clear third catcher on the 40-man roster, it's crucial that the Jansen-Kirk duo find a way to prevent this year's version of Tyler Heineman getting too many opportunities in a big league contest.

Infielders (8)

SS Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette is the undisputed leader of this Blue Jays club. He is really coming into his own both on and off the field and is going to be the one to take the Jays to the promised land this season if all goes according to plan. He is the everyday shortstop and will be as steady of a presence as you'll find around this infield.

UTIL Cavan Biggio

Despite trade rumors and uncertainties about his specific role, Biggio is going to crack the Opening Day roster rather easily over some of the other tradeable assets. His ability to play multiple positions, as well as his red-hot second half last year, will be more than enough to earn him some steady playing time in 2024.

UTIL Ernie Clement

The thinking is simple here: Santiago Espinal has minor league options remaining and Ernie Clement does not. Espinal has long felt like a trade candidate for the Jays, and it's clear that Toronto really liked what they saw from Clement last year. Book it, Espinal is shipped off and Clement is rewarded for his excellent performance last season.

1B/DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

A Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comeback season would send shockwaves throughout the league. Ok, maybe not really, but it would be an immense help to the Blue Jays' lineup. Last year, Guerrero got on base at an above-average clip and still hit 26 home runs with nearly 100 RBI, but it was still an offensive regression for him. Getting his bat back to where it has been in the past will be crucial here. Regardless, pencil him in to an every day first base gig.

UTIL Isiah Kiner-Falefa

It's perfectly acceptable to call Isiah Kiner-Falefa's two-year deal with the Blue Jays one of the more confusing signings of the offseason. Seeing how Tim Anderson and Amed Rosario both got extremely cheap one-year deals, it hurts to see IKF's two-year, $15M contract taking up space on the roster. However, he was signed to be a utilityman who gets a ton of playing time, and that's exactly what he's going to be. The light-hitting infielder can play all around the infield and outfield, so he should be in the lineup consistently, just rarely ever at the same position two nights in a row.

2B/LF Davis Schneider

Davis Schneider had an incredible debut in the big leagues last year, putting up nearly 2.0 bWAR in just 35 games. He's (probably...) not going to continue to get on base at a .400 clip or post an OPS+ of 175, but that is just fine. He's a patient hitter who has a ton of thump in his bat and an excellent eye at the plate. He's going to be an infielder and left fielder during the 2024 season, but we'll keep him listed as INF for now.

CIF Justin Turner

Even at 39-years old, Justin Turner remains a legitimate producer with the bat. Last year, the 15-year veteran had a 114 OPS+ with 96 RBI in 146 games. He's shown off an impressive stretch of durability and reliability over the past few seasons, so there's a high probability that his deal with the Blue Jays will ultimately look like a steal. He should get playing time as the club's primary DH but will also line up at the infield corners as needed.

1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach

It just doesn't feel likely that Daniel Vogelbach, recently signed to a minor league deal, is going to actually be a minor leaguer this year. The massive first baseman has legitimate light-tower power in his bat and has been an above-average hitter in three of the past four years. While his strikeouts can be frustrating to watch, he also walks a lot and can hit a baseball to the next town over. He will rather easily make the Opening Day roster as an oft-used bench bat who can provide some late-game pop when the Jays need it most.

Outfielders (3)

Kevin Kiermaier

It's going to be a treat to see Kevin Kiermaier, one of the greatest defensive center fielders of all-time, doing his thing out there for another season. He immediately became a fan favorite last year and is honestly an excellent fit on the Blue Jays. He showed in 2023 that he can still be a real producer on offense and defense when he's healthy, so we're all in on giving him the reigns out in center once again.

George Springer

Entering his fourth season on the Blue Jays, George Springer has a lot to prove after just barely being an above-average bat in 2023. Sure, he's aging, but the Jays will need him to be better than he was last year when he had a .327 OBP and 102 OPS+ in 154 games. Springer will continue to get everyday playing time in right field and is going to be a very, very important part of the team's lineup moving forward.

Daulton Varsho

Daulton Varsho in left field will give the Blue Jays arguably the best defensive outfield in the entire league. He was expected to take over in center once Kiermaier hit free agency, but KK's return means Varsho will once again man left field on a nightly basis. As previously mentioned, Schneider is going to platoon with him out in left, but that works out nicely, as Varsho has been "just okay" against lefties in his career.

Expect the likes of IKF, Biggio and even Clement to also get some time in the grass. The moral of the story here is that we're not going to only see Kiermaier, Springer and Varsho in the outfield in 2024.

Starting pitchers (5)

RHP Chris Bassitt

Last year, it was a treat to see Chris Bassitt take the mound for the Blue Jays every fifth day. He wound up leading the American League in wins (16) and made a full season of 33 starts. Not to mention he was able to finish the year with exactly 200 innings, which is a huge milestone for pitchers in today's game. He's not going to be the staff ace, but he sure will be heavily relied upon throughout the year, especially after setting the bar so high in 2023.

RHP Jose Berrios

Going from a 5.23 ERA in 2022 to 3.65 in 2023 was an incredible step forward for Jose Berrios. The right-hander truly returned to form and gives the Blue Jays another solid starter who can be relied upon to go out there and compete every fifth day. Strikeouts were up, home runs and hits were down and he lowered his FIP below 4.00. He's back.

RHP Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman, the leader of this Blue Jays pitching staff, is amongst the very best starting pitchers in the game and last year, he proved that once again. He's finally going to secure that Opening Day start for the Jays, and deservedly so.

LHP Yusei Kikuchi

Yet another starter to make 32+ starts last year, Yusei Kikuchi also experienced quite the bounceback. The left-hander saw significant improvements all across the board and has mostly earned the trust back of Blue Jays fans. Having someone of Kikuchi's caliber as your fourth starter says a lot about the depth in this rotation. If he's able to continue to perform as he did last year, the pending free agent's current deal is going to look like a steal.

RHP Alek Manoah

So much is riding on the shoulders of Alek Manoah entering the 2024 campaign. The right-hander struggled immensely in every facet of the game last year, but he's already shown significant signs of improvement between when we saw him last in 2023 and right now. A slimmer version of Manoah with a renewed mindset is what we're seeing now, which is a great step in the right driection. Let's get him on the field so he can begin his comeback tour ASAP.

Relief pitchers (8)

LHP Genesis Cabrera

Acquired at last year's trade deadline, Genesis Cabrera was an excellent contributor to the Blue Jays' bullpen in the second half of the season. He appeared in 29 games for the Jays, posting a 2.66 ERA and 3.68 FIP across 23.2 innings of work. He's going to provide a much-needed second left-handed presence alongside Tim Mayza.

RHP Yimi Garcia

Yimi Garcia, a pending free agent, will enter his third year out of the Blue Jays' 'pen. He's made a boatload of appearances over the past few years and at times has been hard to watch, but he's a steady presence out there that's capable of dominating the opposition when he's on. Do with this what you will, but he had a 1.78 ERA and 2.50 FIP in 34 games from the beginning of June to the end of August in 2023.

RHP Chad Green

After spending the vast majority of last year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Chad Green made 12 relief appearances for the Blue Jays to close out the year. While his overall numbers were a bit bogged down by one-off poor outings, the Jays saw enough to bring him back into the fold, which will likely be a smart idea once all is said and done. He's got a long reputation of being a reliable and versatile contributor to multiple teams' relief corps.

LHP Tim Mayza

Tim Mayza was arguably the most underrated relief pitcher in baseball last year. Anytime a hurler posts an ERA beginning with 1 and makes a ton of appearance like Mayza did with 69, it warrants some attention. Sure, the majority of his playing time came in low-leverage situations, but the fact that he was able to consistently get batters out throughout the entire season does say something about the value he brings to this team. He'll once again be one of the most oft-used hurlers on the staff in 2024.

RHP Trevor Richards

By now, we've already beat the dead horse on Trevor Richards multiple times over. Yes, he is armed with one of the best changeups in Major League Baseball. But he also was one of the worst pitchers in the game in the second half. He was borderline unplayable in 26 outings, posting an 8.04 ERA. There have been some rumblings about whether or not he should be moved in a trade, but let's lean on that changeup for a bit longer and see if he can right the ship.

RHP Yariel Rodriguez

Rumor has it that Yariel Rodriguez could begin the year in Triple-A so he can work back up to a starter's workload. At first, I bought into that concept, but now I think he's going to open the year as a long-relief option in the big leagues. Rodriguez has shown in the past that he can dominate in the a relief role, but there's easily a path to stretching him out without optioning him. Above all, his long-term outlook screams high-leverage reliever or even closer anyway, so we'll see how this deal shakes out.

RHP Jordan Romano

There were plenty of times where Jordan Romano had to work a little bit extra to secure a save last year. And that is ok. The 30-year-old has been the club's closer for years now and that's not going to change in 2024. The high-energy, high-velocity hurler is an anchor at the back end of the bullpen and will once again be one of the most important arms out there.

RHP Erik Swanson

Things could not have gone much better for Erik Swanson last year in what was his first on the Blue Jays. The right-hander made a career-high 69 appearances and posted a sub-3.00 ERA with a mid-3.00's FIP. There's not much more he could've done to further endear himself to fans. His ability to function as an emergency closer is important to note, as he earned 4 saves last year and could be insurance in case Romano ever struggles or goes down with an injury.

Just missed

Eduardo Escobar

Eduardo Escobar was brought aboard on a minor league deal, but he fills the exact role that so many others on the roster do already. He's a former All-Star and is a 13-year big league veteran, but he performed so poorly last year that there's not much cause for enthusiasm here. He will miss the Opening Day roster and likely opt out of his deal rather than report to Triple-A.

Santiago Espinal

Obviously Santiago Espinal is the biggest "just missed" candidate on the positon player side. He didn't do very many things well on the field last year and seems to be the perfect trade candidate. Dont' get me wrong, the Blue Jays are not going to get a top prospect or even a big league-ready player in return, but they'd better move on before his value hits zero.

Bowden Francis

It was tough to keep Bowden Francis off of this list, especially after how admirably he performed last year. Despite being optioned many times and never quite nailing down the consistent playing time he both wanted and deserved, he still went out there and shoved every time his name was called. He's said to be working on a new pitch this offseason and is eyeing a starting role long-term, so start him in Buffalo and let him work up to being a big league starter.

Spencer Horwitz

It was either going to be Spencer Horwitz or Vogelbach earning that last bench spot on the Opening Day roster. In some ways, they are a very similar ballplayer. Both of them are limited to first base defensively, which makes having one of them on the big league roster much easier than both of them. Vogelbach provides the power while Horwitz is much more contact-oriented. Call it a hunch, but it feels like the Jays are going to want to lean in favor of pop over contact, at least to start the year.

Mitch White

Mitch White's lack of minor league options makes this a tricky situation. He was DFA'd and removed from the 40-man mid-season last year but then went down to Triple-A and showed considerable flashes of potential. Now back on the 40-man once again, the Blue Jays clearly have faith in him maintaining his success in Buffalo. It's either going to be him or Rodriguez for that final spot in the bullpen. Sure, Rodriguez can be optioned this year, but he's also the better pitcher. Feels like the choice is to just DFA White again and see if he can sneak through waivers as he did last time.

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