How are members of the 2023 Blue Jays doing on their new teams? (May update)

Brandon Belt

For one of the team’s best hitters last season, Brandon Belt has yet to land with a new team for 2024, despite reported interest during the offseason. In 2023, he hit .254 with an .858 OPS, along with 23 doubles, 19 home runs and 43 RBI in 103 games to help support the Jays’ offensive attack. With Belt giving subtle hints of potentially retiring towards the end of last season in an interview with Foul Territory, sad to say, he may need to seriously consider it now with the wane in interest for his services as of this moment.

Matt Chapman

As one of the fan favourites leaving via free agency upon the conclusion of the 2023 season, many Jays fans were angered by the fact that they were unable to re-sign him, especially when he ended up just signing a short three-year, $54M deal with the Giants. However, that failure in getting it done may now be a blessing in disguise as Chapman has struggled mightily as a whole so far in 2024.

When Chapman went into almost a year-long funk following his blazing start to 2023 with the Jays, who would have thought it was a fore-shadow of what was to come for him in his proceeding years. This season thus far, he has put up a paltry .218 average along with a .635 OPS and a less than 90 OPS+, easily among some of his worst numbers he has put up for his career. More significantly was the fact his unbreakable and sure-handed Gold Glove-calibre defense appears to be beginning to fall apart, as he has committed 6 errors already in 125 chances for a .952 fielding percentage.

Paul DeJong

Paul DeJong’s stint with Toronto may have lasted all but a little less than three weeks time, but what he accomplished with the Jays during that time will forever be remembered, but for all the wrong reasons. Acquired at the trade deadline to act as Bo Bichette’s temporary replacement while Bichette was nursing an injury, DeJong failed miserably in providing any impact at all to the club in the end. DeJong went 3-for-44 with one run scored, one driven in and 18 strikeouts over 13 games played. He was performing so horribly that the moment Bichette came off the IL, the Jays didn’t even bother to keep him as a bench player and quickly designated him for assignment.

This year, DeJong has at least gotten his numbers back up to be more on par with his career standards, as he is currently hitting .242 with a .733 OPS, 16 runs scored, 7 doubles, 6 home runs and 12 RBI with a middling Chicago White Sox squad. However, his strikeout total stills remain a major problem, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio at almost 11:1.