How are members of the 2023 Blue Jays doing on their new teams?

The 2024 Toronto Blue Jays have gotten their season off to a 10-9 start, which is tied for both third- and last-place in the AL East, deadlocked with both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Early on, it appears that the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are ready to run away with things.

A ton of players from last year's Blue Jays squad found themselves some new homes over this past offseason. Out of the 15 players that are no longer around, only two of them remain without a job. Some signed free agent deals elsewhere, some were claimed, and some were traded.

Even though the sample size is still small and it's still early, let's dive in to each of the players from last year's squad and see how they're doing this year.

Anthony Bass

Anthony Bass was at times a solid reliever for the Blue Jays but he also came with some warts off the field. He was acquired at the 2022 trade deadline and had a sub-2.00 ERA in 28 appearances that year, but he had a 4.95 ERA with 86 ERA+ in 22 outings last year before he was released in June.

Bass spoke to Jays Journal in August and had said at the time that he was going to build up for the remainder of the 2023 season in hopes for a 2024 return. As of right now, he still has not latched on with a new team.

Matt Chapman

Chapman, 30, spent two years in Toronto and continued to be a slick-fielding, power-hitting third baseman who at times flashed a bat that was amongst the best in baseball. All told, he hit .234 with a .756 OPS and 112 OPS+ through 295 games as a Blue Jay, winning a Gold Glove last year.

Chapman signed a three-year, $54M deal with the San Francisco Giants last month and has been off to a so-so start with his new club. Through 19 games, he has four home runs and 12 RBI with a .208 average and 88 OPS+. In typical Chapman fashion, though, he leads the National League with 0.5 Defensive Wins Above Replacement.

Adam Cimber

Cimber is another hurler that had stretches of excellence and stretches of disappointment throughout his tenure on the Blue Jays. The quirky right-hander spent three years in Toronto and had a combined 3.22 ERA and 128 ERA+ across 138 outings. He dealt with injuries last year and limped to the finish line with a 7.40 ERA, which is an outlier compared to the numbers he had put up in years past.

The 33-year-old is currently a member of the Los Angeles Angels and he looks to be in tip-top shape so far this season. In nine outings, Cimber has a 0.90 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk. Low-leverage stints seem to work best for him, but he does an excellent job in those situations whenver he's called upon.

Paul DeJong

DeJong came over to the Blue Jays at last year's trade deadline as an injury replacement for Bo Bichette. DeJong's tenure wound up lasting just 13 games, as he went 3-for-44 (.068) with 18 strikeouts and zero walks, posting an OPS+ of -62. He latched on with the Giants to end the year but hit just .184 with 16 more strikeouts and no walks.

The 2019 All-Star is now getting consistent playing time as a member of the Chicago White Sox. Perhaps lower expectations and playing for a rebuilding team is what he needed, as he is hitting .275 with three home runs and an .893 OPS through his first 15 games on the South Side.

Santiago Espinal

Espinal spent four years on the Blue Jays' roster and turned into a well-liked figure. His play on the field was a bit inconsistent, though, highlighted by an All-Star Game appearance in 2022 but followed up with an 80 OPS+ showing last year.

Espinal was only just traded to the Reds less than a month ago. He was squeezed out of a roster spot by the other infielders on the Blue Jays who played the same position(s) he did. He is hitting .133 through his first 12 games in Cincinnati, driving in five runs, stealing three bases and owning an OPS+ of 1.

Thomas Hatch

Hatch showed promise at times during his four years on the Blue Jays, but he was unable to lock down a consistent role in the big leagues. His Blue Jays career ended with 27 appearances and a 5.40 ERA/5.14 FIP. Last season, he had six outings with Toronto before being claimed off of waivers by the Pirates in August.

Now 29-years of age, Hatch is playing in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He's made five appearances so far, posting a 2.78 ERA across 22.2 inning swith 15 strikeouts and five walks.

Tyler Heineman

Heineman did a solid job as the Blue Jays' third-string catcher, filling in admirably whenever one of Alejandro Kirk or Danny Jansen went on the injured list. None of his stats are going to bounce off the page, but he hit .276 with an .812 OPS through 19 games last season.

Heineman was claimed off of waivers by the Mets in December and later traded to the Red Sox for cash considerations. He is currently a member of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, where he's hitting .250 with a pair of runs driven in through his first eight games of the season.

Jordan Hicks

Another deadline acquisition coming over from the Cardinals, Hicks did an excellent job out of the Blue Jays' bullpen post-trade. He made 25 appearances and had a 2.63 ERA along with four saves.

Over the offseason, the Giants signed Hicks as a starting pitcher and the experiment could not possibly be going better for the club. He's made four starts this year and leads the major leagues with a 1.57 ERA across 23 innings of work.

Whit Merrifield

Merrifield, one of the more respected utilitymen in baseball, had a solid year-and-a-half stint with the Blue Jays. He was an All-Star in 2023 and was always a solid contributor on both sides of the ball. All told, he had a .274 average and 98 OPS+ across 189 games in Toronto.

Merrifield signed a one-year deal with the Phillies in February and has been off to a dreadful start so far. Through 10 games, the nine-year veteran is 3-for-28 (.107) with a .274 OPS and -21 OPS+. Blue Jays fans had a tough time with the club choosing Isiah Kiner-Falefa over a reunion with Merrifield, but that decision is looking like an excellent one as of right now.

Wes Parsons

Parsons made a pair of appearances for the Blue Jays this year as well, but we'll still count it. The right-hander was a nice depth piece last season but struggled through a total of three big league outings with Toronto, posting a 15.00 ERA in nine innings of work.

He was traded to the Guardians last week and has two scoreless outings under his belt so far, striking out five batters and walking none across four innings of work.

Hyun Jin Ryu

Ryu came to Toronto at an important time for the Blue Jays, as his signing started a shift towards competitiveness prior to the 2020 campaign. He dealt with his fair share on injuries during a four-year stint with the club, but he was solid as a rock in 2020, 2021 and 2023. All told, Ryu made 60 starts and had a 3.97 ERA, 4.02 FIP and 110 ERA+ as a Blue Jay.

The 37-year-old returned to South Korea and re-signed with the Hanwha Eagles on an eight-year, $12.8M contract (yes, you read that right). He had long stated that he'd prefer to end his career back in South Korea, but his current deal will take him through his age-44 season. So far, he has made four starts and has a 5.85 ERA with 19 strikeouts and seven walks through 20 innings pitched.

Trent Thornton

Thornton got plenty of looks in the big leagues with the Blue Jays but couldn't find consistent success. He made four relief appearances for the club last year, posting a 1.69 ERA across 5.1 innings but was eventually stashed in the minors and traded to the Mariners for McCoy around the deadline.

Since the trade, Thornton has 32 outings under his belt for the Mariners and has a 1.82 ERA in 34.2 innings. Blue Jays fans lost their minds on social media when we suggested Thornton was turning himself into a solid contributor over in Seattle, but that 223 ERA+ and sub-2.00 ERA doesn't lie.