How They Got Here: Toronto Blue Jays position players on the 40-man roster

The Toronto Blue Jays have one of the most dynamic groups of position players in not only the American League, but Major League Baseball as a whole.

Having each of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk and George Springer in a lineup all at the same time is absolutely ludicrous. Add in Matt Chapman and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and you have yourself one of the most fearsome lineups in recent memory.

Recently, I got to thinking about how each player on the Jays got to this organization. In two separate articles, one for position players and one for pitchers, I'm going to break down the 40-man roster and reflect on how each of these players got here today. Let's get into it.

Homegrown talent

C Danny Jansen - 16th round draft pick in 2013

C Alejandro Kirk - Amateur FA 09/2016

C Gabriel Moreno - Amateur FA 08/2016

INF Bo Bichette - 2nd round draft pick in 2016

INF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - Amateur FA 07/2015

INF Addison Barger - 6th round draft pick in 2018

INF Leo Jimenez - Amateur FA 07/2017

INF Orelvis Martinez - Amateur FA 07/2018

INF/OF Cavan Biggio - 5th round draft pick in 2016

INF/OF Spencer Horwitz - 24th round draft pick in 2019

INF/OF Otto López - Amateur FA 07/2016

Free agent signings

OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - Seven-year, $22M contract signed in November of 2016

OF Kevin Kiermaier - One-year, $9M contract signed in December of 2022

OF Nathan Lukes - Minor league contract signed in November of 2021

OF George Springer - Six-year, $150M contract signed in January of 2021

Trade acquisitions

INF Matt Chapman - Acquired from the Oakland Athletics in March of 2022 in exchange for Gunnar Hoglund, Kevin Smith, Zach Logue and Kirby Snead.

INF Santiago Espinal - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in June of 2018 in exchange for Steve Pearce and cash.

INF/OF Whit Merrifield - Acquired from the Kansas City Royals in August of 2022 in exchange for Max Castillo and Samad Taylor.