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The next 4 moves the Blue Jays need to make after the Santiago Espinal trade
What do the Jays need to do right now in the fallout of the Espinal trade?
On Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays finally did something to help alleviate their infield logjam by trading away former All-Star infielder Santiago Espinal to the Cincinnati Reds. Espinal was coming off a subpar season in which he batted just .248 with a .644 OPS, 30 runs scored, 2 home runs and 25 RBI in 93 games played. As a result, he will be looking to get a fresh start with his new ballclub. In McElvain, the Jays will gain some much-needed pitching depth with the former eighth-round selection from the 2022 MLB Draft.
In the fallout of the Espinal trade, let’s take a look at four corresponding moves that the Jays should make in preparation for the start of the 2024 MLB season.
Anoint Cavan Biggio as the Jays’ starting second baseman
Last season, the Jays ran into the dilemma of having too much of a good thing when they were forced to deploy the trio of Espinal, Cavan Biggio and Whit Merrifield in sharing the duties at second base. In doing so, it affected the overall effectiveness of the players involved, with Espinal suffering the most with his worst season of his career. Biggio also struggled at first, but then had a resurgence during the last half of 2023 as a product of increased playing time down the stretch.
Biggio has carried over some of that success into spring training this year, as he has gone 6-for-21 for a .286 average, .893 OPS, with 4 runs scored and 3 doubles. More importantly, he has regained some of his patented patient plate discipline from his rookie season with 7 walks to go along with 8 strikeouts to date. Rather than risk similar circumstances at second base once again this season, the Jays should just anoint Biggio the starter to begin the 2024 season and give him some runway to see what he can do. That way, it would lessen the chance that he would suffer the same fate as Espinal for not producing due to limited playing time. In addition, it should allow him to focus on becoming an effective overall player, rather than worrying if he will be playing the next day every time out.
Confirm that spring training sensation Ernie Clement has made the team
With many players working hard and doing their best to impress with hopes in making the Opening Day roster, it may finally be the time to reward at least one deserving player that has proven his worth this spring: Ernie Clement.
After joining the Jays via minor league contract last March, Clement’s stellar performance with the Buffalo Bisons eventually forced the team’s hand to select him to the 40-man roster and call him up on multiple occasions during the 2023 season. In total, Clement impressed with a resounding .380 batting average, .885 OPS, with 7 runs scored, a home run and 10 RBI in just 52 plate appearances. On top of that, he was also sure-handed in the field as he posted a decent 4 DRS defensively over 24 games.
This spring, Clement has been lighting it up again by compiling an impressive .375 batting average, 1.090 OPS, along with 7 runs scored, 3 home runs, 8 RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 14 games played. By officially letting Clement know that he has made the Opening Day roster sooner rather than later, not only would it allow him to relax and fine-tune his game to gear up for the regular season, but it would also show that unexpected jobs can actually be won to serve as inspiration for many of the other hopefuls on the team. More importantly, with no minor league options remaining, the Jays can’t risk losing a potential hidden gem like Clement for nothing.
Send Eduardo Escobar packing
As the end of spring training is approaching, the final Jays’ roster should begin to take shape, especially after the trade of Espinal. In preparation for the regular season, management should start giving more reps to those that have made the team (or will likely make the team) to get them ready and in top form for Opening Day. Correspondingly, they should start cutting back for those that won’t.
As a result, it would be wise for the team to start dismissing one of the obvious players that won’t make the cut by next week. That prime candidate to be dropped is none other than Eduardo Escobar. Signed this offseason to a minor league contract with an invite to training camp, Escobar has failed miserably to produce this spring despite given ample opportunities to do so. In 15 games, he has batted a dismal .122 with a .421 OPS, along with just one home run and 7 RBI. But more significantly, he often appeared overmatched as he struck out a whopping 17 times to go along with just one walk in 41 at-bats.
Escobar may have been a former All-Star and proven prolific power hitter throughout his 13-year major league career. However, it appears that his good days are likely behind him following his huge regression in 2023 and the continuation of that now this spring training. Therefore, the Jays should cut bait with this experiment as soon as possible and focus more on those that could actually provide an impact for the club in the coming weeks.
Add someone deserving back onto the 40-man roster
With the departure of Espinal, a spot on the 40-man roster has opened up heading into the final week of spring training. The Jays can choose to wait and see who they want to put in that slot. But an even better idea would be to add a non-roster invitee that is truly deserving from their spring performance to date. That way, it would give them the motivation and assurance for finally being an important part of the team’s roster going forward.
With that in mind, one of those deserving players to be added is catcher Brian Serven. Claimed off waivers earlier this offseason from the Chicago Cubs to add catching depth to the organization, Serven has done everything he can this preseason to show that he can be a reliable third-string option for the team behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk. In 11 games of action thus far, he has hit .238 with a 1.095 OPS, along with 6 runs scored, a pair of doubles, 3 home runs, 12 RBI, 3 walks and just 4 strikeouts.
With Jansen likely out until the first or second week of April to start the year, Serven should slot in nicely as the primary backup behind Kirk. Since Serven is currently not on the 40-man roster, the Jays should just make things official and add him to the list after his strong showing this spring. And given Jansen’s injury woes in recent years, it might even be a good idea for the Jays to keep all of the three catchers on hand even when Jansen returns from his injury for insurance.