Ranking second base possibilities for the 2024 Toronto Blue Jays

For the 2023 MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays began the year with a revolving door of players for their second base position. That was because they had several capable players that could handle the position competently with Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, and Whit Merrifield available at the helm.

As the season progressed, Merrifield started to pull away from the competition as he put together an All-Star year with the Jays, hitting .272 with 66 runs scored, 11 home runs, 67 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 145 games played. Not only did he provide the valuable run production that the Jays sorely needed, he was also able to hit effectively in various spots in their lineup.

However, towards the end of the season, he would struggle down the stretch as in September, he would hit only .181 with a .472 OPS, with just five runs scored, three doubles, and nine RBI. A red-hot Biggio eventually took over from Merrifield, as he suddenly became a huge contributor in the Jays’ everyday lineup right into the postseason.

So now with Merrifield, who had a firm hold of the starting second base position for the Jays for the bulk of the 2023 season, potentially heading into free agency, what are the possible options that are available for the Jays to choose from?

Here, we take a look at three viable options the Jays can undertake in finding their solution to their second base position for 2024.

Option One: The return of Whit Merrifield

For Whit Merrifield, he has certainly re-established his career since coming over from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline in 2022. At one point in time last season, it appeared as though Merrifield was heading towards father time, as he was amidst his worst season of his career prior to the trade.

But since making his debut with the Jays, he has appeared to regain some of his prior dominant All-Star form from his early days in a Royals’ uniform, and provided the offensive spark that was greatly needed in the Jays’ lineup.

With a mutual option in his contract with the ballclub, it seems possible that both sides could exercise their option and keep Merrifield with the team for a little longer. However, the fact that he got less playing time near the end of the season due to his struggles, as well as losing his starting spot for the playoffs completely did not sit too well with him.

Moreover, Merrifield clearly showed his displeasure with how things were handled when Jays’ starter José Berríos was lifted during the most important game of the season despite dominating the opposition for the entire game right up until that point in time. That bitter feeling has also stuck with him deeply as he would reiterate his stance and expressed his thoughts and emotions once again even a week later on the Foul Territory Podcast.

Not only that, but apparently Merrifield has already drawn some interest around the league even before he has even stepped his foot into free agency, so he already knows that he is highly-valued and a wanted man in the league.

As a result, it is highly unlikely now that Merrifield will remain with the Jays’ organization for 2024 and will most likely move on to another team that he believes to be a good fit for him. Nevertheless, he did provide the necessary impact in helping the ballclub reach the postseason for the second consecutive season as we wish him all the best and thank him for his efforts.

Verdict: Not going to happen

Option Three: Finding the solution internally

Without a question, the Jays may already have the solution right on their roster now in Cavan Biggio. After all, he had been fantastic down the stretch for the Jays in helping them reach the postseason this past year. Especially during September, he practically became an everyday player for the team as in 26 games, he led the Jays’ offensive attack with a .277 average, .408 OBP, .781 OPS, with 17 runs scored, five doubles, one home run, 14 RBI, 18 walks and 19 strikeouts.

Biggio was so impressive that he was inserted into the heart of the order in the lineup along with the big boys, along with taking the starting job away from Merrifield at second base heading into the postseason. On top of that, he even flashed the leather a few times with some solid defensive plays, showing his increased confidence in his defensive abilities as well. It appears as though his struggles at the start of the season was probably due to a lack of playing time, as his rise to prominence happened to coincide with his increased playing time down the stretch. As a result, the Jays may have their replacement right there without having to worry any more than they need to.

If the Jays are still not 100% confident in Biggio’s abilities, there are two great backup options available in place already as well. If they are looking for strong defensive play, Santiago Espinal is more than ready to provide that to the team at the position. If they are looking for some added power and pop, Davis Schneider has shown that ability during his brief two-month stint at the end of the season with the ballclub in 2023. All else fails, if the Jays cannot make up their mind amongst them, they could always go back to employing a platoon role at second base, with one of Espinal or Schneider accompanying Biggio in the duo.

In reality, they shouldn’t need to dip into the minor league pool, but if the Jays want to give another promising prospect a shot at it, Addison Barger is definitely ready to make the jump to the major league level entering the 2024 season after narrowly missing out on the team’s Opening Day roster in 2023. However, the Jays don’t really need to force their raw prospect right into the thick of things when they already have the three bonafide, MLB-ready options to deploy from above, so it is certainly a no-brainer what the best options available are that the Jays should pursue. Now it’s just a matter of what the management thinks about it.

Verdict: Highly likely