Ranking third base possibilities for the 2024 Toronto Blue Jays

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With third baseman Matt Chapman set to enter free agency at the conclusion of the 2023 MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays will certainly have a big hole to fill at the hot corner. After all, the Jays haven’t had such a stabilizing presence at third base ever since Josh Donaldson left town back in 2018. But on top of that, Chapman was able to produce both offensively and defensively for the ballclub, which will definitely be difficult to fully replace in the future.

With that in mind, what are the potential third base options for the Blue Jays for 2024? Here, we rank the probability of the various avenues that the Blue Jays can pursue to address their need.

Option 1: Bring back Matt Chapman

When Matt Chapman arrived in Toronto from the trade with the Oakland Athletics, he was renowned for his elite defence at the hot corner as a three-time Gold Glove winner. The Jays haven’t had someone with that exceptional ability ever since Scott Rolen was last spotted in town. Added to the fact that he is also a power hitter with strong run production, he was indeed the ideal third baseman the Jays had been looking for all along.

In his two seasons with Toronto, he definitely did not disappoint with his defence, making stellar plays at the hot corner, along with a total of 14 DRS over the two years. However, the amount of offence he ended up providing was a bit underwhelming, particularly in 2023. After putting up solid numbers with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in his first season with the ballclub in 2022, he had quite a disappointing season in 2023 as his output fell to 17 home runs and 54 RBI in just 40 less plate appearances. More importantly, he struggled mightily to get anything going after a torrid start to the season in April.

Despite having exceptional defensive capabilities and tremendous power at the plate, his inconsistency in his offensive performance shown this past year is a bit worrisome if it is a good indicator of how he would perform in the long run. However, at the same time, if the Jays aren’t confident enough with their current internal options mentioned above, along with the fact that the upcoming free agency is devoid of any solid options at third base, the Jays may have no choice but to re-sign Chapman as their only viable option.

On the good side, Chapman himself did express that he is open to re-signing with the ballclub, showing that he is interested in staying and growing with the group. If the Jays do intend to pursue that route, the key part for the ballclub though will be to go with a shorter term contract if possible. That is because his inconsistency may potentially become more of a problem as the contract ages, as someone like former Baltimore Orioles’ star Chris Davis comes to mind.

Probability of it happening: 6/10

Option 2: Explore cheaper external help

Finally, the Jays could look elsewhere to find the ideal replacement at third base. One of the first places they could explore is the upcoming free agency crop of third basemen. Unfortunately, this year’s candidates, excluding Chapman, are all underwhelming to say the least, with the likes of Gio Urshela, Josh Donaldson, Evan Longoria, Mike Moustakas, Brian Anderson and others headlining the list. In addition, practically every available player is on the wrong side of 30 as well.

The only free agent option not named Chapman that’s worth to take a flyer on is Jeimer Candelario. He had a solid season split between the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs in which he hit .251 with a .807 OPS, 22 home runs, 70 RBI and eight stolen bases. However on the defensive side of things, he committed eight errors for a .971 fielding percentage, along with a -3 DRS, so definitely adequate, but far from Chapman-type numbers.

Another candidate is Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers if they decide to decline the club option. Muncy definitely has the power and run production, with 36 home runs and 105 RBI to show for in his bounce back 2023 season. But his batting average near the Mendoza line with a high number of strikeouts for the past couple of seasons could be a cause for concern as well, not to mention also his defensive deficiencies with 16 errors and -3 DRS at the hot corner.

As a result, there is a high risk if the Jays choose to go this route, as it could end up easily blowing up in their faces. They could potentially even go further and try out the trade route, but that would most likely require the Jays to part with some top prospects in their system in order to get back any sort of quality, since other teams also know that the 2023 free agent pool of third basemen is weak. Ultimately, the gamble is not worth taking, which is probably why they should really just try out their internal options first before even thinking about external options.

Probability of it happening: 3/10

Option 3: Run with the internal options

When it comes to internal options, the first one that comes to mind is none other than Santiago Espinal. That’s because he actually played admirably in that role prior to the arrival of Chapman in 2022. He exemplifies solid defence and has the arm to man the hot corner. However, his overall offensive output could leave a lot to be desired, as he has yet to show that he could be a force when it comes to providing solid run production over the past three years.

Both Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement have also had their moments of glory during the latter half of the Jays’ 2023 season. Both players have shown that their bats could play well in the big leagues, before Schneider cooled off and Clement was sent back down to the minors near the end of the season. They could be a work in progress at third base, but their ability to hit would not be questioned.

But diving into the Jays’ minor league system is where the options would become much more intriguing. Addison Barger actually had a shot at making the majors last season with an impressive Spring Training showing before he lost out to Nathan Lukes for a spot on the Opening Day roster. In addition, the ascension of Orelvis Martinez was in full effect in 2023, as he went from a troubling hitter that could only hit for power and not for average, to a transformed, well-disciplined, contact power hitter by the end of the season. At the same time, he was even promoted to the highest minor league level in Triple-A Buffalo, as his bat appeared MLB-ready already.

With all of these options available to try out that could pay big dividends in the end, the Jays should really explore these before thinking about investing in free agency to fill the vacated spot. Partly because it would save them the money so that they could upgrade in other areas, and partly because most of these options could potentially work out surprisingly well if given the chance.

Probability of it happening: 9/10

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