The Blue Jays have some tough roster decisions to make in the near future

It has been quite refreshing to see many of the young Toronto Blue Jays making the most of their opportunities with their impressive play this season. Not only have they provided the Jays’ faithful with some high-energy, exciting baseball, it has also given the team some hope for the future as they look ahead to the 2025 season.

However, in doing so, it has inadvertently created somewhat of a dilemma for the Jays heading into the offseason. They now all of a sudden have a boatload of quality players all gunning for just two potential spots in the infield for the upcoming season, assuming of course that both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette have their spots already locked up. Spencer Horwitz, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, Leo Jiménez, Davis Schneider and Will Wagner have all taken turns showing their value with the team thus far in 2024. If we also throw in the solid cameo made by Luis De Los Santos, along with the eventual return of Orelvis Martinez into the overall picture, that is a whole lot of bodies capable of producing already at the big league level to accommodate for.

What should the Blue Jays base their decisions on?

If the Jays’ focus will be on offense, then the likes of Horwitz, Clement and Wagner have already shown great success in being able to consistently handle major league pitching. But there’s no doubt that the one with perhaps the greatest offensive potential is the one that has been waiting all this time in Martinez. If their focus will be on defense instead, then going with the sure-handed Clement, Jiménez or De Los Santos would be the safe bets. However, if having positional flexibility will be the key, that would make Barger and Schneider jump to the front of the pack with their abilities to play both in the infield and outfield. No matter what areas or aspects take precedence, there will be some tough decisions that need to be made by Jays’ management.

But one thing to keep in mind is the fact that both Clement and Jiménez are out of options for the coming 2025 season. As a result, the Jays could potentially lose them through waivers if they need to be designated for assignment and sent down to the minors. Therefore, if they do end up making the roster, they better hope they can perform well enough to stick with the team.

As a result, the Jays will likely be enduring some sleepless nights this offseason just to figure out who should remain a part of their major league roster (whether starting or on the bench), who needs to continue playing in the minors, and who could unfortunately be seeing their last days in the organization in the coming weeks. 

Nevertheless, having a luxury of riches is actually a good problem for the Jays to have, since the potential solutions are already there. The main thing now though is being able to make the right decisions to give the club the best chance at winning for next season and beyond..