Roster roulette begins here
Most interesting battles will be in the outfield and starting rotation
DUNEDIN, FLA.— Spring training officially opened for the Blue Jays on Thursday morning, with pitchers and catchers hitting the field for their first workout.
Toronto’s front office and coaching staff will have more difficult roster decisions to make than usual this spring. There are competitions for playing time happening all over the field and a couple of injuries this spring will only add to the roster uncertainty.
The most interesting battles can be found in the outfield and starting rotation. There are least five outfielders with a realistic shot of cracking the opening day roster and just as many guys with aspirations of winning that final slot on the starting staff.
A lot can change over six weeks, but there’s a good base of information to work from. This is my first crack at predicting Toronto’s 26-man roster. During the last week of spring training, I will revisit these picks and update them.
CATCHERS (TWO)
> Danny Jansen
> Reese McGuire Analysis: There likely won’t be any surprises behind the plate with Jansen and McGuire expected to split time in 2020. Veteran Caleb Joseph offers depth in the minors, but he won’t be considered for a job unless one of the other two gets hurt.
INFIELDERS (SIX)
> Travis Shaw
> Cavan Biggio
> Bo Bichette
> Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
> Brandon Drury
> Rowdy Tellez
Analysis: Shaw, Biggio, Bichette and Guerrero Jr. will be the everyday infielders. Drury will take on the role of super utilityman by being used all over the infield and possibly even a bit of outfield. Tellez appears to be the guy on the bubble. He’s a candidate to start at DH, but if the Jays instead choose to rotate their outfielders through the position that would open the door for another back-up infielder — ideally one who plays shortstop — to make the team. For now, I’m going with Tellez, but that might change in a few weeks.
OUTFIELDERS (FIVE)
> Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
> Teoscar Hernandez
> Randal Grichuk
> Derek Fisher
> Anthony Alford
Analysis: Fisher and Alford are out of options and cannot be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. Neither player figures to be a starter on opening day, but there should be enough at-bats to go around, especially if Toronto uses the DH spot on one of these guys as well. Fisher should be considered a lock because the front office is adamant about keeping him around. Alford has less security, but the addition of a 26th man to every roster greatly improves his changes of heading north.
BULLPEN (EIGHT)
> Ken Giles
> Wilmer Font
> Jordan Romano
> Rafael Dolis
> Anthony Bass
> Sam Gaviglio
> Shun Yamaguchi
> Travis Bergen
Analysis: The bullpen will be up in the air for most of the spring. Off-season additions Dolis, Bass and Yamaguchi all figure to make the team. Returnees Font, Romano and Gaviglio appear safe for now as well. The unknown here is whether the Jays will carry a lefty. Thomas Pannone is the only viable option on the 40man roster, but Bergen, who was returned to Toronto last year after a failed stint as a Rule 5 pick in San Francisco, will be competing for the job as well. I’m going with Bergen for now because the Jays have enough length elsewhere that Pannone’s multi-innings availability won’t be all that valuable. One thing that hurts
Bergen’s case is that he’s not on the 40-man roster and the Jays don’t have as many spare parts to get rid of as they once did.
ROTATION (FIVE)
> Hyun-Jin Ryu
> Tanner Roark
> Matt Shoemaker
> Chase Anderson
> Ryan Borucki
Analysis: The big question here is what happens with the No. 5 spot. Right-hander Trent Thornton might have the inside track after a strong rookie season, but I’m going with Borucki because I think he has more upside. After an injury-plagued 2020, Borucki’s health will have to be closely monitored — as will the recovering Shoemaker — and Anthony Kay, T.J. Zeuch, Jacob Waguespack and Shun Yamaguchi will be among those competing for a spot, too. This competition might come down to health.