Who Should Be On the Blue Jays' 2022 Postseason Roster?

Looking at who the Blue Jays should bring on their 2022 playoff roster, and the players who could be left off.

The Blue Jays will play in the playoffs this year.

Who they play, and who will take the field for Toronto, are yet to be determined. On the latest episode of the Inside the Blue Jays Podcast, Ethan Diamandas and Mitch Bannon broke down who will and should make the playoff roster for the Jays this month.

You can listen to the episode below, or check out some of the roster locks and key decisions lower on this page.

LISTEN NOW:

The Locks:

Currently, there are 20 'locks' to make Toronto's playoff 26-man roster. Anything can happen in the final regular season days, with injury or shaky performance, but the core of Toronto's players (10 batters, the three starters, and seven relievers) are already determined for the Wild Card series.

The Likelys:

With six playoff spots up for grabs after the locks (and at least three going to hitters with a 13-pitcher max), here are the likely next adds:

OF Jackie Bradley Jr.
OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
RP Zach Pop 

The only reason Gurriel Jr. isn't up top in the locks category is his health. The outfielder has been working back from left hamstring tightness. He's "getting closer," manager John Schneider said on Saturday, and the Jays are open to bringing him on the roster in a bat-only role if his hamstring isn't up to regular defense and running.

Both Bradley Jr. and Pop have been on the MLB roster for the September push and can play unique and specific roles on a potential playoff roster. With arguably the best arm on the team, Bradley Jr. has played a late-game speed and defense role for Toronto while occasionally starting in CF and RF to spell Springer and Hernández. 

Pop, while not at the top of Toronto's bullpen pecking order, has earned some trust against right-handed bats and has been one of the best in baseball at inducing double plays.

The Decisions:

With three spots left on the roster, the real decisions become tough. With the 13-pitcher max, the Jays can carry one or two more pitchers at most, and the other spots will go to bench bats. There are at least eight players making a case for those final three spots:

2B Santiago Espinal
C Gabriel Moreno
OF Bradley Zimmer

SP Jose Berríos
RP Yusei Kikuchi
RP Julian Merryweather
RP Trent Thornton
RP Matt Gage

There are reasonable arguments to bring all of these players on the playoff roster, and some of the choices will be dictated by what team the Jays match up against. Some questions Schneider, GM Ross Atkins, and the Blue Jays' decision makers will have to answer to help make these choices are:

1) Will Berríos be on the Wild Card roster in a relief role, if he's not one of the series starters?

2) Will Kikuchi come along as a second lefty and long reliever (even if he starts Game 162)?

3) Is Espinal, who is currently working back from a strained oblique, healthy enough to join the roster?

4) Is Zimmer worth carrying as a second speed/defense outfielder beyond Bradley Jr?

5) Do the Jays need a third catcher in Moreno, allowing them to more aggressively pinch hit and run for Kirk and Jansen?