New Addition Has Surprisingly Helped Propel Offense for Blue Jays This Season

A new addition for the Toronto Blue Jays has pleasantly surprised at the plate.

Apr 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to an excellent start this season after a big winter helped create a lot of optimism for the franchise. 

While a lot of the news surrounding the Blue Jays has been about the contract extension with Vladimir Guererro Jr., this is a ball club that is currently in first place in the American League East and playing quite well. 

This offseason, it really felt like Toronto had one of the best winters in all of baseball despite not locking up their star at the time. 

The team was able to make some good additions to the bullpen, starting rotation, and the lineup to hopefully help them compete in what was expected to be one of the most challenging divisions in baseball. 

While some of the contenders in the division deal with injuries, the Blue Jays are rolling right along. 

One of the main reasons for their success is because of their offense. However, some of the production is coming from an unlikely source that they acquired this winter. 

Keegan Matheson of MLB.com recently spoke about Andres Giménez being an excellent offseason acquisition and his high upside if he is going to produce as well as he has been early on at the plate. 

“Giménez’s start has been remarkable, with three home runs early in the season, and if he can contribute offensively on top of his elite defense, he’s a sneaky candidate to lead this team in WAR.”

When Toronto acquired Gimenez from the Cleveland Guardians, they knew that they would be getting one of the best infield defenders in the game. 

With three straight seasons of being a gold glove defender, there are few better in the league than the 26-year-old. 

However, for the most part at the plate, Gimenez hasn’t been outstanding, other than an All-Star year in 2022. That year, he slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. It was easily the best campaign of his career, totaling a very impressive 7.4 bWAR. 

Even though that was the only season in which he was able to total a slugging percentage of over .400, he has been able to swipe 30 bases in each of the last two years. 

Fortunately for the Blue Jays, they are seeing a version of Gimenez closer to that of the 2022 campaign to start the year. This season, he is slashing .250/.370/.500 with three home runs, eight RBI, and three stolen bases. 

Despite not being the best hitter, the 26-year-old has totaled a bWAR of at least 4.0 over the last three campaigns. If the bat starts to come alive, he could be in for an excellent all-around year.