Blue Jays Have to Answer Important Question With Outfield Configuration

The Toronto Blue Jays have decisions to make with the outfield in spring training.

A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove in the dugout. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

February has arrived, which means spring training is around the corner and baseball will officially be back in the fold. Expectations are soaring high for the Toronto Blue Jays, coming off one of their best seasons in franchise history.

The front office built off of that success and turned in an impressive offseason, spending as much as any team. The pitching staff got a significant boost with the signings of Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers.

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Toronto was heavily involved in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, but ended up losing out on the slugger to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the outfield still has plenty of depth, which brings forth tough decisions for manager John Schneider.

How Will the Blue Jays Outfield Take Shape?

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Anthony Santander hits a single. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

With the signing of third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, that will slide Addison Barger to the outfield. He'll take the majority of the starts in right field with Daulton Varsho in center field. Both players were critical parts of the Blue Jays run to the World Series.

Barger and Varsho placed third and fourth on the team in home runs, respectively. Unless one of them takes a steep drop off, there is no reason they shouldn't be mainstays in the lineup. The question is who will take left field.

Ideally, Anthony Santander would be the guy to step up. Toronto is paying him $92.5 million, but he battled injuries last year. The other guys to consider are Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, and Joey Loperfido.

Schneider could be valuable against left-handed pitching. There is a possibility that he receives an increased role based on the matchup. Lukes is coming off an impressive season, slashing .255/.323/.407 in the regular season.

As Keegan Matheson of mlb.com notes, "Straw brings the element of defense, base running and a valuable clubhouse presence, while Loperfido offers perhaps the most upside of the group, even if he wasn't given as many opportunities to show it last season."

Each player makes a compelling case, and spring training could shed some light on the potential solution. It's a good problem to have, but Blue Jays fans would probably like to see Santander prove himself. If he can stay healthy and bring the power, it would make the offense that much better.

Toronto has a loaded offense, and there will be no shortage of run producers. However, Schneider has to find the right fit in the outfield because the A.L. East will be wildly competitive, and the Blue Jays can't afford to waste games.

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