Blue Jays Still Have One Additional Trade to Make Before Opening Day
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After a historically disappointing way to end the 2025 postseason, the Toronto Blue Jays are ready for another shot at the World Series. Coming one win, even inches short of history, was absolutely devastating, but John Schneider and Co. must put that in the rearview for 2026.
Even after an offseason where the Blue Jays' star shortstop Bo Bichette was lost in free agency, it's still not hard to see how Toronto can make another deep postseason run. Despite losing Bichette, Anthony Santander should be healthy by the back half of the season, while Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto have given fans another reason to get excited.
The only problem with the current makeup of the roster is second base depth. Andrés Giménez posted just a 1.1 fWAR in his first season in Toronto in 2025 after three straight seasons with 4+ fWAR.
Giménez hit .210/.285/.313 over 101 games.
Blue Jays Looking for a Bounce Back Season from Andrés Giménez
Giménez signed a 7-year $106 million contract after his 7.4 fWAR 2022 season, but hasn't reached that level since. Part of the problem was due to his playing through the high-ankle sprain he suffered in July, but the Blue Jays are expecting more from their young second baseman.
In the minor leagues, Toronto doesn't have a plug-and-play, ready second baseman to throw into the everyday lineup if Giménez struggles again.
Ernie Clement has spent plenty of time at second base, but without Bichette, he'll likely be relegated to shortstop every day. This leaves a need the Blue Jays might fill before the regular season. If Toronto is looking for a cheaper option, someone like Santiago Espinal may be a good fit.
Santiago Espinal is Strong, Defense First Backup Option for Blue Jays
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Espinal to a minor league contract after the Cincinnati Reds cut him this offseason. Espinal batted .243 with a dozen doubles across 114 games. He's a defense-first second baseman, but can play all across the diamond. Adding Espinal would be a solid backup option at second base, especially with his strong defensive pedigree.
There are other options out there, but at the end of the day, we all want Giménez to succeed. Playing through a high-ankle sprain the back half of 2025 is a valorant thing to do, and certainly will win the fans over, but at the end of the day, he needs to be healthy.
If the Blue Jays make a trade before the season, I predict it will be for a backup middle infielder, that's where depth is needed the most. If not, that shows the trust that the Blue Jays brass has in the current middle infield set up, and fans should be confident in that.
