Blue Jays Surprisingly DFA Fan Favorite Infielder Ahead of Opening Day
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The Toronto Blue Jays will begin their season on Friday night with Opening Day coming north of the border as they begin the defense of their American League title.
As teams across baseball finalize their Opening Day rosters, moves are made that will raise eyebrows and surprise fans, and as it turns out, the Blue Jays are one of them. As first reported by Shi Davidi of SportsNet, Toronto has designated infielder Leo Jiménez for assignment.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Jiménez is out of options and likely lost the final bench spot in favor of Davis Schneider as tough calls have to be made. In all likelihood, Jiménez will be traded or claimed on waivers and end up on another MLB club other than Toronto.
Why Blue Jays Aren't Keeping Jiménez
Jiménez has been with the Toronto organization for close to a decade, though he has become a little bit squeezed out over the last couple of years. In 81 big league games, he has slashed just .207/.303/.332, obviously not encouraging production offensively.
While he has been a quality minor leaguer for years and obviously excels defensively at both middle infield positions, he ultimately just has not developed into someone they feel comfortable enough to keep on the roster without being able to option.
Schneider on the other hand is a stronger hitter and had some big moments in the playoffs, which likely helped to lock up his spot on the bench. While fans have held out hope for years that the 24-year-old Jiménez could turn into an every day player, it seems it will be with another organization.
Blue Jays Could Trade Jiménez for Decent Return
Given his age and defensive ability, it stands to reason that Toronto will have trade suitors for Jiménez as teams look to add depth to their bench and infields. Of course, leverage is limited when it comes to trading DFA'd players and cash considerations are often the return, however perhaps a bullpen arm who the team has had their eye on could come over instead.
Spots are limited, and the reality of this time of year is that not everyone is going to be happy with all of the final decisions. For Jiménez, it's safe to say that Blue Jays fans will be following the remainder of his career closely to see if Toronto made the right call by letting him go.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.