Just In: Blue Jays Internal Options if Matt Chapman Signs…..

The Toronto Blue Jays have been stale up to this point this offseason, passing up the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes while likewise letting various program players from the 2023 crew head to free organization.

The most eminent name of the gathering is third baseman Matt Chapman, with the cautious disapproved of infielder declining the club’s passing proposal while attempting to score enormous on what is viewed as a really powerless free specialist class. Chapman leads the infield group and will probably make a big payoff this offseason for whichever team needs to upgrade at the hot corner with a veteran player who has a good track record in the field in spite of having a power bat that makes mistakes.
Quite possibly Chapman could get back to the Blue Jays, as the two sides have communicated an arrangement eventually this colder time of year, despite the fact that there is likewise a situation where Toronto should continue on from the California item. While the club could secure a free specialist like Evan Longoria or Justin Exhaust at third base, the club has a couple of players that could move forward to be the regular third baseman in 2024 (and then some) should Chapman not return.
The Dominican item was a Top pick in 2022 however ran into some bad luck last season, figuring out conflicting playing opportunity on the way to a .248/.310/.335 cut line with an additional 16 fair hits to the tune of a .644 Operations.

The bat has never been Espinal’s reason for living card contrasted with his handling skill, as the infielder gloats a +11 DRS across the jewel since making his major association debut in 2020.

While he has invested more energy at a respectable halfway point over his vocation, the right-given bat has north of 802 innings at the hot corner and ought to get an impressive look this spring in the event that the Blue Jays sit pat on the free-specialist market and further develop the program somewhere else.

With the possibility to see some expanded playing time, Espinal probably enjoys the upper hand over the inner choices given his MLB experience. The main expectation with this move is that he passages better than Biggio did whenever he was allowed the opportunity to assume control over third base.

Orelvis Martinez

The Toronto Blue Jays have churned out some strong infield prospects over the past few seasons and Orelvis Martinez is next on the list to make a big impact.

Martinez differs from Espinal and Chapman in that his calling card is the bat, as the Dominican product possesses raw power that has been on full display the past two seasons to the tune of 58 home runs through 881 at-bats across Double-A and Triple-A.

At just 22 years old, Martinez is still developing and improving his game, evident by how he cut down on the strikeout rate last year while seeing an increase in competition with the Buffalo Bisons late in the year.

The righty-batter will need to keep refining his approach at the plate as he continues but one can’t argue that his power isn’t big-league ready and a strong Spring Training will go a long way for the infielder.

Protectively, Martinez has divided his time among shortstop and third base however the hot corner is his probably distinguishing mark over the long haul. Intriguingly, the Jays have tried Martinez at second base in 2023, so the team may be trying to see where they think he can go on the field in the future. On the off chance that the bat can keep on delivering early and third base is open for the taking, Martinez ought to be offered a fair chance to make the trip North to begin the 2024 season.

Addison Barger

One of the most exciting Blue Jays prospects to finish the 2022 season, Addison Barger was gearing up for a 2023 campaign that had fans believing that a big league call-up could be on the horizon for the Washington product.

Injuries unfortunately derailed those plans, as the 24-year-old found himself missing over a month and a half early in the season and wound up finishing the year in Triple-A instead.

An athletic player with the ability to play multiple positions, Barger has spent most of his big league career at shortstop but also has a solid resume at third base, including 721 innings at the hot corner with a .910 fielding percentage. The ceiling is very high on Barger, especially since he can hit for both contact and power at the plate. With the Bisons last year, the righty-batter collected 34 extra-base hits with a .756 OPS with 52 walks, finishing the year with a .353 OBP.

Barger is likely on the outside looking in compared to Espinal and Martinez but anything can happen in Spring Training and if he can find that raw power in the batter’s box, the argument could be made to bring him to Toronto in some capacity (whether on the bench or at third base).

Honorable Mentions

Ernie Clement

Picked up by the Blue Jays during Spring Training last year, infielder Ernie Clement produced when he was with the big league club, going 19 for 50 (.380) with 10 RBIs while riding the options bus between Toronto and the Bisons in triple-A.

With the Jays last year, Clement spent more time at shortstop compared to third base but he does have over 49 games at the hot corner throughout his big league career. While a spot on the bench may be in Clement’s future, if Espinal struggles early and the New York product can produce at the plate again, he could usurp his teammate for an increased look a third base this season if the club decides to not use him in a utility role.

Damiano Palmegiani

The Venezuelan-born, Canadian-raised Palmegiani had arguably one of the best campaigns for a Blue Jays prospect last year.

He burned through the majority of the time in Twofold A, yet saw some late activity with the Buffaloes to complete out the year, gathering 23 grand slams and 93 RBIs before a fruitful excursion to the Arizona Fall Association to balance the year (.941 Operations with six homers).

Palmegiani will probably be going to major association Spring Instructional course in a couple of months and keeping in mind that he is reasonable a surprisingly strong contender possibility to break the First day of the season program, the third baseman demonstrated in 2023 that he could hang at the hot corner and will be on the Jays radar all through next season.

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