The Toronto Blue Jays have been aggressive this winter, evidenced by their pursuit of some of the biggest free agents and the recent signings of Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman, and Max Scherzer to bolster the Opening Day roster.

One move that has flown quietly under the radar was the signing of infielder Michael Stefanic to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The deal came in early December, with Stefanic hitting free agency after being outrighted to the triple-A roster and electing free agency shortly after.

Stefanic’s backstory is interesting, as the Westmont College product went undrafted in 2018 but submitted his highlight tape to baseball scouts and executives from coast to coast and eventually landed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels due to injuries piling up for their Rookie Ball club in the ACL.

From there, Stefanic continued to work his way up the minor league ladder and made his MLB debut in 2022, splitting his time between triple-A and the big leagues over the past few seasons to the tune of 233 at-bats across 90 games. While he did find some limited success in 2023 (.290/.380/.355 slash line through 62 at-bats), his overall numbers fall just short at eight doubles, 14 RBIs and a .592 OPS through three seasons, with Stefanic striking out 40 times.

Considering the Blue Jays have a glut of talented infielders – Leo Jimenez, Addison Barger, Will Wagner, Orelvis Martinez – Stefanic may seem like the odd man out, especially since he would need a 40-man spot and is out of MiLB options. While it’s not a splashy signing like Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman, what makes Stefanic an interesting name in the mix for the Jays Opening Day roster is how ZiPS is projecting for the 29-year-old to have a solid showing in 2025.

ZiPS is unique in its ways, using comparable players and calculations based on recent history/performance while taking into account normal at-bats throughout a full season (excluding things like injury or a demotion that would sway played games).

Per ZiPS, if Stefanic was to stay in the big leagues for most of the season – working likely in a bench capacity – he would slot in with a 109 wRC+ and a 1.9 fWAR, collecting four home runs and 43 RBIs. He would also post a .278/.354/.369 slash line with a .318 wOBA and a .308 BABIP, putting the ball in play at a high accord. His ISO is on the low side at .082, as he isn’t a power hitter by any means, but the numbers under this projection are interesting under the surface.

That’s not to say that this will become a reality. If Stefanic is playing every day for the Jays, I would hazard a guess that some things have gone sideways for the Jays in a hurry up the middle in terms of injury, or he runs away with the third base spot (barring no offseason acquisitions), a position he has limited experience with in recent memory.

It’s a long shot for him to get a crazy amount of reps, but a strong spring could put him into contention for a look at the big league roster in a bench capacity, especially since he can play multiple infield positions. Ernie Clement is likely his biggest competitor here, while Jimenez won’t go down without a fight either as well as Wagner, but anything can happen in Spring Training. For a Blue Jays squad looking to figure out how to win in the postseason, nothing should be off the table heading into the new year.

Should Stefanic replicate at least some of the ZiPS numbers, the Blue Jays may have just found some gold off the bench. It’s wishful thinking, but I am all for more competition this spring to determine who should stay in the big leagues and who should wait in the wings, ready to pounce when the opportunity strikes.