A former <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> player has found success away from the Jays.

The Blue Jays signed Otto López during the 2016 international free agent period, alongside Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Alejandro Kirk. <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/throwback-thursday-revisiting-daulton-varsho-trade-between-blue-jays-diamondbacks">Moreno and Gurriel Jr. were traded for Daulton Varsho</a>, while <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-alejandro-kirk-top-three-catcher-mlb">Kirk has gone on to become a top-three catcher</a> in the big leagues. The question is, what has become of López?
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The 26-year-old spent a portion of his childhood in Montréal before returning to his native Dominican Republic. In the 2016 international free agent period, he signed for $60,000 and flourished in the Blue Jays system.
He received a plate appearance in 2021 and two plate appearances in 2022, but struggled in Triple-A during the 2023 season, slashing .258/.313/.343 with two homers in 346 plate appearances. Before the start of the 2024 season, the Blue Jays designated the utility player for assignment, <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/throwback-thursday-looking-eight-trades-toronto-blue-jays-made-with-giants">eventually trading him to the San Francisco Giants</a>.
López was then designated for assignment by the California team, with the Marlins claiming him off waivers on April 4, 2024. Now on a bad team with no expectations, López was able to get the playing time he required to develop further. In 434 plate appearances, the utility player slashed .270/.313/.377 with six home runs for a 91 wRC+ and 2.5 fWAR.
Interestingly, López also started to play great defence at second base after being considered a below-average fielder. In 850.1 innings played at the key stone in 2024, the Dominican native had 9 Defensive Runs Saved, 16 Outs Above Average, and 12 Fielding Run Value. How he wasn’t nominated for the National League Gold Glove winner at the position is anyone’s best guess.
In his second full season with the Marlins, López is slashing .250/.322/.393 in 342 plate appearances. Like his fielding, López was never thought to be a big power hitter, but the 26-year-old has hit 11 home runs this season. Defensively, López has split his time between second base and shortstop. At the former position, he has 5 DRS, 6 OAA, and 4 FRV in 265.1 innings. As for his numbers at shortstop, he has 4 DRS, 3 OAA, and 3 FRV in 424.1 innings at the position.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Otto Lopez crushes his 11th home run of the season for the Marlins! What a shot! ⚾️ <a href="https://t.co/KXhfyG4TUF">pic.twitter.com/KXhfyG4TUF</a>
&mdash; MiloX Sports MLB (@MiloXSportsMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MiloXSportsMLB/status/1944621784789086496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In hindsight, it would’ve been nice if the Blue Jays had kept López, considering their 74-88 season in 2024. The 26-year-old has developed into an above-average fielder and average-to-slightly-below-average hitter once he received regular playing time. He’d be a significantly cheaper option than Andrés Giménez, giving up some fielding ability for a better bat.
All in all, while the Jays surely miss the 26-year-old, it’s nice to see he’s found a permanent spot in the big leagues with the Marlins.
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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/author/ryley-delaney">Blue Jays Nation</a>, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/author/ryley-delaney">Oilersnation</a>, and <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/author/ryley-delaney">FlamesNation</a>. She can be followed on Twitter <a href="https://x.com/Ryley__Delaney">@Ryley__Delaney</a>.
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A former <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> player has found success away from the Jays.



The Blue Jays signed Otto López during the 2016 international free agent period, alongside Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Alejandro Kirk. <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/throwback-thursday-revisiting-daulton-varsho-trade-between-blue-jays-diamondbacks">Moreno and Gurriel Jr. were traded for Daulton Varsho</a>, while <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-alejandro-kirk-top-three-catcher-mlb">Kirk has gone on to become a top-three catcher</a> in the big leagues. The question is, what has become of López?
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="330" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="“web-content-promocard&quot;"></div>
&nbsp;

The 26-year-old spent a portion of his childhood in Montréal before returning to his native Dominican Republic. In the 2016 international free agent period, he signed for $60,000 and flourished in the Blue Jays system.

He received a plate appearance in 2021 and two plate appearances in 2022, but struggled in Triple-A during the 2023 season, slashing .258/.313/.343 with two homers in 346 plate appearances. Before the start of the 2024 season, the Blue Jays designated the utility player for assignment, <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/throwback-thursday-looking-eight-trades-toronto-blue-jays-made-with-giants">eventually trading him to the San Francisco Giants</a>.

López was then designated for assignment by the California team, with the Marlins claiming him off waivers on April 4, 2024. Now on a bad team with no expectations, López was able to get the playing time he required to develop further. In 434 plate appearances, the utility player slashed .270/.313/.377 with six home runs for a 91 wRC+ and 2.5 fWAR.

Interestingly, López also started to play great defence at second base after being considered a below-average fielder. In 850.1 innings played at the key stone in 2024, the Dominican native had 9 Defensive Runs Saved, 16 Outs Above Average, and 12 Fielding Run Value. How he wasn’t nominated for the National League Gold Glove winner at the position is anyone’s best guess.

In his second full season with the Marlins, López is slashing .250/.322/.393 in 342 plate appearances. Like his fielding, López was never thought to be a big power hitter, but the 26-year-old has hit 11 home runs this season. Defensively, López has split his time between second base and shortstop. At the former position, he has 5 DRS, 6 OAA, and 4 FRV in 265.1 innings. As for his numbers at shortstop, he has 4 DRS, 3 OAA, and 3 FRV in 424.1 innings at the position.

https://twitter.com/MiloXSportsMLB/status/1944621784789086496

In hindsight, it would’ve been nice if the Blue Jays had kept López, considering their 74-88 season in 2024. The 26-year-old has developed into an above-average fielder and average-to-slightly-below-average hitter once he received regular playing time. He’d be a significantly cheaper option than Andrés Giménez, giving up some fielding ability for a better bat.

All in all, while the Jays surely miss the 26-year-old, it’s nice to see he’s found a permanent spot in the big leagues with the Marlins.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/author/ryley-delaney">Blue Jays Nation</a>, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/author/ryley-delaney">Oilersnation</a>, and <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/author/ryley-delaney">FlamesNation</a>. She can be followed on Twitter <a href="https://x.com/Ryley__Delaney">@Ryley__Delaney</a>.

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Former Blue Jay Otto López has found a home with the Marlins

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