Big series for Addison Barger. His 5th home run of the season. Barger looks much more comfortable than he did earlier this summer. #BlueJays
Looking at the Blue Jays infield prospect trade candidates following Spencer Horwitz’s departure
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2024, 09:49 EST
The Blue Jays’ infield roster has been crowded as the team has amassed infield talents from its farm system and through trades. This glut in the infield became even more acutely apparent during the past season when Toronto called up minor leaguers like Addison Barger, Spencer Horwitz and Leo Jiménez and traded for talents like Will Wagner.
Toronto is currently in a tough spot this offseason with nine infielders. The team won’t be able to keep all infielders anymore as they address their weaknesses in the roster. Trading at least a few infielders is still on the table and ahead of the winter meeting. Below are the trade candidates who may have to part with the team before the 2025 season starts.
Addison Barger (3B/OF)
Barger was the first prospect called up from the triple-A system last season when Kevin Kiermaier landed on the IL and returned towards the later half of the season once the Blue Jays needed to fill the infield gap when Bo Bichette landed on the IL. Through 69 games with the Blue Jays, the Washington product initially struggled to translate his minor-league experience into the majors. His first stint saw him collect just one hit through five games but he fared much better in his third stint with the club, posting a .691 OPS while having much better at-bats as the season wore on (remember the walk-off home run?)
At the major league level, Barger slashed .197/.250/.351 through 208 at-bats and added seven home runs and 28 RBIs to the tune of a .601 OPS and a 70 OPS+. While Barger has historically been an infielder compared to his time in the outfield, the Jays have experimented with him in the corner spots to get him some play although to mixed results at the hot corner (.925 fielding percentage with six errors).
However, given that Barger was still going through his learning curves, there is still potential for his bat to come to life in the next few years. That potential will be the difference maker for the 25-year-old player more than his defensive value. His fit with the current Jays’ roster has him pencilled in for third base reps after the Andrés Giménez acquisition but the club could have Barger on the trade block given the depth surrounding the infield. He may be further down on the list given his ability to hit for power, something the Blue Jays need desperately in 2025, but a versatile player such as Barger will be of interest to opposing clubs.
Ernie Clement (3B/SS)
Clement has been a journeyman infielder who played for the Cleveland Guardians and the Oakland A’s before arriving in Toronto, so he doesn’t fit the prospect narrative but is one player who could be considered for the trade block if the right team comes calling.
Before arriving with the Jays he played sparingly and he only had a handful of at-bats during his first go-around with Toronto but this season, he became a go-to player for the club at third base and across the infield when needed. The infielder’s specialty has been making timely hits rather than relying on home-run power and flashing the glove when needed, as evidenced by his Gold Glove nomination. Overall, Clement was solid at the plate this year, as he slashed .263/.284/.408 with 51 RBIs and 12 home runs. While this isn’t a mindblowing slash line compared to other star players, Clement has solidified himself as a viable everyday player who can bring value to any team he plays for and it wouldn’t be surprising if the club uses him as a utility-type moving forward.
There is no doubt that the infielder’s trade value is at the highest and the Blue Jays would certainly be able to get at least one or two hopeful prospects back if they were to trade him this offseason although he seems less likely than the rest of the prospects on the trade wire. The Blue Jays will likely keep Clement around even if they make some acquisitions to add to the infield just because of his versatility but the Jays may leverage him in a package deal if they find a player they really desire – especially for the bullpen.
Leo Jiménez (2B/SS)
As the Blue Jays’ looked to fill in the hole shortstop Bo Bichette left with injuries, Jiménez got his chance to prove his worth in the big leagues. Through 63 games for the 2024 season, the Panamanian slashed .229/.329/.358 with 11 doubles and a 97 OPS+. That’s compared to his slash line of .271/.416/.431 with the Buffalo Bisons in 57 games in 2024. Similar to Clement, Jiménez has primarily been known as a glove-first type infielder with solid contact but he also tagged opposing pitchers for four home runs as well, proving there is some pop in the bat.
The main struggle Jiménez will have to overcome in the coming season is cutting down on the punchouts, recording a whopping 28.1% strikeout rate in his stint with the Blue Jays – compared to his 15% strikeout rate in triple-A. In terms of the 23-year-old’s strength, Jiménez was effective against left-handed pitching with a .288 average and was fairly productive offensively at home with a .244 mark. The infielder is one player to keep an eye on as he could become expendable with the Giménez acquisition, as Jiménez and his +2 DRS at the middle infield spots could see him the odd man out in the roster picture although he does have a Minor League option at this disposal to work with per FanGraphs.
There’s a pretty high chance that the Blue Jays will keep Jiménez as a backup infielder for players like Giménez, Bichette, and Clement in 2025 at this point, with him starting the year in triple-A. It all depends on how active the Blue Jays are this winter and how many spots are open on the bench when Spring Training rolls around. Trading him is a possibility to leverage the middle infield depth the club has but Toronto may opt to keep him around for depth purposes, with Jiménez and Barger fighting for a spot on the bench this Spring.
Play No. 52 of 2024: How on earth did Leo Jiménez make this play?! 😮
Orelvis Martinez (INF)
Martinez has been one of the most touted position-playing prospects in the Blue Jays’ system for the past few years. The 23-year-old has always been known as a power hitter and was compared to former Blue Jays’ outfielder Teoscar Hernández if he were to reach his true potential in the majors. In his 74 games with the Buffalo Bisons in 2024, Martinez slashed .267/.346/.523 with 17 home runs and has led the Jays farm system on numerous occasions when it comes to his homer tallies.
The downside would be his strikeout rate which was at 23.8% in Buffalo, which is on par with Martinez’s strikeout rate that has always hovered above 20% except for the 2019 season. To sum up, the infielder has always been a high-risk-high-reward power type of player, so the strikeouts come with the territory, so that likely won’t change for the upcoming season. An 80-game suspension for PED usage really put him behind other prospects last season when the Jays moved all their expiring contracts at the deadline to give prospects some room to grow, so Martinez missed out on a golden opportunity to get his feet wet at the big league level outside of the one game he suited up in against Cleveland.
The infielder will have to find his way to establish himself in the majors again, but he will most likely start with the Bisons given Toronto’s infield glut and because he missed a considerable amount of time last year on the sidelines. Martinez will draw some trade interest but his stock took a hit after the suspension, so he will need to find that power bat again to not only better himself but also improve his trade value. He could crack the Opening Day roster if he goes on a tear in Spring Training, which will simultaneously put him higher on opposing teams trade radars, but if the Jays need to make a splashy move this winter to try and acquire a big name, the chances are Martinez will likely be heading back in the trade package.
Davis Schneider (2B/LF)
After Schnedier’s impressive major-league debut with the Blue Jays in the summer of the 2023 season, the New Jersey product has been inconsistent with his productivity at the plate. He impressed the team with 1.315 on-base plus slugging (OPS) through his first 25 career games, the highest mark by any player in MLB history since 1901. But Schneider’s honeymoon period slowly evaporated as the league figured out how to attack him in the strike zone.
Unfortunately, the infielder wasn’t able to quite put it together this past season, going through some tough stretches at the plate. He ultimately recorded a .191/.282/.343 slash line through 135 games with a 78 OPS+ and 13 home runs, finishing fourth on the team. While Schneider did rank high on the Jays list for homers, his strikeout rate suffered as it climbed from 30.5% to 31.7% in the 2024 season and his ISO dipped to .151 with a .257 BABip.
Overall, Schneider performed better against right-handed pitching with a .205 BA and managed himself in high-leverage situations adequately with a .237 BA in a reverse split scenario. If there is any player the Blue Jays will re-evaluate in their roster, it would be Schneider but out of the group listed here, he is likely towards the bottom of the rankings for trade interest until he puts together some consistency at the plate (or a package deal). Schneider likely remains with the Blue Jays moving forward, especially since he became the club’s go-to left fielder for some time last season and could be back in the mix this year, although the team did add some depth this past summer in Joey Loperfido and Jonatan Clase that could make him expendable. Moving down to triple-A is also not out of the cards, although he could break camp if his bat comes alive and because Daulton Varsho may begin the season on the IL.
Will Wagner (2B/3B)
Wagner was a part of the trade return from the Houston Astros in the Yusei Kikuchi deal along with right-hander Jake Bloss and outfielder Joey Loperfido. Through 70 games with the Houston Astros’ triple-A team, the Houston native recorded an impressive stat line of .307/.424/.429, showcasing his ability to become a productive player offensively. He impressed as well once he was in Buffalo, so much so that the club moved him to the big league squad after a short stint to see what he could do at the big league level. His debut in the majors with the Blue Jays was equally impressive as he slashed .305/.337/.451 in 24 games with 11 RBIs and two home runs before landing on the IL with a knee injury.
Will Wagner, the son of former closer Billy Wagner, rips a double on the first pitch he sees in The Show!
While Wagner established his talent quickly with a five-hit game in August with the Blue Jays, he did cool down for some time, proving that he is human. If Toronto had only a couple of infielders to fill the hole, Wagner’s place with the team would have been considered pretty safe. However, since the Blue Jays have at least three or more players who are vying for a roster spot this Spring, Wagner could be counted as one of the potential trade candidates although he sits towards the lower end considering he was just acquired. However, if a team is interested in him and the player in return makes sense for the Jays, all options should be on the table. Similar to Barger, he can draw attention from teams who have ample at-bats to spare and a need for a versatile infielder, as Wagner can also play third base if needed.