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Position by Position: Blue Jays get excellent defence in the outfield but need more offence
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski - USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Oct 31, 2024, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 31, 2024, 15:13 EDT
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One area of need this off-season for the Toronto Blue Jays is finding a power-hitting outfielder.
This is an off-season series, looking at the current Jays’ depth for starting pitching, their bullpen, the first base/designated hitter spot, outfielders, infielders, and catchers. In this article, we’ll look at the Blue Jays’ outfielders on the 40-man roster, as well as depth options for the 2025 season.
It’s worth noting that while Davis Schneider is listed as an outfielder, he’ll be included in the infielders’ article as that’s his natural position. The same goes for Addison Barger.

Some stats

You know the story. After the disastrous blown lead in the 2022 American League Wild Card Series, the Blue Jays traded Teoscar Hernández and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to improve their outfield defence. In return for Gurriel Jr. (and Gabriel Moreno), the Blue Jays received Daulton Varsho, while also signing Kevin Kiermaier that same off-season.
This has left the Blue Jays in a conundrum. Their outfield defence is strong, posting 48 Defensive Runs Saved (tied for first) and 29 Outs Above Average (first by a large margin). On the other hand, outfielders slashed .210/.283/.362 with 53 home runs in 1969 plate appearances, giving them the fifth-worst wRC+ of 85 for outfielders.
Thanks to strong defence, the team’s outfielder’s fWAR sits in the middle of the pack at 5.7, but it’s clear that the Blue Jays need to add a power bat in their lineup, preferably one that plays in a corner outfield.

Looking at outfielders on the 40-man roster

With that being said, the Blue Jays have quite a few outfielders on the 40-man roster. Let’s take a look at which players occupy spots on it.

Daulton Varsho

Last season, Daulton Varsho had a much better season than his first, slashing .214/.293/.407 with 18 home runs in 513 plate appearances, giving him a 99 wRC+ compared to an 85 wRC+ the season prior. Moreover, Varsho compiled 3.3 fWAR, the second-highest total of his career.
Of course, Varsho is well-known for his outfield defence, and he once again proved why he should be the Platinum Glove winner. In 404.1 innings in left field, he had 12 Defensive Runs Saved and 10 Outs Above Average. In 672 innings in centre, Varsho had 16 DRS and 5 OAA. As you can imagine, he was nominated for a Gold Glove (again).

George Springer

The decline of George Springer is real. In 2023, Springer slashed .258/.327/.405 with 21 home runs in 683 plate appearances for a 104 wRC+ and a 1.8 fWAR. This was after posting a wRC+ above 119 or higher since breaking into the league in 2014.
Springer’s 2024 wasn’t any better, slashing .220/.303/.371 with 19 home runs in 614 plate appearances, along with a 95 wRC+ and a 1.2 fWAR, the lowest of his career. After the Jays moved him out of the lead-off spot on May 18, Springer finished the season slashing .230/.316/.403 with 16 home runs in 444 plate appearances.
The big question is, what are the Blue Jays’ plans for Springer in 2025? Will he still be the team’s starting right fielder? Will he move into the designated hitter role to give one of the kids an opportunity? Could the Jays trade him to get his salary off the books? There are many different paths the Jays can take this off-season in regards to Springer.

Nathan Lukes

Before the 2022 Rule 5 draft, the Blue Jays added Nathan Lukes to the 40-man roster. He had a cup of tea with the team in 2023 but didn’t get an actual shot with the team until after the 2024 trade deadline.
The 30-year-old left-handed batter had a solid season in limited at-bats, slashing .303/.371/.447 with a home run in 91 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (11%) than K% (9.9%) for a 132 wRC+ and a 0.7 fWAR.
Moreover, in just 173 innings in the outfield, Lukes accumulated 5 Defensive Runs Saved and -1 Outs Above Average, giving him a path to become the Blue Jays’ fourth outfielder in 2025.

Joey Loperfido

The Blue Jays acquired Joey Loperfido, along with Will Wagner and Jake Bloss, at the 2024 deadline from the Houston Astros for Yusei Kikuchi.
If the Jays decide to improve the outfield spot internally while moving Springer to full-time DH, Joey Loperfido could replace him in right field. Last season between Houston and Toronto in the big leagues, Loperfido slashed .214/.264/.350 with four home runs in 262 plate appearances for a 74 wRC+ and a 0.1 fWAR.
His tenure with the Jays wasn’t great, as he slashed .197/.236/.343 with two home runs in 144 plate appearances, along with a 4.2 BB% and a 36.1 K% for a 61 wRC+, but it’s a new organization so it’s hard to judge too quickly.
Either way, the Blue Jays likely see Loperfido as a big part of their future.

Jonatan Clase

Another prospect who the Blue Jays acquired before the 2024 trade deadline was Jonatan Clase, acquiring him and Jacob Sharp from the Seattle Mariners for Yimi García.
Clase struggled once he reached the Buffalo Bisons, slashing .244/.288/.363 with two home runs in 146 plate appearances for a 67 wRC+, but he played well after his call-up to the Blue Jays. In 23 plate appearances with Toronto, the outfielder slashed .350/.435/.550 with a home run, along with a 4.3 BB% and a 13 K% for a 186 wRC+ and 0.2 fWAR.
It’s a small sample size, but encouraging. The 22-year-old has an intriguing blend of speed, defence, and power, and if he can drop his K%, the sky is the limit.

Steward Berroa

The last outfielder we’ll look at on the Blue Jyas’ 40-man roster is Steward Berroa, who also may end up being a DFA candidate.
It was a great season for the 25-year-old outfielder in Triple-A, as Berroa slashed .281/.371/.454 with a career-high 10 home runs in 300 plate appearances, along with an 11.7 BB% and a 23.7 K%. Berroa’s Triple-A success didn’t translate to the big leagues though, as he slashed .189/.33/.216 with no home runs in 45 plate appearances, along with a 17.8 BB% and a 31.1 K%.
However, it’s worth mentioning that Berroa provided strong defence, accumulating 3 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average in 107 innings, while also stealing six of eight bases. In the minors in 2024, he stole 34 of 42 bases, so that speed may keep him on the 40-man roster.

Depth

Of course, there are also a handful of outfielders to keep an eye on in the minor leagues, two of which could be with the Blue Jays as soon as next season.

Alan Roden

Alan Roden is one of the Blue Jays’ best prospects and for a good reason. All the 24-year-old left-handed batter does is hit, as he slashed .293/.391/.475 with a career-high 16 home runs in 530 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024.
It wouldn’t be shocking if he’s on the Blue Jays roster at some point next season, especially if the team is struggling.

Will Robertson

An internal source of power in the Blue Jays system is Will Robertson.
Last season, the 26-year-old left-handed batter slashed .226/.319/.429 with 19 home runs in 464 plate appearances, giving him a 92 wRC+. However, his strikeout rate of 31.3% was a concern, while walking 10.8% of the time.

Dasan Brown

It’s not a matter of if Dasan Brown makes it to the big leagues, but when.
Like Berroa, Brown has strong speed that translates well defensively and on the base paths. However, there’s also more potential in Brown’s bat. Last season in High-A, Brown slashed .257/.363/.411 with a career-best seven home runs in 329 plate appearances for a 121 wRC+. Moreover, he walked 11.9% of the time while dropping his K% to a career-best 24%.
While his tenure in Double-A didn’t go nearly as well, Brown only recently turned 23 years old, giving him plenty of time to figure it out in the upper minors.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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