Here's what the Blue Jays 2023 Opening Day lineup could look like
The Toronto Blue Jays are set up for success by keeping things largely similar next season — at least, they appear to hope they are.
Toronto’s got a mental mountain to climb after a disappointing ALDS performance that included an 8-1 collapse in Game 2 against the Seattle Mariners earlier this year.
And it hasn’t been exactly the most exciting offseason for the Blue Jays after trading popular outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to those very same Mariners.
But despite the lack of offseason activity, Toronto’s front office is confident — at least publicly — in the group they’ve got.
“I think the key is sticking to your plan, but making sure you’ve worked through every scenario. Understanding where those opportunities are going to be, and where they are after someone comes off the market, is really important to work through before it happens,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said about improving the roster, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
Using a mix of the team’s contract situations, last year’s lineup, and some carefully crafted guesses, here’s what Toronto’s 26-man lineup could look like come March 30, when they face off against the St. Louis Cardinals in both team’s 2023 regular season opener.
Blue Jays’ batting order
- George Springer, CF
- Bo Bichette, SS
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
- Alejandro Kirk, C
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF
- Matt Chapman, 3B
- Danny Jansen, DH
- Whit Merrifield, RF
- Santiago Espinal, 2B
Bench
- Cavan Biggio
- Otto Lopez
- Orelvis Martinez
When healthy, most of the Blue Jays’ nine players in their batting order are relatively easy to figure out. Sure, there are tweaks to be made, but at least six of Toronto’s bats — Springer, Bichette, Guerrero, Kirk, Gurriel, and Chapman — can be considered near “everyday” players if they’re healthy.
Top prospect Gabriel Moreno could conceivably crack Toronto’s opening-day lineup, but don’t count on him being there at the start of April if Jansen and Kirk are still around.
Pitching Rotation
- Kevin Gausman
- Hyun Jin Ryu
- Alek Manoah
- Jose Berrios
- Mitch White
Manoah, Gausman, and Berrios are near locks for the top three rotation spots, while Ryu is hopeful to return to his star form after missing much of 2022 with an elbow injury.
Mitch White never quite got acclimatized to Toronto after a trade from Los Angeles last season, but he’s the Jays’ current fifth-best starting option unless another move is on the horizon.
Bullpen
- Jordan Romano
- Anthony Bass
- Adam Cimber
- Zach Pop
- Trent Thornton
- Tim Mayza
- Trevor Richards
- Erik Swanson
- Yimi Garcia
Toronto could flirt with names like Yusei Kikuchi, Julian Merryweather, Thomas Hatch, Anthony Kay, and even Nate Pearson in their bullpen in 2023, but it seems like their Opening Day relief core is mostly set.
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