#middle-infield

#middle-infield

The Toronto Blue Jays are continuing to add to try and raise the competitive floor of their roster before Opening Day. The latest move, a waiver claim, brings in a 26-year-old infielder who is still looking to make his major league debut and probably reminds Blue Jays fans of a current fan favourite. On Wednesday (Feb. 18) the club announced they had claimed Ben Cowles off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. The NL Central division team had to designate Cowles for assignment a few days ago after they added Shelby Miller to the roster. In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays placed pitcher Bowden Francis on the 60-day injured list.

The Guardians have had a quiet offseason, only re-signing backup catcher Austin Hedges and acquiring a handful of relievers on one-year deals. They've yet to add anyone to a lineup that ranked 28th in scoring. They were the only team in the bottom 10 that made the postseason, so it's unlikely they'll get back to October without improving the offense.

Jimenez initially signed with the Blue Jays in 2017 out of Panama, slowly working his way up the organizational ladder. He has been featured among the Blue Jays' top prospect lists in each of his professional seasons, topping out as the 5th-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline) in 2022. Known more for his shortstop defence than his offensive game, the right-handed hitter reached the big leagues in 2024, slashing .229/.329/.358 in a 63-game sample.

On the season Luke appeared in 91 games for the Stripers and hit a very respectable .272/.364/.340 in those games good for a 98 wRC+. With offense not really being his calling card, being able to tune in with a solid line while providing solid defense up the middle, Luke gave the Braves organization really good value despite the injury struggles. He rarely struck out (12% K%), walked at a good rate (12%), and found his MaxEV all the way up to 109 MPH.

He has been the everyday shortstop for the team for the past six-plus years, but a poor defensive season raises the question as to whether a move to second base makes more sense moving forward. Andres Gimenez looked great at shortstop towards the end of the year and into the playoffs, which could present a situation where the Jays look into moving Bichette to second or exploring other free agent options for the keystone.

Recreating the magic of a run to Game 7 of the World Series is never easy, but this is the task Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins faces this offseason. How do you improve a roster that came within two outs of winning it all? How do you build a team incrementally better to secure those final precious outs of the season? With plenty of players coming and going this offseason, it's an uphill battle for the Blue Jays to defend their honour as American League Champions, but they're hoping they can pull a 2014 Kansas City Royals and run it right back to the World Series after also losing in Game 7.