Stand by the field in the early morning at a Spring Training facility as the players stream out of the clubhouse, and you’ll marvel at just how many players it takes to sustain an MLB team.
Not all of those players will eventually see a big league clubhouse, and some don’t make it past a few more weeks with the team. Still, it usually takes 40 or more players for any MLB team to make it through a season, so as fans focus on the gaps within the projected 25-man roster, it’s instructive to consider how many players it takes to maintain necessary depth.
You might barely remember the contributions of Jimmy Paredes, Matt Dominguez or Andy Burns to last year’s team, but at some points, their presence was required.
Throughout the off-season, the focus has been on restoring the Blue Jays’ roster in the areas that were turning over: the outfield, the bullpen, and maybe even the depth of the rotation. But an area that has received scant attention is the middle infield, and on closer inspection, that might pose a significant concern.
The projected starters are obviously set, with Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis at short and second respectively. But both of those players have a sustained history of injury troubles, so entering the season with a strong expectation that they will both suit up for more than 140 games might not be the most solid bet.
The projected middle infield backups at this point are Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins, who are certainly capable with their gloves. Barney could reasonably slot in at second for a spell if required, but might not be a long-term solution at shortstop if the need arises. Goins is the more likely option to fill in at short, though his bat has yet to prove that it’s worthy of daily action.
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What’s more, Goins is out of options, and currently perched on the bubble of the big league team. Even with his offensive flaws, it’s not unreasonable to think that a National League team might find some value in a left-handed hitter who can fill in at multiple positions in a pinch.
If the Blue Jays were to lose Goins, the next best options currently in the system would be Jonathan Diaz, who owns a lifetime OPS of .406, Gregorio Petit, who has a lifetime on-base percentage of .291, and Richard Urena, a 20-year-old with all of 132 plate appearances at double-A.
There is also the curious case of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who played all around the diamond in Cuba, but who remains an unknown entity to this point, and who is listed as an outfielder on the Blue Jays’ roster at present.
Aside from those players, there’s no clear option in the system or among non-roster invites who could conceivably fill in if needed. And while there aren’t many teams who boast much more depth than this, the scenario where the Blue Jays are caught scrounging for another middle infielder doesn’t seem that remote.
In terms of players still available on the market, there are two veteran shortstops lingering: Erick Aybar and Alexei Ramirez.
Both have had their moments, but are coming off poor seasons. Aybar was a four-win player as recently as two years ago, but generated -1.2 WAR last season while struggling both on offence and defence in both Atlanta and Detroit. Similarly, Ramirez plummeted from 3.2 WAR in 2014 to -2.4 WAR last season.
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And yet, with all that downside, it still seems unlikely that either would be eager to sign up for an extended stay in Buffalo.
It’s likely that in the coming weeks, there will be a handful of minor league veterans whose signings are scarcely noticed, but who could potentially fill this gap. Given the bizarre state of the player market this off-season, it could be that there is still a significant amount of under-the-radar roster movement to come.
But with the potential for the middle infield to be as thin as it presently seems, some of these otherwise unremarkable signings may bear watching in the coming weeks.
