The Toronto Blue Jays are having one of the most disappointing seasons in all of baseball this season. Looking ahead to next year, there's one significant change the Blue Jays are already planning to try and right the ship and get back to contending for the postseason.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had had a great season of his own despite the Blue Jays' struggles. An All-Star this year, Guerrero Jr. is hitting .318/.392/.555 with 27 home runs and 83 RBI and has shown that he is still one of the best hitters in the Major Leagues.
During his rookie year in 2019, Guerrero Jr. played third base. However, after that, the Blue Jays made the decision to transition him to first base in order to try and maximize his impact in the field after some defensive struggles at the hot corner. That decision paid off as Guerrero Jr. has become one of the top defensive first baseman in baseball, even winning a Gold Glove there in 2022.
Despite that, may be time for a return back to third base according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“The Blue Jays are exploring the possibility of having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. play third base next season, and planning to use him there more frequently in September,” Nightengale wrote. “Guerrero hasn’t been an everyday third baseman in four years, but considering there’s a deep crop of free-agent first basemen this winter, led by Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, it will be much easier to fill a hole at first base than third base.”
The Blue Jays have already begun trying to play Guerrero Jr. at third base more this season. He currently has made eight starts there, and according to Nighengale will continue to get reps as the regular season wraps up. Guerrero Jr. has already made two errors, but if the Blue Jays intend on shifting him there permanently in order to go after a high-profile free agent at first base, this is the perfect time to allow him to re-acclimate to the position during low pressure games.
What Guerrero Jr.'s move to third base means for the Blue Jays
Guerrero Jr.'s move back to third base will likely be a defensive downgrade. During his lone season at the hot corner, he made 17 errors and had a -20 outs above average according to Baseball Savant. It looks like even though their infield defense may take a hit, the Blue Jays are willing to live with it for the potential upgrades available at first base this offseason.
Like Nightengale mentioned, Arizona Diamondbacks Gold Glover Christian Walker and New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso would both be very desirable free agent acquisitions at first base. St. Louis Cardinals veteran Paul Goldschmidt is another option, as is Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins if he chooses to opt-out of his current deal.
While the first base free agent pool is certainly more deep, another potential option for the Blue Jays could be to target Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who will also be a free agent this offseason, and keep Guerrero Jr. at first base.
Regardless of what ends up happening this offseason, having Guerrero Jr. able to play both corner infield positions will only be a positive for the Blue Jays going forward.
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