It’s officially spring, as pitchers and catchers have reported for the start of Blue Jays camp at the team’s complex in Dunedin, Florida.
The next few days will be filled with pitchers warming up and then position players will start to arrive over the weekend, with the official day for the full squad to be in Dunedin scheduled for Tuesday, February 20. A few days later, the Blue Jays will open up Grapefruit League play on Saturday, February 24 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Though we’re right around the corner from Spring Training being in full swing, there are still a handful of questions surrounding the Blue Jays, such as whether or not they’ll be adding another bat before Opening Day on March 28. Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, a pair of players the Blue Jays have been in touch with throughout the winter, remain unsigned and on the free-agent market.
Whether or not the Blue Jays wind up signing either one of the Scott Boras clients is anybody’s guess at this point. Manager John Schneider and the team’s coaching staff are moving forward with the group the Blue Jays have on their roster, which will see the newly added Justin Turner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa play multiple positions in order to compose a variety of different lineups.
Schneider told reporters in Dunedin on Thursday that Turner will bat “somewhere where he’s doing some damage in the middle of the order” and that he’ll see time as a designated hitter, at first base, and at third “a little bit.” The 39-year-old played more than half of his games in 2023 with the Boston Red Sox as a DH but also saw time at first, second, and third base.
With Chapman not on the team, the Blue Jays won’t have a full-time glove at the hot corner for the first time since the 2021 season, which saw them use Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio, Joe Panik, Breyvic Valera, Kevin Smith, and Jake Lamb at third. Schneider said that the team will have “a cool puzzle to solve” in 2024, with Espinal, Biggio, and Kiner-Falefa all in the mix to play second and third base.
Also in the picture for second base is Davis Schneider, who’s looking to earn a full-time role on the team following his incredible debut last year. Manager John Schneider noted that Davis Schneider will be focused on both second base and left field in 2024, serving as the right-handed platoon alongside lefty outfielders, Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier.
More must-reads: