The Toronto Blue Jays infield will look a bit different in 2026. After long-time shortstop Bo Bichette signed a new deal with the New York Mets, the Blue Jays had to pivot. Luckily, they had enough internally to fill the void left by Bichette.
Andrs Gimnez will be tasked to take over as the everyday shortstop, while Ernie Clement will hold down second base. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first and Alejandro Kirk behind the dish, Toronto is positioned to still succeed without Bichette. Signing third baseman Kazuma Okamoto was a massive addition. He’ll look to help offset the offensive production lost this offseason.
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There is one underlying strength that the Blue Jays could improve on with their current infield.
Toronto Projects to Be One of the Best Defenses in Baseball
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Andres Gimenez throws to first. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
What Toronto may be losing offensively in the infield, they are making up for it in a big way on the defensive end. Gimnez struggled at the plate last season, finishing with a career-low slash line across the board. However, his defense is exactly why he’s getting a chance to be the starting shortstop.
Gimnez won three straight Gold Gloves from 2022-24. His 11 outs above average ranks in the 97th percentile according to Baseball Savant. He can make game-changing plays on the defensive end. Pairing him with a versatile Clement makes for one of the best defensive middle-infielder duos in baseball. Clement’s 15 outs above average ranked just outside the top 10 last year.
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As gifted as Bichette is at the plate, he was one of the worst defenders for Toronto. His numbers ranked at the bottom of the team last year. His loss may hurt the team offensively, but they have defense all over the diamond. Not to mention, Guerrero Jr. is a Gold Glove winner in his own right. The biggest question mark will surround Okamoto.
His offensive prowess was an enticing trait to teams, but his defense was called into question. The Blue Jays could pivot to Addison Barger if needed, but if Okamoto is consistent at the plate, it would be hard to take him out of the lineup.
Defensive success is a critical component because multiple Blue Jays pitchers ranked in the top 40 in induced ground balls (Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios). Their newest bullpen acquisition, Tyler Rogers, has the sixth-highest ground-ball percentage among all relievers (62.1%).
Defense is one of the most overlooked aspects of baseball, but the truth is that good defensive teams find playoff success. Mike Petriello of mlb.com says, “By Statcast metrics, the top five fielding teams all made the postseason. Only one of the bottom nine teams, Seattle, did the same.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as Blue Jays Infield Possesses an Underlying Strength Heading Into Next Season.