Examining the Blue Jays outfield picture heading into 2025

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ outfield isn’t nearly as crowded as the infield going into 2025, but there’s still a puzzle to solve.

Left field feels like an opportunity to upgrade the Blue Jays’ offense -- even if that equation still includes Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider -- while the Blue Jays will need to account for the possibility that Daulton Varsho could miss time or George Springer could mix in a few more off-days.

That need for offense was on display yet again in Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Red Sox at Rogers Centre, and that conversation will dominate a crucial offseason that the Blue Jays are finally standing on the doorstep of.

Here’s a look at what this organization will be juggling:

THE KNOWN COMMODITY
Springer has two years left with the Blue Jays at just over $24.1 million a year. Springer came to Toronto with a reputation for being one of the game’s biggest stars when it matters most, but this organization hasn’t won a postseason game in his first four seasons with the Blue Jays. The clock’s ticking.

Springer’s on-base percentage sits at .302 and has declined in five straight seasons, so it’s clear the Blue Jays will need to structure their lineup differently in 2025 with a new leadoff man. At 35, no one is expecting Springer to put up a .950 OPS, but the Blue Jays are looking for ways to bottle some of Springer’s peaks from this summer and spread them across a full year again.

“Those 40-50 games where he was really on and carrying us, it shows me that the skills are there,” manager John Schneider said. “It’s been a weird, up-and-down year for him. He’ll be the first to tell you that. I think it’s a big opportunity for him to attack the offseason and say, ‘What can I do to get me back to the player that I can be?’ He knows that. He gets that. We’re counting on that.”

Springer is one of the veterans the Blue Jays are trying to “peek around the corner” with, as Schneider put it, to help them get ahead of the curve.

“We’re at the point with a handful of guys where … how do you now adjust to how the game is being played, what pitches are being thrown, what pitches you’re throwing?” Schneider said. “Those are conversations we’ve had the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, that pays off. They all have great track records.”

Springer was brought here to have a signature moment in October. Regardless of what the regular season stat line looks like, the Blue Jays need to put him in a position to have one more shot at doing it.

THE UNKNOWN VARIABLE
Varsho underwent surgery on Monday to repair the rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and while the Blue Jays should have more information from the doctors coming out of that procedure, there’s still a long road back for Varsho.

While the Blue Jays and Varsho are hopeful he’ll be ready to roll when Spring Training opens in Dunedin, Fla., next February, they’ll need to prepare for his recovery to stretch beyond that, just in case.

Varsho is extremely important to this team, ranking second behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with 3.3 fWAR this season. He’s one of the best defenders in the sport and deserves a Gold Glove Award, so the Blue Jays can’t leave themselves exposed to any significant dip in value if he misses time.

THE X-FACTOR
Jonatan Clase has the physical gifts that most big leaguers only dream of. As we saw again a handful of times on Monday, including on a Jarren Duran triple at the wall, there are still some rough edges to smooth out.

“The skills jump out at you,” Schneider said. “Everything that we were told kind of unfolded in those two games [in Tampa]. There was speed, power, sliding over the base. We definitely want to get more of a good look at him, but I’ve been really impressed with him for being 22 with the skills that he possesses. He can be a game-changing type of guy, I think.”

Clase is still a prospect by every definition of the word, ranking No. 6 on the Blue Jays’ Top 30, so there’s still some patience required here. This organization needs upside, though, and that always comes with the balance of risk. Clase, like infielder Orelvis Martinez (No. 2), could change this entire equation if everything clicks.