This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Blue Jays’ infield depth chart is its own game of musical chairs.

Everyone can play second base, but depth for the sake of depth won’t get you far. The Blue Jays need someone to rise above the rest, particularly offensively, if 2025 is going to look any different than what you’ve watched these past five months.

The closer we get to the offseason, the clearer it gets that this group is Toronto’s best asset on the trade market. The organization will also be involved in the third-base market -- as small as that market may be -- but when the music stops on Opening Day next year, there won’t be a chair for everyone.

So let's take a look below at how it all stands entering the home stretch.

2B/3B Orelvis Martinez
The club's No. 1-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is nearing the end of his 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy, so he’ll begin to appear in Minor League games again soon and he should ride out the season there. Martinez is gifted -- perhaps this organization’s best hope for a true breakout in 2025 -- but he’s done himself no favors this season and he’s still a work in progress defensively.

For my dollar, Martinez will be one of the two or three most important stories in Dunedin, Fla., next spring. Perhaps there’s a platoon to be found early on, which would allow Martinez to light left-handed pitching on fire.

2B/3B/SS Ernie Clement
If the Blue Jays commit to a more permanent solution at second base, Clement could be the biggest beneficiary. He’s an excellent fit as a true “utility” man on the 2025 roster, and in that role, he could still find a spot in the starting lineup most days. Clement is a contact machine, plays sharp defense and is an underrated athlete. Headed for a 2 fWAR season, Clement deserves every opportunity to stick around -- and if the Blue Jays can simplify second base, that shouldn’t be difficult.

1B/2B/DH Spencer Horwitz
Even though he hasn’t started at second since Aug. 18, it was still surprising to hear manager John Schneider say recently that Horwitz is likely to be a first baseman/designated hitter moving forward. Horwitz wasn’t going to win a Gold Glove Award this year, but he looked more comfortable defensively than anyone expected and his offensive profile is far more interesting if he’s able to play some second base. He’s also a great potential platoon match with Martinez. This will be an interesting one to monitor going into camp, because Horwitz’s bat can be valuable in the right situation.

3B/RF Addison Barger
Finally, a player untethered from second base. The Blue Jays aren’t about to hand Barger the job at the hot corner, but he’s played some great baseball lately and he’s benefiting from a recent change in approach. It’s taken a while, but Barger suddenly profiles as a high-upside bench option next season, backing up third base while spelling George Springer in right field. Given that Barger exists outside of that tangled web at second base, he feels more in control of his future than most other names listed here.

SS/2B Leo Jiménez
Jiménez fits in the big leagues. It’s evident not just on the field, but in how he carries himself around the clubhouse. Something about it feels natural to him. There’s a world in which Jiménez is Toronto’s starting shortstop in 2026, with Bo Bichette potentially leaving in free agency. In the meantime, Jiménez will be difficult to keep off the roster next season as a primary reserve up the middle. He has been asked about in trade talks before, and as an MLB-ready shortstop, that will happen again this offseason.

2B/1B Will Wagner
Wagner has made an excellent first impression. Now, for the second, third, fourth … Wagner’s offensive profile fits what the Blue Jays want in a hitter, so he’s positioned himself very well to compete for a job next spring. His situation will depend heavily on which other moves are made, but Wagner isn’t going anywhere this offseason and he feels like a safe, steady option with everything swirling around him.

2B/LF Davis Schneider
This is a big stretch run for Schneider, who has struggled mightily since June. Having a foot in left field helps, but with Joey Loperfido in town and No. 13 prospect Alan Roden coming, Schneider won’t be handed anything in 2025. He’s beloved by coaches and teammates for a reason, but for now, it looks like a steep uphill climb. Schneider has made that climb before, though, so he still deserves a place in the conversation.