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The Toronto Blue Jays have had a sub-.500 year to date in 2016. They were expected to be among the best teams in the American League this season, but now they are in danger of getting old quickly.
Joe Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are both free agents at the end of the season. Encarnacion is three years younger than Bautista and plays first base when he isn’t the DH, so there is only one DH spot for these two players next season.
In the minors, the Blue Jays have an elite prospect in outfielder Anthony Alford. Alford was a third-round pick in 2012, but only played baseball part-time through 2014 as he was a football player for Southern Mississippi. Now that he is devoted to baseball full-time, he is surging up the minors as the 38th best prospect in all of baseball.
Meanwhile, Bautista is aging in place and blocking the logical spot in the outfield for Alford. Alford is a true leadoff hitter who may even supplant Kevin Pillar as the everyday center fielder. Batting Pillar lower in the order worked wonders for the Blue Jays in 2015, so going forward it will probably work again.
Bautista has never been on a consistent winner, and he could use a true run at a World Series. The two teams chasing the Washington Nationals, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, could both use some corner outfield help. The Mets have a bad situation in right field where Curtis Granderson suddenly looks very old. In contrast, the Phillies have too much youth in their outfield to contend offensively.
The Blue Jays need to get younger to keep contending while Josh Donaldson is the best in MLB. Bautista doesn’t fit in that youth movement, so Toronto must consider trading him for some youth before it’s too late.
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