Davis Schneider surfacing in persistent trade rumors is a bittersweet reality that highlights Toronto’s impressive depth and massive championship aspirations.
Seeing a fan favorite on the trading block always stings at first glance for the Toronto faithful.
The initial shock of these rumors is completely understandable when you consider his magical debut and infectious energy.
But when you look at the current roster construction, this front office is simply operating from a position of undeniable strength.
The outfield grass at Rogers Centre is suddenly very crowded heading into the spring training schedule.
With Daulton Varsho locking down center and names like Addison Barger and Anthony Santander in the corner spots, playing time is scarce.
Schneider (Drafted 28th round, 2017 by Toronto Blue Jays) deserves regular at-bats after fighting his way up from absolute obscurity.
The 27 year old bounced back beautifully last year, producing a .234 batting average, 11 home runs, and a very solid .797 OPS.
Those are exactly the kind of offensive metrics that make him an incredibly attractive trade piece for a rebuilding club.
Ross Atkins holds the perfect leverage to secure a major return
Losing our beloved mustache wearing folk hero would absolutely hurt, but the exhilarating thought of adding another shutdown pitcher makes the sacrifice entirely worth it.
The infield picture provides no immediate relief for his playing time either.
Having Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez demanding the bulk of the middle infield innings creates a massive roadblock.
Keeping a dangerous right handed bat glued to the dugout bench does not maximize his individual value or the roster’s true ceiling.
Rival general managers across the league know exactly what this slugger can do when he gets consistent trips to the plate.
Cashing in on his peak trade value right now is the textbook definition of smart baseball asset management.
It clears up the positional logjam and gives the coaching staff a much cleaner depth chart to manage every single night.
Making tough calls like this is exactly what elite franchises do when they are ready to conquer the American League East.
The kid gets a well deserved chance to start somewhere else, and Toronto gets the final puzzle piece for a deep October run.
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