Blue Jays Roundtable: Who should make wild card roster vs. Twins?

TORONTO — Now that we know who the Blue Jays are playing in the wild-card round, the question becomes who they take with them.

By Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET the Blue Jays must decide which 26 players they’ll roster against the Twins this week in Minneapolis. Until then, manager John Schneider will discuss various options with the coaching staff and front office, taking into account the performance of his own players and the strengths and weaknesses of the Twins.

While we await final word from the Blue Jays, we polled our MLB writers for their recommended rosters:

Watch Blue Jays vs. Twins in Wild Card round on Sportsnet

The Toronto Blue Jays head to Minnesota to face the Twins in the best-of-three Wild Card round. Watch every game on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning Oct. 3.

Watch Game 1 on Oct. 3

Watch Game 2 on Oct. 4

Game 3 on Oct. 5 (if neccessary, time TBD)

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Shi Davidi

Pitchers (12): Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi, Jordan Romano, Jordan Hicks, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza, Genesis Cabrera, Trevor Richards

Reasoning: There is always a nightmare scenario you can concoct to justify carrying 13 pitchers for three games, but the odds are so against it happening, I feel like there’s more utility in the extra position player. Gausman, Bassitt and Berrios are a formidable front three and Kikuchi offers protection in case disaster strikes during an outing.

In the bullpen is the current group, giving John Schneider ample room to run with leverage arms from the fifth inning onwards. There’s an argument to be made for taking Bowden Francis over Richards, but the latter has been a part of the team for the past two-and-a-half years and was having a sensational season before the last month and in spite of that, has struck out 103 batters in 70 innings. As long as he’s completely healthy, he should be on the roster.

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Position Players (14): Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Brandon Belt, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman, Daulton Varsho, Whit Merrifield, Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer, Davis Schneider, Cam Eden

Reasoning: Remember Dalton Pompey in the 2015 playoffs? That’s what the Blue Jays are hoping Eden can be and with Kirk and Belt in the lineup, there is certainly utility in a primarily-speed player. Ideally, they would have found more opportunities for him to get some reps over the past couple of weeks but even if he’s not stealing bases, he’s shown the ability to make good reads and the speed to put pressure on a defence.

Schneider has cooled since his historic start — it’s impossible that he wouldn’t have — but his power makes sense off the bench. Otherwise, there are no real debates here and the Blue Jays will lean heavily on the lineup they used over the past week, with a matchup tweak here and there.

David Singh

Pitchers (12): Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi, Jordan Romano, Jordan Hicks, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza, Genesis Cabrera, Bowden Francis

Reasoning: Nothing surprising in these selections. The most noteworthy player absent is Trevor Richards, who’s replaced in the bullpen with right-hander Bowden Francis.

Richards struggled mightily in September, allowing 16 runs on 14 hits and 11 walks over 11.1 innings. Francis, meanwhile, has been an underrated cog in the bullpen during his various stints with the big-league club.

The rookie’s role wasn’t exciting — he soaked up innings mostly when the Blue Jays were behind in games — but he handled his business and showed excellent command, posting a 1.73 ERA over 36.1 innings, striking out 35 while walking just eight.

Francis’s role shouldn’t change in the post-season, but you could argue those mop-up innings that apply gauze to damage become even more crucial in October.

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Position players (14): Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Brandon Belt, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman, Daulton Varsho, Whit Merrifield, Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer, Davis Schneider, Cam Eden

Reasoning: Business as usual here, as it’s the same 14 position players the Blue Jays deployed to end the season.

We saw this at play all year, but it’s worth bringing up once again the type of versatility this group provides for manager John Schneider.

Merrifield’s ability to play the outfield could be a factor, while Biggio can be slotted pretty much anywhere with full confidence. He’s my bet to author a signature moment early in the post-season.

I’ll admit I wasn’t initially on the Eden train. However, after chatting with colleague Ben Nicholson-Smith and reading his piece on the speedy outfielder, I’m fully on board. Would be exciting to see how his speed could change the complexion of a late-inning rally.

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Ben Nicholson-Smith

Pitchers (12): Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi, Jordan Romano, Jordan Hicks, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza, Genesis Cabrera, Bowden Francis

Reasoning: The top three starters are obvious choices and Kikuchi’s valuable in case a game goes extras (remember, there are no ghost runners in the post-season) or as insurance in case a starter takes a line drive off a leg. He could be used in shorter stints, too.

Most of the relief choices are equally clear, with the exception of Bowden Francis over Trevor Richards (and Hyun Jin Ryu). That’s the toughest decision I see for the Blue Jays this week, unless they go with 13 pitchers for a three-game series as they did in 2022.

It would feel wrong not to include Richards, who has been an essential part of this team all year, but he’s struggled in recent weeks and the Twins led the American League in home runs — Richards’ Achilles heel. Plus, Francis offers more length.

This configuration adds up to a total of nine relievers, rather than 10, but we’re talking about a three-game series with off days on either side. Nine should be enough.

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Position Players (14): Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Brandon Belt, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman, Daulton Varsho, Whit Merrifield, Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer, Davis Schneider, Cam Eden

Reasoning: The Blue Jays have 11 players who are essentially locks, as they’re sure to roster their starting nine plus Merrifield and Heineman, their backup catcher. And if you allow for 14 position players, you can expand your bench with three distinct skill sets.

In Schneider, you have power off the bench should the Blue Jays find themselves trailing late, maybe with Daulton Varsho or Cavan Biggio up against a tough left-hander. Espinal’s useful in similar situations, but you’re more likely to use him when you need contact as opposed to home run power. He’s also your backup shortstop.

As for Eden, there’s a clear pinch-running role for him on a team where Kirk and Belt are starting every day. Down one in the seventh, for instance, or tied in the eighth. With that in mind, there’s a non-zero chance he scores some of the Blue Jays’ biggest runs of 2023. In fact, even if the Blue Jays roster just 13 position players, Eden should be one of them.