Here's an early peek at Blue Jays' Opening Day roster

TORONTO -- For a few years now, the Blue Jays’ camp competitions have been limited to the edges of their roster.

That can be a good thing, given some of the stability the Blue Jays have enjoyed from year to year, but results need to follow. This spring, some fresh faces will shake up the Opening Day roster and the camp competitions could carry more weight.

Here’s a look at how the Blue Jays project to open the 2025 season:

Catcher (2): Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman
This is Kirk’s show now, and he’s already earning himself some good press early on with multiple people in the organization mentioning he’s gotten into better shape. The Blue Jays would love to get 100-plus starts out of Kirk, but regardless, they’ll need their No. 2 to carry a serious workload. Heineman is the lone catcher on the 40-man roster with Kirk and will compete against veteran Christian Bethancourt in spring. If there’s any position that could see another addition between now and Opening Day, it’s this one.

First base (1): Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
It’s still possible the Blue Jays slide Guerrero across to third base more often to maximize their offense, but for the sake of this conversation, getting 125 starts at first from Guerrero with some DH days mixed in makes sense. Remember last spring, when the Blue Jays brought in Daniel Vogelbach and Joey Votto? That’s when they still had Spencer Horwitz, too, so perhaps there’s another minor addition to come to build out the first-base depth. Otherwise, Will Wagner could see the odd game there.

Second base (2): Andrés Giménez, Will Wagner
Say hello to Infield Daulton Varsho. Giménez is a defensive maestro, and even if you’ll end up hoping for more at the plate, his defensive value alone should be significant. The Giménez addition seems to add some clarity to the logjam that existed there previously, and on days Giménez sits, Wagner or Leo Jiménez are next up.

Shortstop (2): Bo Bichette, Leo Jiménez
Good luck trying to give Bichette an off-day, but if he ever needs one or another injury pops up, Jiménez is an excellent option behind him and might just be the most underrated player on this roster.

Third Base (1): Ernie Clement
Clement was a Gold Glove finalist at this position last year, seizing the job after he spent much of spring battling for a roster spot. With a full camp to prepare as a near-everyday player, Clement should only benefit. Will Wagner could also see some time at the hot corner early on.

Left field (2): Davis Schneider, Joey Loperfido
This is a big, big camp for Schneider, who struggled last season but still has so many fans within the organization. Crushing lefties would be a start, especially given his ability to slide in and play second when needed. Loperfido needs to produce some results, but will be settled in for his first full season with the club and has the physical gifts a hitting coach loves to toy with.

Center field (1): Daulton Varsho
Let’s put an asterisk on this one to open camp. Varsho is still working his way back from the shoulder surgery he had late last season, but until we hear his Opening Day status in question, he’ll hold his place here. If Varsho needs more time, Myles Straw comes into play and Joey Loperfido could take some reps in center. In either of those scenarios, it would also keep the door open longer for Schneider to find his footing again.

Right field (2): Anthony Santander, George Springer
Santander could also see plenty of time in left field and at DH, so expect Springer to be out in right field the majority of the time. Keeping Springer fresh will be a priority, too.

Starting pitchers (5): Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Bowden Francis
This is an impressive group of veterans, and beyond Francis, the Blue Jays will have Yariel Rodríguez preparing as a starter. This group is perhaps more reliable than dominant, but reliability is a beautiful thing in baseball. Consider the rotation a strength.

Relief pitchers (8): Jeff Hoffman, Yimi García, Chad Green, Erik Swanson, Brendon Little, Nick Sandlin, Ryan Burr, Yariel Rodríguez
This group needs another addition or two -- or a camp breakout -- but the back end looks much better now than it did for much of 2024. Tommy Nance, Richard Lovelady, Zach Pop, Josh Walker, Nick Robertson, Mason Fluharty and others will compete.